1949 Ryder Cup

The 8th Ryder Cup Matches were held 16–17 September 1949, at Ganton Golf Club in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. The United States team won the competition by a score of seven to five.[1]

8th Ryder Cup Matches
Dates16–17 September 1949
VenueGanton Golf Club
LocationScarborough, North Yorkshire, England
Captains
5 7
United States wins the Ryder Cup
Ganton
Golf Club
Location in England

Still recovering from his near-fatal automobile accident in February, Ben Hogan was the non-playing captain of the U.S. team. He returned as a competitor for a final time in 1951.

The U.S. team's decision to bring a half ton of meat to England made headlines.[2][3]

Hogan objected to the depth of the grooves on some British players' irons, and they were modified before being allowed into the competition.[4] Britain led three to one after the first day,[5] but the U.S. won six of eight matches in singles on Saturday to keep the Cup.[1]

The Ganton course measured 6,632 yards (6,064 m) for this Ryder Cup.[4]

Format

The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. From 1927 through 1959, the format consisted of four foursome (alternate shot) matches on the first day and eight singles matches on the second day, for a total of 12 points. Therefore, 6½ points were required to win the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 36 holes.

Teams

Source: [6]

In April 1949 the British P.G.A. appointed a selection committee of five.[7] The committee consisted of four ex-Ryder Cup players: Dick Burton, Arthur Havers, Alf Padgham and Charles Whitcombe to which would be added the chairman of the P.G.A. to be elected in July. In mid-July a list of 20 possible players was announced, although other players could be added to this list. Charles Whitcombe was announced as the non-playing captain.[8] The list included Henry Cotton who later withdrew because he was returning to his golf school in Monte Carlo and would "have no opportunity to sharpen up his game."[9] The team was selected immediately after the News Chronicle Tournament, a tournament won by Dick Burton, one of the selectors, by 12 strokes.[10] The team was chosen from the 19 remaining possible players announced in July. [11]

 Team Great Britain
Name Age Previous
Ryder Cups		 Matches W–L–H Winning
percentage
Charles Whitcombe 53Non-playing captain
Jimmy Adams 38120–2–00.00
Laurie Ayton, Jnr 350Rookie
Ken Bousfield 290Rookie
Dick Burton 41231–2–033.33
Fred Daly 37120–2–00.00
Max Faulkner 33120–2–00.00
Sam King 38231–1–150.00
Arthur Lees 41120–2–00.00
Dai Rees 36241–2–137.50
Charlie Ward 38120–2–00.00


 Team USA
Name Age Previous
Ryder Cups		 Matches W–L–H Winning
percentage
Ben Hogan 37Non-playing captain
Skip Alexander 310Rookie
Jimmy Demaret 39122–0–0100.00
Bob Hamilton 330Rookie
Chick Harbert 340Rookie
Dutch Harrison 39111–0–0100.00
Clayton Heafner 350Rookie
Lloyd Mangrum 35122–0–0100.00
Johnny Palmer 310Rookie
Sam Snead 37233–0–0100.00

Friday's foursome matches
Results
Faulkner/Adams 2 & 1 Harrison/Palmer
Daly/Bousfield 4 & 2 Hamilton/Alexander
Ward/King 4 & 3 Demaret/Heafner
Burton/Lees 1 up Snead/Mangrum
3 Session 1
3 Overall 1

18 hole scores: Faulkner/Adams: 3 up, Daly/Bousfield: 2 up, Demaret/Heafner: 1 up, Burton/Lees v Snead/Mangrum: all square.[12]

Saturday's singles matches
Results
Max Faulkner 8 & 7 Dutch Harrison
Jimmy Adams 2 & 1 Johnny Palmer
Charlie Ward 6 & 5 Sam Snead
Dai Rees 6 & 4 Bob Hamilton
Dick Burton 3 & 2 Clayton Heafner
Sam King 4 & 3 Chick Harbert
Arthur Lees 7 & 6 Jimmy Demaret
Fred Daly 4 & 3 Lloyd Mangrum
2 Session 6
5 Overall 7

18 hole scores: Harrison: 7 up, Adams: 1 up, Snead: 1 up, Rees: 4 up, Burton: 1 up, Harbert: 5 up, Demaret: 5 up, Mangrum: 1 up.[13]

Individual player records

Each entry refers to the Win–Loss–Half record of the player.

Source: [6]

Great Britain
PlayerPointsOverallSinglesFoursomes
Jimmy Adams22–0–01–0–01–0–0
Ken Bousfield11–0–00–0–01–0–0
Dick Burton11–1–00–1–01–0–0
Fred Daly11–1–00–1–01–0–0
Max Faulkner11–1–00–1–01–0–0
Sam King00–2–00–1–00–1–0
Arthur Lees11–1–00–1–01–0–0
Dai Rees11–0–01–0–00–0–0
Charlie Ward00–2–00–1–00–1–0

Laurie Ayton, Jnr did not play in any matches.

United States
PlayerPointsOverallSinglesFoursomes
Skip Alexander00–1–00–0–00–1–0
Jimmy Demaret22–0–01–0–01–0–0
Bob Hamilton00–2–00–1–00–1–0
Chick Harbert11–0–01–0–00–0–0
Dutch Harrison11–1–01–0–00–1–0
Clayton Heafner22–0–01–0–01–0–0
Lloyd Mangrum11–1–01–0–00–1–0
Johnny Palmer00–2–00–1–00–1–0
Sam Snead11–1–01–0–00–1–0

References
  1. "Yanks rally to retain Ryder Cup". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. 18 September 1949. p. 23.
  2. "Ryder Cup squad taking own food". Ellensburg Daily Record. Associated Press. 2 September 1949. p. 8.
  3. "'Meat stories' irk Ben Hogan". St. Petersburg Times. Associated Press. 13 September 1949. p. 17.
  4. "British take lead over American golfers in Ryder Cup play". Reading Eagle. United Press. 16 September 1949. p. 28.
  5. "British golfers lead in Ryder Cup matches". Reading Eagle. Associated Press. 17 September 1949. p. 7.
  6. "2016 Ryder Cup Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  7. "Ryder Cup Selectors". The Times, Wednesday, 13 April 1949; pg. 2; Issue 51355.
  8. "Ryder Cup Possibles". The Times, Friday, 15 July 1949; pg. 8; Issue 51434.
  9. "Cotton withdraws from Ryder Cup". The Times, Thursday, 28 July 1949; pg. 6; Issue 51445.
  10. "Burton's Great Golf". The Times, Friday, 19 August 1949; pg. 6; Issue 51464.
  11. "The Ryder Cup - British Team for Ganton". The Times, Saturday, 20 August 1949; pg. 2; Issue 51465.
  12. "British Lead in Ryder Cup - Three to One in Foursomes". The Times, Saturday, 17 September 1949; pg. 4; Issue 51489.
  13. "U.S. Retain the Ryder Cup - Magnificent Play at Ganton". The Times, Monday, 19 September 1949; pg. 6; Issue 51490.

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