1975 Ryder Cup Winner, Match Scores, Player Records

The 1975 Ryder Cup was the 21st time this tournament was played. Following Team USA's victory, the all-time standings to this point were 17 wins for the United States, three wins for GB&I, and one tie.

Final Score: United States 21, Great Britain & Ireland 11

Dates Played: September 19-21, 1975

Golf Course: Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania

Team Captains: Bernard Hunt for Great Britain & Ireland, Arnold Palmer for the United States

Team Rosters:

• GB&I — Brian Barnes, Maurice Bembridge, Eamonn Darcy, Bernard Gallacher, Tommy Horton, Brian Huggett, Guy Hunt, Tony Jacklin, Christy O'Connor Jr., John O'Leary, Peter Oosterhuis, Norman Wood
• USA — Billy Casper, Raymond Floyd, Al Geiberger, Lou Graham, Hale Irwin, Gene Littler, Johnny Miller, Bob Murphy, Jack Nicklaus, J.C. Snead, Lee Trevino, Tom Weiskopf

Match Notes: The 1975 Ryder Cup was the last one played with a 32-point format. That format — which included morning and afternoon sessions of foursomes, fourballs and, on the final day, singles — was first used in 1963.

Team USA swept the opening foursomes, 4-0, and never looked back. The American side's 9-point lead (12.5 to 3.5) after Day 2 is the second largest Day 2 lead in Ryder Cup history.

Day 3 was a formality — but not for Brian Barnes, who was twice drawn to face Jack Nicklaus. In the morning singles, Barnes beat the Bear, 4 and 2. When the afternoon draw was announced, Nicklaus vs. Barnes again was in the anchor position.

When the two golfers reached the tee for the start of their second singles encounter of the day, Nicklaus told Barnes, "... there ain't no way you're going to beat me again." Then Barnes went out and beat Nicklaus again, winning 2 and 1.

In an interview many years later, Barnes described entering the locker room the two teams shared following his second win. The USA and GB&I sides were separated by a partition. On the other side of the partition, Barnes could hear Nicklaus slamming his shoes and other equipment, cursing to himself, muttering. Barnes peeped over the partition and innocently asked, "Something wrong, Jack?" Nicklaus burst out laughing.

Christy O'Connor Jr. joined his uncle Christy O'Connor Sr. as a GB&I Ryder Cupper, becoming the first nephew/uncle pair for GB&I (and second overall) to both play in a Ryder Cup. (The younger O'Connor was not actually a Jr., and the older not a Sr. — they were simply called that to distinguish them from one another.) O'Connor Jr. played in one other Cup, in 1989. That 14-year gap between appearances is the longest in Ryder Cup history.

1975 Ryder Cup Results

Day 1

Morning Foursomes

• Jack Nicklaus/Tom Weiskopf, USA, def. Brian Barnes/Bernard Gallacher, GB&I, 5 and 4
• Gene Littler/Hale Irwin, USA, def. Norman Wood/Maurice Bembridge, GB&I, 4 and 3
• Al Geiberger/Johnny Miller, USA, def. Tony Jacklin/ Peter Oosterhuis, GB&I, 3 and 1
• Lee Trevino/J.C. Snead, USA, def. Tommy Horton/John O'Leary, GB&I, 2 and 1

Score after first session: USA 4, GB&I 0

Afternoon Fourballs

• Peter Oosterhuis/Tony Jacklin, GB&I, def. Billy Casper/Raymond Floyd, USA, 2 and 1
• Tom Weiskopf/Lou Graham, USA, def. Eamonn Darcy/Christy O'Connor Jr., GB&I, 3 and 2
• Jack Nicklaus/Bob Murphy, USA, halved with Brian Barnes/Bernard Gallacher, GB&I
• Lee Trevino/Hale Irwin, USA, def. Tommy Horton/John O'Leary, GB&I, 2 and 1

Score of second session: USA 2.5, GB&I 1.5
Cumulative score after two sessions: USA 6.5, GB&I 1.5

