1971 Ryder Cup Winner, Match Scores, Player Records
Final Score: United States 18.5, Great Britain 13.5
Dates Played: September 16-18, 1971
Golf Course: Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri
Team Captains: Eric Brown for Great Britain, Jay Hebert for the United States
Team Rosters:
- Great Britain — Harry Bannerman, Brian Barnes, Maurice Bembridge, Peter Butler, Neil Coles, Bernard Gallacher, John Garner, Brian Huggett, Tony Jacklin, Christy O'Connor Sr., Peter Oosterhuis, Peter Townsend
- USA — Miller Barber, Frank Beard, Billy Casper, Charles Coody, Gardner Dickinson, Gene Littler, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Mason Rudolph, J.C. Snead, Dave Stockton, Lee Trevino
No matter, after a tight beginning Team USA pulled away. Casper was diminished, able to play only three (of a possible six) matches. But Trevino played five matches and beat Brian Huggett in singles, 7-and-6. At the time, that tied the Ryder Cup record (since broken) for largest margin of victory in an 18-hole singles match.
Great Britain won the first session, 3-1, and led by one point at the end of Day 1. But Team USA made its move in the first session of the Day 2 fourballs with a clean sweep of all four matches. And the American side held a four-point led going into the final day. On Day 3, Team USA edged Team GB by a point to secure the overall, five-point victory.
Arnold Palmer and Gardner Dickinson went 3-for-3 playing as partners, after having gone 2-for-2 as partners in the 1967 Ryder Cup. No other partnership in Ryder Cup history has finished unbeaten in at least five matches together.
Dickinson also won a singles match here after previously winning five matches in 1967, running his win streak to nine matches total. That's the Ryder Cup record (although later tied).
Palmer's own Ryder Cup record (later tied) came to an end here, however, when he lost to Peter Oosterhuis in Day 3 singles. Palmer had gone 12 matches, beginning in 1965, without losing (although had been halved). It was Oosterhuis' debut, the first of six times he played on Team Great Britain, and he was one of his side's best players over that span.
J.C. Snead played the first of three times for the USA, joining his uncle Sam Snead as Ryder Cuppers. They were the first uncle-and-nephew pair to both play in the Ryder Cup.
In this era of 32-points-at-stake Ryder Cups, a golfer could play in up to six matches. And in this Ryder Cup, Peter Townsend did just that for Great Britain ... and lost all six matches.
1971 Ryder Cup Results
Day 1
Fourballs- Neil Coles/Christy O'Connor Sr., Great Britain, def. Billy Casper/Miller Barber, USA, 2 and 1
- Arnold Palmer/Gardner Dickinson, USA, def. Peter Townsend/Peter Oosterhuis, Great Britain, 2-up
- Brian Huggett/Tony Jacklin, Great Britain, def. Jack Nicklaus/Dave Stockton, USA, 3 and 2
- Maurice Bembridge/Peter Butler, Great Britain, def. Charles Coody/Frank Beard, USA, 1-up
Foursomes
- Harry Bannerman/Bernard Gallacher, Great Britain, def. Billy Casper/Miller Barber, USA, 2 and 1
- Arnold Palmer/Gardner Dickinson, USA, def. Peter Townsend/Peter Oosterhuis, Great Britain, 1-up
- Lee Trevino/Mason Rudolph, USA, halved with Brian Huggett/Tony Jacklin, Great Britain
- Jack Nicklaus/J.C. Snead, USA, def. Maurice Bembridge/Peter Butler, Great Britain, 5 and 3
Cumulative score after two sessions: Great Britain 4.5, USA 3.5
Day 2
Fourballs- Lee Trevino/Mason Rudolph, USA, def. Christy O'Connor Sr./Brian Barnes, Great Britain, 2 and 1
- Frank Beard/J.C. Snead, USA, def. Neil Coles/John Garner, Great Britain, 2 and 1
- Arnold Palmer/Gardner Dickinson, USA, def. Peter Oosterhuis/Bernard Gallacher, Great Britain, 5 and 4
- Jack Nicklaus/Gene Littler, USA, def. Peter Townsend/Harry Bannerman, Great Britain, 2 and 1
Cumulative score after three sessions: USA 7.5, Great Britain 3.5
Foursomes
- Bernard Gallacher/Peter Oosterhuis, Great Britain, def. Lee Trevino/Billy Casper, USA, 1-up
- Gene Littler/J.C. Snead, USA, def. Tony Jacklin/Brian Huggett, Great Britain, 2 and 1
- Arnold Palmer/Jack Nicklaus, USA, def. Peter Townsend/Harry Bannerman, Great Britain, 1-up
- Charles Coody/Frank Beard, USA, halved with Neil Coles/Christy O'Connor Sr., Great Britain
Cumulative score after four sessions: USA 10, Great Britain 6
Day 3
Morning Singles- Lee Trevino, USA, def. Tony Jacklin, Great Britain, 1-up
- Dave Stockton, USA, halved with Bernard Gallacher, Great Britain
- Brian Barnes, Great Britain, def. Mason Rudolph, USA, 1-up
- Peter Oosterhuis, Great Britain, def. Gene Littler, USA, 4 and 3
- Jack Nicklaus, USA, def. Peter Townsend, Great Britain, 3 and 2
- Gardner Dickinson, USA, def. Christy O'Connor Sr., Great Britain, 5 and 4
- Arnold Palmer, USA, halved with Harry Bannerman, Great Britain
- Frank Beard, USA, halved with Neil Coles, Great Britain
Cumulative score after five sessions: USA 14.5, Great Britain 9.5
Afternoon Singles
- Lee Trevino, USA, def. Brian Huggett, Great Britain, 7 and 6
- J.C. Snead, USA, def. Tony Jacklin, Great Britain, 1-up
- Brian Barnes, Great Britain, def. Miller Barber, USA, 2-up
- Dave Stockton, USA, def. Peter Townsend, Great Britain, 1-up
- Bernard Gallacher, Great Britain, def. Charles Coody, USA, 2 and 1
- Jack Nicklaus, USA, def. Neil Coles, Great Britain, 5 and 3
- Peter Oosterhuis, Great Britain, def. Arnold Palmer, USA, 3 and 2
- Harry Bannerman, Great Britain, def. Gardner Dickinson, USA, 2 and 1
Overall and final score: USA 18.5, Great Britain 13.5
1971 Ryder Cup Player Records
(Records are listed as wins-losses-halves.)
Great Britain
Harry Bannerman, 2-2-1
Brian Barnes, 2-1-0
Maurice Bembridge, 1-1-0
Peter Butler, 1-1-0
Neil Coles, 1-2-2
Bernard Gallacher, 3-1-1
John Garner, 0-1-0
Brian Huggett, 1-2-1
Tony Jacklin, 1-3-1
Christy O'Connor Sr., 1-2-1
Peter Oosterhuis, 3-3-0
Peter Townsend, 0-6-0
United States
Miller Barber, 0-3-0
Frank Beard, 1-1-2
Billy Casper, 0-3-0
Charles Coody, 0-2-1
Gardner Dickinson, 4-1-0
Gene Littler, 2-1-0
Jack Nicklaus, 5-1-0
Arnold Palmer, 4-1-1
Mason Rudolph, 1-1-1
J.C. Snead, 4-0-0
Dave Stockton, 1-1-1
Lee Trevino, 3-1-1
Previous and next:
1969 Ryder Cup | 1973 Ryder Cup
