Dates September 17–19, 2004 | 9½ 18½ | |
 | ||
Venue Oakland Hills Country Club
South Course Location Bloomfield Township, Michigan Captains Hal Sutton (USA)
Bernhard Langer (Europe) | ||
The 35th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 17–19, 2004, in the United States at the South Course of Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, a suburb northwest of Detroit.
Contents
The European team won the competition by a margin of 18½ to 9½ points, The victory margin was the largest by a European team in the history of the event, and the largest by either side since 1981, when Team USA defeated Team Europe by the same score. It was also the largest margin of defeat for the USA on home soil as well as their worst ever defeat since the competition started in 1927.
Television
In the United States, live Friday coverage was provided by USA Network. Bill Macatee and Peter Kostis hosted from the 18th tower. NBC Sports presented live coverage of the Saturday and Sunday matches. Dan Hicks and Johnny Miller hosted from the 18th tower, Bob Murphy called holes, while on-course reporters were Gary Koch, Mark Rolfing, Roger Maltbie, and Ed Sneed.
Format
The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The competition format changed slightly from used from that used from 1991 to 2002, with the order of play swapped on the second day:
With a total of 28 points, 14½ points were required to win the Cup, and 14 points were required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.
Teams
Captains picks are shown in yellow; the world rankings and records are at the start of the 2004 Ryder Cup.
Captains picks are shown in yellow; the world rankings and records are at the start of the 2004 Ryder Cup.
Morning four-ball
U.S. captain Hal Sutton put his top pairing of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the first match of the Ryder Cup, hoping to come out to a quick lead. The decision backfired on Sutton, as the Woods/Mickelson pairing fell behind almost from the start, eventually losing. Only a 7-foot par putt by Chris Riley on the 18th hole of his match kept Team USA from being shut out by Team Europe. Team USA never had the lead during any of the first day's four-ball matches.
Afternoon foursomes
The afternoon alternate-shot session was almost as good for Team Europe as the morning session. Mickelson and Woods lost an early lead in their match, leaving Woods winless in the first day of his last three Ryder Cups. Team USA picked up its first full point, but Europe ended the day with a 6½–1½ lead, its largest lead after the first day in Ryder Cup history.
Individual player records
Each entry refers to the Win–Loss–Half record of the player.
Source: