1931 Ryder Cup

The 3rd Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio on June 26 and 27, 1931.The United States team won the competition by a score of 9 to 3 points.

Format

The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. From 1927 through 1959, the format consisted of 4 foursome (alternate shot) matches on the first day and 8 singles matches on the second day, for a total of 12 points. Therefore, 6½ points were required to win the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 36 holes.

Teams

Team USA

• Walter Hagen — Captain
• Gene Sarazen
• Leo Diegel
• Billy Burke
• Johnny Farrell
• Denny Shute
• Al Espinosa
• Wiffy Cox
• Craig Wood

Team Great Britain

• Charles Whitcombe — Captain
• Archie Compston
• George Duncan
• Abe Mitchell
• Syd Easterbrook
• William Davies
• Arthur Havers
• Fred Robson
• Ernest Whitcombe
• Bert Hodson

Prior to the match, there was some controversy about the qualification rules for the Great Britain team. In 1927 and 1929 the American PGA had decided to only select American born and resident players but the original Ryder Cup Deed of Trust made no such provision. All members of the Professional Golfers' Association were eligible. In late 1929 the Deed of Trust was revised requiring players to be born in and resident in their respective countries. This rule disqualified Percy Alliss and Aubrey Boomer, two of Great Britain's best players, as they had both taken jobs as club professionals in...
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