1953 Ryder Cup

Format

The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. From 1927 through 1959, the format consisted of 4 foursome (alternate shot) matches on the first day and 8 singles matches on the second day, for a total of 12 points. Therefore, 6½ points were required to win the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 36 holes.

Teams

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The British team was selected by the tournament committee of the P.G.A. with power to add to their numbers. In January 1953 Henry Cotton was chosen as captain and was co-opted onto the selection committee. In mid-August a group of 17 was announced from which the team would be chosen. This consisted of the eventual team of 10 plus Cotton, Tom Haliburton, Jack Hargreaves, Sam King, Arthur Lees, Norman Sutton and Charlie Ward. John Jacobs was later added to the list. Cotton withdrew from consideration for medical reasons. The P.G.A. arranged a series of trial matches at Wentworth starting on 23 September with the team announced on 26 September.

Although he won three majors in 1953, Ben Hogan did not compete in this or subsequent Ryder Cups; he was a non-playing captain in 1967.

Friday's foursome matches

In the middle two matches the American pairs won easily after being 8 up and 7 up at lunch. In the first match Douglas and Oliver led by three after three holes of the afternoon round. The British pair reduced the lead to one with six holes to play. Both pairs holes good putts at the 15th but the British pair bogeyed the 16th to be dormie-two. Oliver drove out of bounds at the 17th but the British pair took 6 and the hole was halved. In the final match, Daly and Bradshaw were three up at lunch but lost the first two holes in the afternoon. Daly and Bradshaw's lead increased to 3 at the turn but then the Americans reduced the lead to one. Bradshaw had some luck at the 16th when his drive hit a spectator and the hole was halved. Middlecoff missed a 7-foot putt at the 17th which would have tied the match. The American pair got a 4 at the last but Daly holed from 3 yards to win the match.

18 hole scores: Douglas/Oliver: 1 up, Mangrum/Snead: 8 up, Kroll/Burke: 7 up, Daly/Bradshaw: 3 up.

Saturday's singles matches

The start was delayed by 80 minutes because of mist. At lunch each side was up in three matches with the other two matches level. Rees was ahead after 12 holes of the afternoon round but lost 2 & 1. Daly was 6 up at lunch and won his match easily. Mangrum had levelled his match against Brown with birdies at the 15th and 16th but Brown finished with two fours to win the match. Snead was 4 up at lunch and increased this to five. However he played the last six holes very badly and Weetman won at the last hole, finishing with two fours.

With Middlecoff and Bradshaw winning their matches, the British team needed 1½ points from the remaining 2 matches to win or a point to tie. The two British players in these matches were 22-year-old Peter Alliss and 23-year-old Bernard Hunt. Alliss had gone 1 up at the 14th but he 3-putted the 15th while Turnesa got down in two from a bunker. Alliss went out of bounds at the 17th to give Turnesa the lead. Turnesa was in the trees at the last and still short of the green in 3. However, Alliss, just off the green in 2, fluffed his chip, and eventually halved the hole in 6, to guarantee that the USA would retain the Ryder Cup. In the last match Hunt had won the 12th, 13th, 16th and 17th to be dormie-one. At the last, Hunt's second shot was in the trees on the right but he managed to get his third shot to the back of the green. He putted to 4 feet and, with Douglas taking 5, he needed to hole the putt to win the match. He missed and so the USA won 6½ to 5½.

18 hole scores: Rees v Burke: all square, Daly: 6 up, Brown: 2 up, Snead: 4 up, Middlecoff: 3 up, Turnesa: 1 up, Hunt v Douglas: all square, Bradshaw: 1 up.

Individual player records

Each entry refers to the Win–Loss–Half record of the player.

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