Day 2

Morning Fourballs

• Billy Casper/Johnny Miller, USA, halved with Peter Oosterhuis/Tony Jacklin, GB&I
• Jack Nicklaus/J.C. Snead, USA, def. Tommy Horton/ Norman Wood, GB&I, 4 and 2
• Gene Littler/Lou Graham, USA, def. Brian Barnes/Bernard Gallacher, GB&I, 5 and 3
• Al Geiberger/Raymond Floyd, USA, halved with Eamonn Darcy/Guy Hunt, GB&I

Score of third session: USA 3, GB&I 1
Cumulative score after three sessions: USA 9.5, GB&I 2.5

Afternoon Foursomes

• Tony Jacklin/Brian Huggett, GB&I, def. Lee Trevino/Bob Murphy, USA, 3 and 2
• Tom Weiskopf/Johnny Miller, USA, def. Christy O'Connor Jr. /John O'Leary, GB&I, 5 and 3
• Hale Irwin/Billy Casper, USA, def. Peter Oosterhuis/Maurice Bembridge, GB&I, 3 and 2
• Al Geiberger/Lou Graham, USA, def. Eamonn Darcy/Guy Hunt, GB&I, 3 and 2

Score of fourth session: USA 3, GB&I 1
Cumulative score after four sessions: USA 12.5, GB&I 3.5

Day 3

Morning Singles

• Bob Murphy, USA, def. Tony Jacklin, GB&I, 2 and 1
• Peter Oosterhuis, GB&I, def. Johnny Miller, USA, 2-up
• Lee Trevino, USA, halved with Bernard Gallacher, GB&I
• Hale Irwin, USA, halved with Tommy Horton, GB&I
• Gene Littler, USA, def. Brian Huggett, GB&I, 4 and 2
• Billy Casper, USA, def. Eamonn Darcy, GB&I, 3 and 2
• Tom Weiskopf, USA, def. Guy Hunt, GB&I, 5 and 3
• Brian Barnes, GB&I, def. Jack Nicklaus, USA, 4 and 2

Score of fifth session: USA 5, GB&I 3
Cumulative score after five sessions: USA 17.5, GB&I 6.5

Afternoon Singles

• Ray Floyd, USA, def. Tony Jacklin, GB&I, 1-up
• Peter Oosterhuis, GB&I, def. J.C. Snead, USA, 3 and 2
• Al Geiberger, USA, halved with Bernard Gallacher, GB&I
• Tommy Horton, GB&I, def. Lou Graham, USA, 2 and 1
• Hale Irwin, USA, def. John O'Leary, GB&I, 2 and 1
• Bob Murphy, USA, def. Maurice Bembridge, GB&I, 2 and 1
• Norman Wood, GB&I, def. Lee Trevino, USA, 2 and 1
• Brian Barnes, GB&I, def. Jack Nicklaus, USA, 2 and 1

Score of sixth session: GB&I 4.5, USA 3.5
Overall and final score: USA 21, GB&I 11

1975 Ryder Cup Player Records

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

GB&I
Brian Barnes, 2-2-1
Maurice Bembridge, 0-3-0
Eamonn Darcy, 0-3-1
Bernard Gallacher, 0-2-3
Tommy Horton, 1-3-1
Brian Huggett, 1-1-0
Guy Hunt, 0-2-1
Tony Jacklin, 2-3-1
Christy O'Connor Jr., 0-2-0
John O'Leary, 0-4-0
Peter Oosterhuis, 3-2-1
Norman Wood, 1-2-0

USA
Billy Casper, 2-1-1
Raymond Floyd, 1-1-1
Al Geiberger, 2-0-2
Lou Graham, 3-1-0
Hale Irwin, 4-0-1
Gene Littler, 3-0-0
Johnny Miller, 2-1-1
Bob Murphy, 2-1-1
Jack Nicklaus, 2-2-1
J.C. Snead, 2-1-0
Lee Trevino, 2-2-1
Tom Weiskopf, 4-0-0

Previous and next:
1973 Ryder Cup | 1977 Ryder Cup