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According to Bloodline, the Ryder Cup trophy never leaves the PGA of Great Britain. (Used with permission by Flickr/Cameron Flanders)

Once every two years, 12 Europeans and 12 Americans tee it up on the hardest golf courses and battle head-to-head for their regions. This event is one that many dream of, and it is called the Ryder Cup.

Most people have never heard of the Ryder Cup, even though it is one of the most important and energetic events in golf history. When the Ryder Cup returns every two years, it brings in millions of viewers from all around the world, such as golf crazies as well as people who have never watched a golf tournament before. The reason this event is so special is that it brings a new aspect of team golf and electric rivalries between teams. This event allows for all people to enjoy golf because it doesn’t matter if you have played the sport all your life or have just recently heard of it; you can still root for your favorite team to win.

The Ryder Cup was created by Samuel Ryder in 1927 to foster a friendly rivalry between the British and American golfers. Ryder was a golf enthusiast who wanted to see this rivalry fuel the competition between the two countries’ best golfers, so he made it his mission to bring this tournament to life. Ryder started out his tournament-hosting career sponsoring smaller golf tournaments and learning how they worked. Then he had the vision of a golf tournament that put the best American golfer against the best British golfers, which became the Ryder Cup. Ryder then began searching for a fitting trophy; he landed on a trophy made of gold and brought the tournament to reality. After a few years, the Americans’ domination was prominent, and because of this, the Ryder Cup began to include all of Europe instead of just Britain. With this change, the Ryder Cup was born.  

Now you may be wondering, why would I watch this event? There are many answers for this, but one is more prevailing than the rest: energy. Most golf events are usually very long and slow-paced, making them hard to watch for someone who does not obsess over golf. The Ryder Cup, on the other hand, contains rowdy crowds of Europeans and Americans verbally competing against each other. Sometimes, attendees will heckle players from other regions and even boo them on the first tee. This year, the Ryder Cup will be hosted in New York, where the fans will bring the energy and insults to the European golfers, making the event that much more fun to watch. Even if you do not usually tune into golf events, you should tune into the Ryder Cup this year and experience the electric environment firsthand while you cheer on your favorite players and teams in the most electric test of golf.