What Is The Biggest Winning Margin At The Ryder Cup?

Despite letting their momentum slip with a 3-1 defeat in the Saturday afternoon fourball session at the 2023 Ryder Cup, the Europeans remain in a commanding position with a 10.5-5.5 lead heading in to the Sunday singles.

For Zach Johnson’s Americans to lift the trophy from here would require the biggest comeback win in the Ryder Cup. Perhaps more likely, then, is the Europeans go on to complete victory by one of the widest margins in the history of the match, but what is the most commanding winning margin so far?

Since the contest began being fought over 28 points in 1979, there have been five matches that finished with a seven-point victory or higher, with two of those coming in the last five years.

The largest winning margin in the Ryder Cup in the 28-point era came just two years ago at Whistling Straits, when Team USA won by 10 points in a 19-9 victory. That proved sweet revenge for Steve Stricker and his team after the Americans had been drubbed by a seven-point winning margin at Le Golf National three years earlier, losing 17.5-10.5.

Those sizeable victories followed a win by nine points for the US in 1981 at Walton Heath and the Europeans returning the favour with its own nine-point victory in 2004 at Oakland Hills. Two years later, Team Europe was at it again, with another nine-point win at the K Club in Ireland.

However, all of those victories are eclipsed by the 1967 Ryder Cup at the Champions Golf Club in Texas, when the US won by a staggering 15 points, 23.5-8.5. Back then, though, there were 32 points up for grabs, so comparing it to winning margins in the modern era is perhaps unfair.

With 12 points available in the Sunday singles, the Europeans could theoretically finish on 22.5 points. That, of course, is highly unlikely, and the focus of Luke Donald’s men will be, first and foremost, getting to the magic 14.5 points needed to reclaim the trophy.

However, with plenty of players in excellent form, a Marco Simone course set up to favour Team Europe and the backing of a big home crowd, if they do reach their target early, the focus will turn to not whether the home side will win, but by how much.

Biggest Winning Margins At The Ryder Cup

• 1967: 15 points - US won by 23.5-8.5 (32-point era)
• 2021: 10 points - US won by 19-9
• 1981: 9 points - US won by 18.5-9.5
• 2004: 9 points - Europe won by 18.5-9.5
• 2006: 9 points - Europe won by 18.5-9.5
• 2018: 7 points - Europe won by 17.5-10.5