1965 Ryder Cup Winner, Match Scores, Player Records

The 1965 Ryder Cup was the 16th time this tournament was played between teams representing Great Britain and the United States. Following the Team USA victory, the overall standings to this point were 13 wins for the USA, three wins for Great Britain.

Final Score: United States 19.5, Great Britain 12.5

Dates Played: October 7-9, 1965

Golf Course: Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England

Team Captains: Byron Nelson for the United States, Harry Weetman for Great Britain

Team Rosters:

• USA — Julius Boros, Billy Casper, Tommy Jacobs, Don January, Tony Lema, Gene Littler, Dave Marr, Arnold Palmer, Johnny Pott, Ken Venturi
• Great Britain — Peter Alliss, Peter Butler, Neil Coles, Jimmy Hitchcock, Bernard Hunt, Jimmy Martin, Christy O'Connor Sr., Lionel Platts, Dave Thomas, George Will

Match Notes: The 1965 Ryder Cup was a highly competitive affair until the first singles session on Day 3. The teams split the Day 1 foursomes, and the USA held a two-point lead following the Day 2 fourballs.

But on Day 3, Team USA won 5.5 points (out of eight) in the first singles session to open a five-point lead, then earned another five points in the second singles session.

Tony Lema for the USA and Peter Alliss for Great Britain each went 5-1-0, becoming the first golfers to earn five points in a Ryder Cup. Alliss' only loss was in fourballs; he and partner Christy O'Connor went down to Arnold Palmer and Dave Marr 6-and-4, which, at that time, was the largest margin-of-victory yet in a Ryder Cup fourball match. (Keep in mind this was only the second Cup in which fourballs were played.)

Alliss and O'Conner did, however, win three other matches as partners, the first partnership to do so in a single Ryder Cup.

Speaking of Palmer, when he beat Jimmy Hitchcock, 3-and-2, in the morning singles session on Day 3, it started a 12-match unbeaten streak — the longest such streak (later tied) in Ryder Cup history. Palmer didn't lose again until during the 1971 Ryder Cup.

And speaking of Palmer's partner Dave Marr: Marr was the cousin of Jack Burke Jr., who had previously played in five Cups. They were the first pair of cousins to both play in Ryder Cups.

1965 Ryder Cup Results

Day 1

Morning Foursomes

• Julius Boros/Tony Lema, USA, def. Lionel Platts/Peter Butler, Great Britain, 1-up
• Dave Thomas/George Will, Great Britain, def. Arnold Palmer/Dave Marr, USA, 6 and 5
• Billy Casper/Gene Littler, USA, def. Bernard Hunt/Neil Coles, Great Britain, 2 and 1
• Peter Alliss/Christy O'Connor, Great Britain, def. Ken Venturi/Don January, USA, 5 and 4

Score after first session: Great Britain 2, USA 2

Afternoon Foursomes

• Arnold Palmer/Dave Marr, USA, def. Dave Thomas/George Will, Great Britain, 6 and 5
• Peter Alliss/Christy O'Connor, Great Britain, def. Billy Casper/Gene Littler, USA, 2 and 1
• Julius Boros/Tony Lema, USA, def. Jimmy Martin/Jimmy Hitchcock, Great Britain, 5 and 4
• Bernard Hunt/Neil Coles, Great Britain, def. Ken Venturi/Don January, US, 3 and 2

Score of second session: Great Britain 2, USA 2
Cumulative score after two sessions: Great Britain 4, USA 4

Day 2

Morning Fourballs

• Don January/Tommy Jacobs, USA, def. Dave Thomas/George Will, Great Britain, 1-up
• Billy Casper/Gene Littler, USA, halved with Lionel Platts/Peter Butler, Great Britain
• Arnold Palmer/Dave Marr, USA, def. Peter Alliss/Christy O'Connor, Great Britain, 6 and 4
• Bernard Hunt/Neil Coles, Great Britain, def. Julius Boros/Tony Lema, USA, 1-up

Score of third session: USA 2.5, Great Britain 1.5
Cumulative score after three sessions: USA 6.5, Great Britain 5.5

Afternoon Fourballs

• Peter Alliss/Christy O'Connor, Great Britain, def. Arnold Palmer/Dave Marr, USA, 2-up
• Don January/Tommy Jacobs, USA, halved with Dave Thomas/George Will, Great Britain, 1-up
• Billy Casper/Gene Littler, USA, halved with Lionel Platts/Peter Butler, Great Britain
• Ken Venturi/Tony Lema, USA, def. Bernard Hunt/Neil Coles, Great Britain, 1-up

Score of fourth session: USA 2.5, Great Britain 1.5
Cumulative score after four sessions: USA 9, Great Britain 7

Day 3

Morning Singles

• Arnold Palmer, USA, def. Jimmy Hitchcock, Great Britain, 3 and 2
• Julius Boros, USA, def. Lionel Platts, Great Britain, 4 and 2
• Tony Lema, USA, def. Peter Butler, Great Britain, 1-up
• Dave Marr, USA, def. Neil Coles, Great Britain, 2-up
• Bernard Hunt, Great Britain, def. Gene Littler, USA, 2-up
• Tommy Jacobs, USA, def. Dave Thomas, Great Britain, 2 and 1
• Peter Alliss, Great Britain, def. Billy Casper, USA, 1-up
• Don January, USA, halved with George Will, Great Britain

Score of fifth session: USA 5.5, Great Britain 2.5
Cumulative score after five sessions: USA 14.5, Great Britain 9.5

Afternoon Singles

• Tony Lema, USA, def. Christy O'Connor, Great Britain, 6 and 4
• Julius Boros, USA, def. Jimmy Hitchcock, Great Britain, 2 and 1
• Arnold Palmer, USA, def. Peter Butler, Great Britain, 2-up
• Peter Alliss, Great Britain, def. Ken Venturi, USA, 3 and 1
• Neil Coles, Great Britain, def. Billy Casper, USA, 3 and 2
• Gene Littler, USA, def. George Will, Great Britain, 2 and 1
• Dave Marr, USA, def. Bernard Hunt, Great Britain, 1-up
• Lionel Platts, Great Britain, def. Tommy Jacobs, USA, 1-up

Score of sixth session: USA 5, Great Britain 3
Overall and final score: USA 19.5, Great Britain 12.5

1965 Ryder Cup Player Records

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

United States
Julius Boros, 4-1-0
Billy Casper, 1-3-2
Tommy Jacobs, 3-1-0
Don January, 2-2-1
Tony Lema, 5-1-0
Gene Littler, 2-2-2
Dave Marr, 4-2-0
Arnold Palmer, 4-2-0
Johnny Pott, did not play
Ken Venturi, 1-3-0

Great Britain
Peter Alliss, 5-1-0
Peter Butler, 0-3-2
Neil Coles, 3-3-0
Jimmy Hitchcock, 0-3-0
Bernard Hunt, 3-3-0
Jimmy Martin, 0-1-0
Christy O'Connor, 3-2-0
Lionel Platts, 1-2-2
Dave Thomas, 1-4-0
George Will, 1-4-1

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