It’s been 30 years since the U.S. last won a Ryder Cup on foreign soil — 32 since the team successfully defended a victory — a drought the Americans are very much hoping to end this year.
After a 1991 Ryder Cup at Kiawah Island where the U.S. logged a dramatic 14 1⁄2-13 1⁄2 win, the Americans, captained by Tom Watson, defeated Bernard Gallacher’s European squad 15-13 at the Belfry in 1993.
Since then, the U.S. has been trying to get the monkey off its back of winning across the pond. Let's take a look at the last three decades of European-hosted Ryder Cups.
Year: 1997
Captains: Tom Kite (United States), Seve Ballesteros (Europe)
Venue: Valderrama Golf Club
Winner: Europe, 14½-13½
Ballesteros, whose Ryder Cup playing career changed the history of the event, held off a late American charge and captained the Europeans to a stunning win in his native Spain, the first time a European Ryder Cup was played outside Great Britain or Ireland.
Europe raced out to a 9-4 lead on Saturday. However, a speech by former President George Bush inspired the U.S. Team, who went on to win eight of the 12 singles matches and got within striking distance of the lead, before Colin Montgomerie put the nail in the coffin. He was tied with Scott Hoch going into the final hole of their match, but Monty would then hit his approach to 15 feet before missing his birdie putt. It took Hoch three shots to reach the green, and he faced an 8-footer for par, but Montgomerie conceded Hoch's putt to halve the match and give Europe the win.
''It's very special, playing the Ryder Cup in Spain for the first time, and being the Captain,'' Ballesteros said. ''I've won a lot of matches around the world, but there's nothing like the Ryder Cup.”
Meanwhile, Edorta and Angela Rahm were part of the crowd at Valderrama and took up the game shortly after. They then taught it to their son, Jon, who, of course, grew up to become world No. 1, a two-time major champion and will play in his third Ryder Cup this year. After he won the Masters this past April, Jon credited the 1997 Ryder Cup and his idol, Ballesteros, with being integral to his career.
“If it wasn’t for Seve and that Ryder Cup in ’97 — my father and I talk about it all the time — we don't know where I would be," the Spaniard said.
Year: 2002
Captains: Curtis Strange (United States), Sam Torrance (Europe)
Venue: The Belfry
Winner: Europe, 15½-12 ½
After the Americans' historic Sunday comeback in 1999 at The Country Club, Europe got its revenge three years later (after the Ryder Cup was postponed a year due to the September 11th attacks).
The teams were tied heading into Sunday, but Torrance sent out his top eight players in the first singles matches Sunday, immediately setting the tone, gathering 7 1⁄2 points to win back the Cup.
“Sunday at Brookline (in 1999) was a very disappointing experience for us,” Darren Clarke said. “The American guys played fantastic, and we didn't play the way we should have. And to come back this year, and play it with the team that we had, everybody was writing us off, saying no chance. And it's great to come and win. It's great to show anything can happen in match play. And that's what happened this week.”
Year: 2006
Captains: Tom Lehman (United States), Ian Woosnam (Europe)
Venue: K Club
Winner: Europe, 18½-9½
At this point in time, Americans were dominating on the PGA Tour, while it had been seven years since a European player won a major championship.
But when it came to the Ryder Cup, the Europeans were in the midst of a dynasty.
In 2006, Europe matched its record-winning margin that was set two years earlier at Oakland Hills en route to its first-ever Ryder Cup three-peat. Rookie Henrik Stenson rolled in the winning putt, moments after Luke Donald, the 2023 European captain, canned a putt for Europe to retain the Cup.
It was Europe’s fifth win in six Ryder Cups.
“It just goes to show that it's just not an individual game,” European team member David Howell said after the victory. “The Ryder Cup, it's all about the team. And I think whether we do that better than the Americans is up for debate, but we do that as well as anybody.”
Year: 2010
Captains: Corey Pavin (United States), Colin Montgomerie (Europe)
Venue: Celtic Manor Resort
Winner: Europe, 14½-13½
Coming off a spirited victory in 2008 at Valhalla, the Americans didn’t get the encore they hoped for.
Europe led 9½-6½ entering singles matches, played on Monday due to inclement weather. The Americans, however, began to make a comeback, and when 21-year-old rookie Rickie Fowler won his last three holes to halve his match with Edoardo Molinari, a victory was in reach.
For the first time since 1991, a Ryder Cup was decided by the final singles match — Graeme McDowell vs. Hunter Mahan. The U.S. only needed Mahan to halve his match to retain the cup, but McDowell would notch the win on the par-3 17th for the Europeans’ sixth win in eight tries.
Though they didn’t get the result they wanted, the Americans’ rally lightened the mood after the defeat.
“I think they should all be proud of themselves,” Pavin said afterward. “As I've told them all week, they are playing for each other. We are a team and I was proud of every one of them and how they played during this week, how they fought, how they kept at it out there.”
Year: 2014
Captains: Tom Watson (United States), Paul McGinley (Europe)
Venue: Gleneagles
Winner: Europe, 16½-11½.
The U.S. failed to avenge the Miracle at Medinah from two years prior with a lackluster performance in Scotland. The Americans went into Sunday singles trailing 10-6, but unlike 1999 and 2012, that score would not yield an inspiring comeback or collapse (depending on how you view it). Instead, Europe was victorious in eight of the last 10 Ryder Cups.
Year: 2018
Captains: Jim Furyk (United States), Thomas Bjørn (Europe)
Venue: Le Golf National
Winner: Europe, 17½-10½
After a rousing triumph by the U.S. at Hazeltine in 2016, the Americans had high hopes that they could end their 25-year winless drought across the Atlantic, plus back up a win for the first time in 27 years.
But once again, the Europeans had the Americans’ number in front of the home fans.
Europe recorded its largest margin of victory in over a decade, as the U.S. collectively, outside of rookie Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, underperformed. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson failed to record a point with time dwindling down in their careers to notch that elusive victory on European soil.
“For me personally, I went 0-4,” Woods said. “Obviously very disappointing. Those are four points that aren't going towards our side. It's going towards their side. To have a Ryder Cup end that way, for me personally, it doesn't feel very good because I didn't help my teammates earn any points. At the end of the day, we came here as a team and we win or lose, and unfortunately we lost this one.”
The U.S. Team, led by a wave of rookies, bounced back with a historic 19-9 trouncing at Whistling Straits three years later, with the matches being postponed a year due to COVID-19.
Now, the U.S. heads to Marco Simone GC in Rome, Italy, looking to back up its win in Wisconsin and end a drought that exceeds three decades. And U.S. Captain Zach Johnson believes the 12 U.S. Team members are more than up for the task.
“What's happened in the past is the past,” Johnson said. “This is a great new opportunity, and these are the 12 guys that are going to push to achieve that, the main goal, which is strictly to keep the Cup here in the United States.”
