1927 Ryder Cup: Winner and Scores from the First One

The 1927 Ryder Cup was the very first Ryder Cup played. It was played in the United States between teams representing the USA and Great Britain (just Great Britain, no Ireland yet). The tournament was played over two days, with foursomes and singles match play as the format (no fourballs yet). Teams each included nine golfers and matches were all scheduled for 36 holes. The result was an easy victory for Team USA.

Final Score: USA 9.5, Great Britain 2.5

Dates Played: June 3-4, 1927

Golf Course: Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachusetts

Team Captains: Great Britain — Ted Ray; USA — Walter Hagen

Team Rosters

• Great Britain: Aubrey Boomer, Archie Compston, George Duncan, George Gadd, Arthur Havers, Herbert Jolly, Ted Ray, Fred Robson, Charles Whitcombe
• United States: Leo Diegel, Al Espinosa, Johnny Farrell, Johnny Golden, Walter Hagen, Bill Mehlhorn, Gene Sarazen, Joe Turnesa, Al Watrous

Match Notes: Team captains Hagen and Ray were both playing captains. Ray was a replacement for Abe Mitchell, originally the British captain, who had to withdraw with medical issues. ... Samuel Ryder, the tournament's namesake, was also ill at the time the British team departed by ship for America, and unable to make the trip himself. ... It took six days for the British team to sail to America.

The matches themselves were a bit anticlimactic. The American side won three of the four foursomes, including an 8-and-6 victory by Johnny Farrell and Joe Turnesa. In the singles, only George Duncan (1-up over Turnesa) and Charles Whitcombe (halved with Gene Sarazen) managed to earn points for the British side.

Ray was 50 years old, and he remained the only golfer 50 or older to play in a Ryder Cup for 66 years. At the 1993 Ryder Cup, 51-year-old Raymond Floyd finally broke Ray's record as the oldest Ryder Cup golfer.

Day 1 Match Scores

Foursomes

• Walter Hagen/Johnny Golden, USA, def. Ted Ray/Fred Robson, Great Britain, 2 and 1
• Johnny Farrell/Jim Turnesa, USA, def. George Duncan/Archie Compston, Great Britain, 8 and 6
• Gene Sarazen/Al Watrous, USA, def. Arthur Havers/Herbert Jolly, Great Britain, 3 and 2
• Aubrey Boomer/Charles Whitcombe, Great Britain, def. Leo Diegel/Bill Mehlhorn, USA, 7 and 5

Score of first session: United States 3, Great Britain 1

Day 2 Match Scores

Singles

• Bill Mehlhorn, USA, def. Archie Compston, Great Britain, 1-up
• Johnny Farrell, USA, def. Aubrey Boomer, Great Britain, 5 and 4
• Johnny Golden, USA, def. Herbert Jolly, Great Britain, 8 and 7
• Leo Diegel, USA, def. Ted Ray, Great Britain, 7 and 5
• Charles Whitcombe, Great Britain, halved with Gene Sarazen, USA
• Walter Hagen, USA, def. Arthur Havers, Great Britain, 2 and 1
• Al Watrous, USA, def. Fred Robson, Great Britain, 3 and 2
• George Duncan, Great Britain, def. Jim Turnesa, USA, 1-up

Score of second session: United States 6.5, Great Britain 1.5
Overall score: USA 9.5, Great Britain 2.5

1927 Ryder Cup Player Records

(Records are listed as wins-losses-halves.)

Great Britain
Aubrey Boomer, 1-1-0
Archie Compston, 0-2-0
George Duncan, 1-1-0
George Gadd, did not play
Arthur Havers, 0-2-0
Herbert Jolly, 0-2-0
Ted Ray, 0-2-0
Fred Robson, 0-2-0
Charles Whitcombe, 1-0-1

United States
Leo Diegel, 1-1-0
Al Espinosa, did not play
Johnny Farrell, 2-0-0
Johnny Golden, 2-0-0
Walter Hagen, 2-0-0
Bill Mehlhorn, 1-1-0
Gene Sarazen, 1-0-1
Joe Turnesa, 1-1-0
Al Watrous, 2-0-0

Next:
1929 Ryder Cup