1973 Ryder Cup

The 20th Ryder Cup Matches were held at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. The United States team won the competition by a score of 19 to 13 points. For the first time, what had previously been the "Great Britain" team was called "Great Britain and Ireland", although golfers from the Republic of Ireland had played since 1953, and from Northern Ireland since 1947. Muirfield had hosted the Open Championship the previous year, won by American Lee Trevino. FormatThe Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The competition format was adjusted slightly in 1973 from the format used from 1963 through 1971: Day 1 — 4 foursomes (alternate shot) matches in a morning session and 4 four-ball (better ball) matches in an afternoon sessionDay 2 — 4 foursome matches in a morning session and 4 four-ball matches in an afternoon sessionDay 3 — 16 singles matches, 8 each in morning and afternoon sessionsWith a total of 32 points, 16½ points were required to win the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.

The 20th Ryder Cup Matches were held at Muirfield in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland. The United States team won the competition by a score of 19 to 13 points. For the first time, what had previously been the "Great Britain" team was called "Great Britain and Ireland", although golfers from the Republic of Ireland had played since 1953, and from Northern Ireland since 1947. Muirfield had hosted the Open Championship the previous year, won by American Lee Trevino. FormatThe Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The competition format was adjusted slightly in 1973 from the format used from 1963 through 1971: Day 1 — 4 foursomes (alternate shot) matches in a morning session and 4 four-ball (better ball) matches in an afternoon sessionDay 2 — 4 foursome matches in a morning session and 4 four-ball matches in an afternoon sessionDay 3 — 16 singles matches, 8 each in morning and afternoon sessionsWith a total of 32 points, 16½ points were required to win the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.