Since 1979, the magic number of points required for a team to win The Ryder Cup is 14½ from the 28 available.
The number of points played for at a Ryder Cup has remained the same since The Greenbrier hosted the first contest between the newly-formed Team Europe and the United States 39 years ago.
In this first instance, the hosts defeated Europe 17-11, whereas two years previously they won with a score of 12½ to 7½ out of 20 points on offer.
The widest margin of victory is nine points, achieved by the United States in 1981, and by Europe in 2004 and 2006 with a score of 18½ - 9½.
Since Team GB&I was changed to incorporate players from the continent of Europe in 1979, there has been just one draw, and seven matches decided by a margin of just one point.
The draw, which occurred at The Belfry in 1989, came after José Maria Cañizares won his singles match against Ken Green 1UP, giving Europe a 14-10 lead and ensuring that his side would retain the cup even with four matches still to conclude. The Americans won the remaining four matches, with Curtis Strange defeating Ian Woosnam 2UP to earn the consolation of a draw.
After losing their first two Ryder Cups by margins of six points (1979) and nine points (1981), Team Europe lost by just a single point in 1983. They would then win their first Ryder Cup two years later in 1985, at The Belfry, before two years later handing the Americans their first defeat on home soil in The Ryder Cup’s then 60-year history.
The three Ryder Cups from 1995 to 1999 were each decided by a single point, with two victories for Europe and an American triumph in 1999. In 2010, The Ryder Cup came down to the final match, with Graeme McDowell securing the final point for a 14½ - 13½ victory with a 3 & 1 defeat of Hunter Mahan.
Two years later, Martin Kaymer secured Europe’s 14th point, capping off one of the most remarkable comebacks in Ryder Cup history as his side came from 6-10 down to win 14½ - 13½ in what is now known as The Miracle of Medinah. Tiger Woods conceded the final hole in his match against Francesco Molinari for a half and an outright European victory.
