Three of the eight automatic qualifiers for the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team rank among the youngest Americans ever to make their debut in the Ryder Cup, so you could make the case that the U.S. is in a golden age in golf.
Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler were 21 years old when they first represented the U.S. and Patrick Reed was 24. Tiger Woods, who's among the most discussed candidates for Captain Jim Furyk's four captain's picks, was also 21 when he made his Ryder Cup debut.
MORE: The All-Time American Ryder Cup Team
Here are the seven youngest American golfers to compete in the Ryder Cup.
For each golfer, we calculated the time between his birthday and the first day of competition at the first Ryder Cup in which he competed.
Age: 20 years, 11 months, 4 days
Ryder Cup appearances: 5 – 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935, 1937
Ryder Cup record: 3-0-1
Age: 21 years, 1 months, 30 days
Ryder Cup appearances: 3 – 2014, 2016, 2018
Ryder Cup record: 4-3-2
Age: 21 years, 8 months, 27 days
Ryder Cup appearances: 7 – 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2012
Ryder Cup record: 13-17-3
Age: 21 years, 9 months, 18 days
Ryder Cup appearances: 4 – 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018
Ryder Cup record: 2-4-5
Age: 23 years, 3 months, 0 days
Ryder Cup appearances: 1 – 2008
Ryder Cup record: 2-1-1
Age: 24 years, 1 months, 21 days
Ryder Cup appearances: 3 – 2014, 2016, 2018
Ryder Cup record: 6-1-2
Age: 24 years, 5 months, 23 days
Ryder Cup appearances: 2 – 1935, 1937
Ryder Cup record: 2-1-0
Photos courtesy of The PGA of America archives.
