Highlights of the Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup is surprisingly small, standing only 43 cms high, but the cherished golden trophy has cast a powerful spell over the players who have competed for it biennially since its inception in 1927.

Contested by 12-man teams from Europe and the United States, the Ryder Cup is one of the most highly charged occasions in sport and has frequently reduced experienced golfers to quivering bags of nerves as the pressure mounts.

"The Ryder Cup has a lot more pressure than a major," 2010 US captain Corey Pavin told Reuters. "It's not even a comparison. For me as a player, the Ryder Cup was a hundred times more stressful than any major championship."

The Americans lead the series by 25 victories to 10. Two of the matches -- at Royal Birkdale in 1969 and at The Belfry in 1989 -- were tied.

The competition's beginnings were humble. An eight-man British team travelled by ocean liner to the U.S. for the first official match in 1927 without English professional Abe Mitchell, who should have been their captain but was struck by appendicitis on the train to the boat.

The US won that first contest at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts by 9-1/2 points to 2-1/2 but Britain levelled the series at home two years later.

The next two matches were also split before the Americans began a period of dominance, building up an overall record of 17 wins, one draw and three defeats going into the 1977 match at Royal Lytham in England.

Another trouncing at the hands of the US - by 12-1/2 points to 7-1/2 that year - sparked calls for the competition to be abandoned because it had become too one-sided.

Cooler heads prevailed and the idea was born that the British team, bolstered by Irish players since 1973, should be expanded to include players from continental Europe. American dominance continued, though, for the next two matches.

At The Greenbrier in 1979, the first European team were soundly beaten 17-11, despite holding the US to an 8-1/2 to 7-1/2 advantage going into the last-day singles.

STRONGEST TEAM

At Walton Heath in 1981, Europe suffered even more, being pummelled 18-1/2 points to 9-1/2 by arguably the strongest American Ryder Cup team of all time.

That year's US line-up included Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Larry Nelson, Hale Irwin and Raymond Floyd.

The 1981 European team did not include the then double major champion Seve Ballesteros, who was omitted following a dispute with European officials over appearance money.

However, the Spaniard returned in 1983 when Europe hinted at what was to come by chasing the Americans hard at PGA National in Florida before the holders edged home by a single point -- 14-1/2 to 13-1/2.

"One thing is for certain, these matches are going to be as close as this from now on," European captain Tony Jacklin said. "There will be no more American walkovers."

At The Belfry in central England in 1985, the Europeans won their first Ryder Cup since 1957 by 16-1/2 to 11-1/2.

Although the US led 3-1 after the opening foursomes, the turning point came on the second morning when American Craig Stadler missed a putt from just 18 inches on the final green in a fourball clash.

The match, between Stadler and Curtis Strange and Europeans Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle, was halved and Europe went on to take control.

Two years later at Muirfield Village in Ohio, Europe won again -- 15-13 -- to clinch their first Ryder Cup triumph on American soil.

The Europeans retained the trophy in 1989 with a 14-14 tie at The Belfry in the last of four matches under the captaincy of Englishman Jacklin.

NARROW LOSS

Under Scot Bernard Gallacher, the Europeans narrowly surrendered at Kiawah Island in 1991 when Langer missed a six-foot putt on the final green against Irwin that would have enabled Europe to retain the trophy with another draw.

Instead, the Americans wrested back the cup by 14-1/2 points to 13-1/2 and triumphed again 15-13 at The Belfry in 1993.

Europe took each of the next two editions by a single point before the U.S. produced an astonishing fightback in the last-day singles at Brookline in 1999, winning eight of the 12 matches to reclaim the trophy by 14-1/2 points to 13-1/2.

That win was marred by accusations of unsporting behaviour over the three days, culminating in a charge across the 17th green by US players and their spouses after Justin Leonard had holed an uphill birdie putt from 45 feet and before Leonard's opponent Jose Maria Olazabal had completed the hole.

Thankfully, the last four matches have been conducted in model fashion.

Astutely captained by Sam Torrance, Europe clinched victory by 15-1/2 points to 12-1/2 at The Belfry in 2002, with the experienced Colin Montgomerie inspiring the home side with a haul of 4-1/2 points out of a possible five.

The meticulous Langer led the Europeans to a crushing triumph by 18-1/2 points to 9-1/2 at Oakland Hills in 2004, matching the competition's biggest winning margin set by the Americans 23 years earlier.

Europe repeated the feat at the K Club in Ireland in 2006 under the captaincy of Ian Woosnam but Paul Azinger shrewdly orchestrated the first victory by the US since 1999 with a fiercely motivated team at Valhalla in 2008.

Azinger revamped the selection system by doubling his number of wildcard picks to four while infusing his team with a level of unity and ease under pressure that had not been seen in years.

By Mark Lamport-Stokes, Reuters