Best and Worst Ryder Cup Golf Records

These are the tournament records—all-time bests and worsts by individual golfers—in the Ryder Cup, the biennial competition between teams of professional male golfers representing the United States and Europe. You can also view the outcome of every match on the Ryder Cup results page, plus the Ryder Cup Aces and Ryder Cup Relatives pages offer interesting tidbits.

(Note: Records are updated through the 2016 match.)

Most Appearances

Europe
Nick Faldo, 11
Christy O'Connor Sr., 10
Bernhard Langer, 10
Lee Westwood, 10
Dai Rees, 9

USA
Phil Mickelson, 11
Jim Furyk, 9
Billy Casper, 8
Raymond Floyd, 8
Lanny Wadkins, 8

European leader Faldo played in every Cup from 1977 through 1997. American leader Mickelson has a current streak of playing in every Cup from 1995 through 2016.

Most Matches Played

Europe
Nick Faldo, 46
Lee Westwood, 44
Bernhard Langer, 42
Neil Coles, 40
Seve Ballesteros, 37
Sergio Garcia, 37
Colin Montgomerie, 36
Christy O'Connor Sr., 36

USA
Phil Mickelson, 45
Billy Casper, 37
Jim Furyk, 33
Lanny Wadkins, 34
Tiger Woods, 33
Arnold Palmer, 32
Raymond Floyd, 31
Lee Trevino, 30

Faldo's overall record is 23 wins, 19 losses, four halves, a winning percentage of 54.3. Mickelson's overall record is 18-20-7, a percentage of 47.8.

Most Matches Won

Europe
Nick Faldo, 23
Bernhard Langer, 21
Seve Ballesteros, 20
Colin Montgomerie, 20
Lee Westwood, 20
Sergio Garcia, 19
Jose Maria Olazabal, 18

USA
Arnold Palmer, 22
Billy Casper, 20
Lanny Wadkins, 20
Phil Mickelson, 18
Jack Nicklaus, 17
Lee Trevino, 17

Most Points Won

Europe
Nick Faldo, 25
Bernhard Langer, 24
Colin Montgomerie, 23.5
Lee Westwood, 23
Seve Ballesteros, 22.5
Sergio Garcia, 22.5
Jose Maria Olazabal, 20.5

USA
Billy Casper, 23.5
Arnold Palmer, 23
Phil Mickelson, 21.5
Lanny Wadkins, 21.5
Lee Trevino, 20
Jack Nicklaus, 18.5

Most Matches Lost

Europe
Neil Coles, 21
Christy O'Connor Sr., 21
Nick Faldo, 19
Lee Westwood, 18
Bernard Hunt, 16
Peter Alliss, 15
Mark James, 15
Bernhard Langer, 15
Sam Torrance, 15

USA
Jim Furyk, 20
Phil Mickelson, 20
Tiger Woods, 18
Raymond Floyd, 16
Davis Love III, 12
Curtis Strange, 12
Lanny Wadkins, 11

Most Singles Matches Won

Europe
Nick Faldo, 6
Colin Montgomerie, 6
Peter Oosterhuis, 6
Peter Alliss, 5
Brian Barnes, 5
Neil Coles, 5
Dai Rees, 5

USA
Billy Casper, 6
Arnold Palmer, 6
Sam Snead, 6
Lee Trevino, 6
Gene Littler, 5
Phil Mickelson, 5
Tom Kite, 5

Most Singles Points Won

Europe
Neil Coles, 7
Colin Montgomerie, 7
Nick Faldo, 6.5
Peter Oosterhuis, 6.5
Peter Alliss, 6.5

USA
Billy Casper, 7
Arnold Palmer, 7
Lee Trevino, 7
Gene Littler, 6.5
Tom Kite, 6
Sam Snead, 6

Most Singles Matches Lost

Europe
Christy O'Connor Sr., 10
Tony Jacklin, 8
Lee Westwood, 7
Neil Coles, 6
Harry Weetman, 6
Ian Woosnam, 6

USA
Phil Mickelson, 5
Raymond Floyd, 4
Jim Furyk, 4
Jack Nicklaus, 4
Mark O'Meara, 4

Most Foursome Matches Won

Foursomes is the format that is also called alternate shot. Two golfers partner one another to form a side. Golfers on a side alternate playing the strokes. If Golfer A tees off, Golfer B hits the second shot, Golfer A hits the third, and so on.

