The 16 September 1979 was the final day of the 23rd Ryder Cup series of matches, held at the Greenbrier Golf Course in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

It was the start of a new era for the Ryder Cup, when players from continental Europe took part in the Ryder Cup for the first time, replacing Great Britain and Ireland as the opposition to the United States. It was hoped the change would raise the profile of the event and end the near total domination by the United States,

However, the United States won the competition easily by a score of 17 to 11 points.

Jack Nicklaus, age 39, failed to make the team for the first time since becoming eligible in 1969, and Tom Watson withdrew the day before the competition for the birth of his first child.

The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The competition format was similar to the formats used from 1963 through 1975, but with fewer singles matches.

TEAMS:

USA: Billy Casper [non-playing captain]; Gil Morgan; Hubert Green; Larry Nelson; John Mahaffey; Tom Kit; Lee Trevino; Hale Irwin; Lanny Wadkins; Andy Bean; Fuzzy Zoeller; Lee Elder; Mark Hayes.

Europe: John Jacobs [non playing captain] [ Eng]; Seve Ballesteros [Spain]; Mark James [Eng]; Brian Barnes [Scot]; Bernard Gallacher [Scot]; Sandy Lyle [Scot]; Ken Brown [Scot]; Antonio Garrido [Spain]; Tony Jacklin [Eng]; Michael King [Eng]; Nick Faldo [Eng]; Des Smyth [Ire]; Peter Oosterhuis [Eng].

RESULTS: All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.

Day 1 – 4 four-ball better ball matches in the morning – USA 3 – Europe 1

Day 1 – 4 foursome matches in the afternoon – USA 2 ½ – Europe 1 ½  

Day 2 – 4 foursome matches in the morning – USA 1 – Europe 3

Day 2 – 4 four-ball matches in the afternoon – USA 2 – Europe 2

Day 3 – 12 singles matches – USA 8 ½ – Europe 3 ½  [6 each in morning and afternoon sessions]

RESULT: USA 17 – Europe 11

On returning home Mark James and Ken Brown received fines for ‘unprofessional conduct’ of £1,500 and £1,000 respectively, and were banned from international duty for 12 months.

16 September, 2019