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What is the Largest Margin of Victory in Any One Ryder Cup Match?

By , About.com Guide

Tom Kite

Tom Kite shares the record for biggest winning margin in an 18-hole Ryder Cup singles match.

Photo © Rich Hodge; used with permission
Question: What is the Largest Margin of Victory in Any One Ryder Cup Match?
Answer: Not surprisingly, the overall largest margins of victory in any individual Ryder Cup match came during the period when 36-hole matches were the norm.

The biggest win in a 36-hole singles match was by the score of 10-and-8. George Duncan of Great Britain defeated U.S. captain Walter Hagen by that score in 1929. Two 36-hole foursomes matches were decided by the score of 10-and-9: Hagen and Denny Shute beat Duncan and Arthur Havers by that score in 1931; and in 1947, Lew Worsham and Ed Oliver of the U.S. defeated Henry Cotton and Arthur Lees of Great Britain by that score.

In 18-hole matches, the worst singles loss was by the score of 8-and-7, and it's happened twice: in 1989, Tom Kite beat Howard Clark; and in 1987, Fred Couples defeated Ian Woosnam.

The biggest winning margin in an 18-hole four-ball match is 7-and-5. It happened in 1981 when the American duo of Lee Trevino and Jerry Pate defeated the British pair of Nick Faldo and Sam Torrance.

And in foursomes, the record is 7-and-6. Three matches have been settled by that score: Hale Irwin and Tom Kite beat Ken Brown and Des Smyth in 1979; Paul Azinger and Mark O'Meara beat Nick Faldo and David Gilford in 1991; and Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley defeated Lee Westwood and Luke Donald in 2012.

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