1969 Ryder Cup

18th Ryder Cup Matches
Dates		18–20 September
Venue		Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Location		Southport, England
Captains		Eric Brown (Great Britain) Sam Snead (USA)
16   16
United States retains the Ryder Cup
«1967		1971»

The 18th Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. The competition ended in a draw at 16 to 16 points, when America's Jack Nicklaus conceded a missable putt to Britain's Tony Jacklin at the 18th hole^[1] in one of the most famous gestures of sportsmanship in all of sport. It was the first draw in Ryder Cup history, and the United States team retained the Cup.^[2]

The tournament was marred by considerable acrimony and unsportsmanlike behavior by players on both sides. Britain's captain Eric Brown had instructed his players not to search for the opposition's ball if it ended up in the rough. American Ken Still, in the first-day foursomes, had deliberately and regularly stood too close to Briton Maurice Bembridge as he was putting.^[2] During one of the fourballs on the second day, both captains had to come out and calm down the warring players.^[3] This led to Nicklaus conceding Jacklin's final putt with the knowledge that the tournament would end in a draw.^[2]

Nicklaus' gesture became known as "the concession" and marked the beginning of a lasting friendship between Nicklaus and Jacklin that has spanned more than 40 years. It was the inspiration for The Concession Golf Club, near Sarasota, Florida, which was co-designed by the two players.

Format

The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. From 1963 through 1971 the competition format was as follows:

• Day 1 — 8 foursomes (alternate shot) matches, 4 each in morning and afternoon sessions
• Day 2 — 8 four-ball (better ball) matches, 4 each in morning and afternoon sessions
• Day 3 — 16 singles matches, 8 each in morning and afternoon sessions

With a total of 32 points, 16½ points were required to win the Cup, or 16 points were needed for the current champion to retain the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.

Teams

Thursday's matches

Morning foursomes

	Results
Coles/Huggett	3 & 2	Barber/Floyd
Gallacher/Bembridge	2 & 1	Trevino/Still
Jacklin/Townsend	3 & 1	Hill/Aaron
O'Connor/Alliss	halved	Casper/Beard
3½	Session	½
3½	Overall	½

Afternoon foursomes

	Results
Coles/Huggett	1 hole	Hill/Aaron
Gallacher/Bembridge	1 hole	Trevino/Littler
Jacklin/Townsend	1 hole	Casper/Beard
Butler/Hunt	1 hole	Nicklaus/Sikes
1	Session	3
4½	Overall	3½

Friday's matches

Morning four-ball

	Results
O'Connor/Townsend	1 hole	Hill/Douglass
Huggett/Caygill	halved	Floyd/Barber
Barnes/Alliss	1 hole	Trevino/Littler
Jacklin/Coles	1 hole	Nicklaus/Sikes
2½	Session	1½
7	Overall	5

Afternoon four-ball

	Results
Butler/Townsend	2 holes	Casper/Beard
Huggett/Gallacher	2 & 1	Hill/Still
Bembridge/Hunt	halved	Aaron/Floyd
Jacklin/Coles	halved	Trevino/Barber
1	Session	3
8	Overall	8

Saturday's matches

Morning singles

	Results
Peter Alliss	2 & 1	Lee Trevino
Peter Townsend	5 & 4	Dave Hill
Neil Coles	1 hole	Tommy Aaron
Brian Barnes	1 hole	Billy Casper
Christy O'Connor	5 & 4	Frank Beard
Maurice Bembridge	1 hole	Ken Still
Peter Butler	1 hole	Raymond Floyd
Tony Jacklin	4 & 3	Jack Nicklaus
5	Session	3
13	Overall	11

Afternoon singles

	Results
Brian Barnes	4 & 2	Dave Hill
Bernard Gallacher	4 & 3	Lee Trevino
Maurice Bembridge	7 & 6	Miller Barber
Peter Butler	3 & 2	Dale Douglass
Neil Coles	4 & 3	Dan Sikes
Christy O'Connor Snr	2 & 1	Gene Littler
Brian Huggett	halved	Billy Casper
Tony Jacklin	halved	Jack Nicklaus
3	Session	5
16	Overall	16

Notes

References