The 2025 Ryder Cup takes place in September and we have provided all the information you need about the scoring format for the event.
The Ryder Cup is the biggest team event in golf, which pits the USA against Europe, with an edition being held every two years in either the States or Europe, depending on who has hosting duties.
Having wrestled the trophy back from the United States at Marco Simone Golf Club in Italy in 2023, the European outfit will now head to Bethpage Black in September to defend their crown.
Keegan Bradley will skipper the US side in New York, although his impressive form means he could become the first playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963, while Luke Donald remains in charge after he guided Europe to victory two years ago.
Each team of 12 will be made up of six automatic qualifiers and six captain’s picks, with Open champion Scottie Scheffler already guaranteed a spot in the side, as is Grand Slam hero Rory McIlroy for Europe.
Ahead of the highly anticipated meeting in New York, we have delved into the format used for the Ryder Cup and exactly how points are scored across the three days of action.
What is Matchplay?
Matchplay is the format which is used for each match at the Ryder Cup. This is where a player, or team, earns a point for each hole they have bettered their opponent’s score. For example, if a player recorded a par on the first hole and his opponent had a bogey, the individual who made the par would win the hole.
That would see them go 1up and if they won the next hole, they would be 2up. However, if they were to lose the next hole, it would be cancelled out and the match would be all square.
This is different to strokeplay, where the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds, and stableford, where the score made on the hole is then awarded a certain amount of points.
A par earns two points, a birdie is three, an eagle is four and an albatross is five, while a bogey is one point.
The winner of a matchplay game is whoever is leading at the end of the 18 holes. A match can be concluded earlier if one player, or team, is ahead by more than the holes remaining.
How are points scored?
At each Ryder Cup, there are a total of 28 points to play for. The team who holds the cup, which this year is Europe, need 14 points to retain the trophy.
The team not in possession of the cup, which is the USA right now, needs to better Europe’s total score in order to win the trophy. A total of 14.5 is effectively needed for the challengers to triumph.
The points scored system is simple, with one point behind handed out if a player, or team, wins a match and half a point given if a game is tied after 18 holes. A play-off is never used in the Ryder Cup.
Has the format changed over the years?
There have been several tweaks made to the Ryder Cup format since the inaugural edition in 1927, when the USA faced Great Britain and each team had eight players.
From 1973 to 1977, Irish players were allowed to compete for Great Britain, before continental European players were then brought into the equation in 1979.
There was also a format change in 1979, with the 28-match version in use today first showcased.
What formats are used in the Ryder Cup?
There are three different formats used in the Ryder Cup – fourballs, foursomes and singles.
Fourballs, also known as better ball, is a pair’s format where the best score on the hole for each team is used to determine who wins the hole.
Foursomes, also known as alternate shot, is where the two players on each team take turns in taking shots with the same ball. For the tee shots, the players will alternate on each hole.
Singles is a 1v1 format and is used on the third and final day’s play at the Ryder Cup, with 12 matches taking place. Each captain chooses their order without the other skipper knowing, before the lineups are then revealed at the same time.
What order are the formats played in?
The captain of the home side gets to decide whether foursomes or fourballs is used first on the first two days at the Ryder Cup.
If foursomes is selected for the opening session on day one, then fourballs will be used in the second session that day.
Has any team dominated in a certain format?
Europe have tended to do better in the foursomes, while the USA have thrived when it comes to the singles. Fourballs are often split quite evenly.
In the 2023 edition in Italy, Europe won the two foursome sessions 7-1 in total, while the USA edged the fourballs 4.5-3.5.
The singles were shared evenly, 6-6, as Europe recorded a 16.5-11.5 victory.
Ryder Cup points records
Spaniard Sergio García has collected the most points in Ryder Cup history with 28.5. His win-loss-halve record stands at 25-13-7.
Garcia also holds the record for most foursomes points won with 13.5, while he has the joint-most in fourballs with 10.5, alongside Jose María Olazabal and Ian Woosnam.
As for most singles points won, five players hold the joint-record with seven each.
These are Colin Montgomerie, Billy Casper, Lee Trevino, Arnold Palmer and Neil Coles.