Europe
Bernhard Langer, 11
Seve Ballesteros, 10
Nick Faldo, 10
Sergio Garcia, 9
Lee Westwood, 9
Tony Jacklin, 8
Colin Montgomerie, 8

USA
Arnold Palmer, 9
Lanny Wadkins, 9
Billy Casper, 8
Jack Nicklaus, 8
Tom Kite, 7

Most Foursome Points Won

Europe
Bernhard Langer, 11.5
Nick Faldo, 11
Lee Westwood, 11
Seve Ballesteros, 10.5
Sergio Garcia, 10.5
Tony Jacklin, 10
Colin Montgomerie, 9.5

USA
Billy Casper, 9
Arnold Palmer, 9
Lanny Wadkins, 9
Jack Nicklaus, 8
Tom Kite, 7.5

Most Foursome Matches Lost

Europe
Bernard Hunt, 9
Neil Coles, 8
Mark James, 7
Sam Torrance, 7

USA
Raymond Floyd, 8
Jim Furyk, 8
Tiger Woods, 8
Phil Mickelson, 7
Lanny Wadkins, 6

Most Four-Ball Matches Won

Fourball is a format in which two golfers form a team and play against another team of two golfers. Each golfer plays his own golf ball throughout, meaning there are four balls in play (hence, the format name). The lower of the two partners' scores on each hole counts as the team score.

Europe
Ian Woosnam, 10
Jose Maria Olazabal, 9
Seve Ballesteros, 8
Lee Westwood, 8
Nick Faldo, 7

USA
Phil Mickelson, 8
Arnold Palmer, 7
Lanny Wadkins, 7
Billy Casper, 6
Lee Trevino, 6
Gene Littler, 5
Jack Nicklaus, 5
Tiger Woods, 5

Most Four-Ball Points Won

Europe
Jose Maria Olazabal, 10.5
Ian Woosnam, 10.5
Seve Ballesteros, 9
Lee Westwood, 9
Sergio Garcia, 8
Nick Faldo, 7.5
Bernhard Langer, 7
Colin Montgomerie, 7

USA
Phil Mickelson, 9
Billy Casper, 7.5
Lanny Wadkins, 7.5
Gene Littler, 7
Arnold Palmer, 7
Lee Trevino, 7

Most Four-Ball Matches Lost

Europe
Nick Faldo, 9
Neil Coles, 7
Padraig Harrington, 6
Bernhard Langer, 6
Colin Montgomerie, 6

USA
Jim Furyk, 8
Phil Mickelson, 8
Tiger Woods, 8
Davis Love III, 6
Paul Azinger, 5
Curtis Strange, 5

Best Winning Percentages

Europe—Minimum 5 Matches Played
Thomas Pieters, 4-1-0, .800
Ian Poulter, 12-4-2, .722
Paul Way, 6-2-1, .722
Luke Donald, 10-4-1, .700
David Howell, 3-1-1, .700
Manuel Pinero, 6-3-0, .667

USA—Minimum 5 Matches Played
Jimmy Demaret, 6-0-0, 1.000
Gardner Dickinson, 9-1-0, .900
Jack Burke Jr. 7-1-0, .875
Walter Hagen, 7-1-1, .833
Mike Souchak, 5-1-0, .833

Europe—Minimum 15 Matches Played
Ian Poulter, 12-4-2, .722
Luke Donald, 10-4-1, .700
Jose Maria Olazabal, 18-8-5, .661
Colin Montgomerie, 20-9-7, .653
Rory McIlroy, 9-6-4, .647

USA—Minimum 15 Matches Played
Arnold Palmer, 22-8-2, .719
Hale Irwin, 13-5-2, .700
Tom Watson, 10-4-1, .700
Julius Boros, 9-3-4, .688
Gene Littler, 14-5-8, .667
Lee Trevino, 17-7-6, .667

Worst Winning Percentages

Europe—Minimum 5 Matches Played, or 4 Matches over 2 Ryder Cups
Alf Padgham, 0-6-0, .000
Tom Haliburton, 0-6-0, .000
John Panton, 0-5-0, .000
Max Faulkner, 1-7-0, .125
Charles Ward, 1-5-0, .167

USA—Minimum 5 Matches Played, or 4 Matches over 2 Ryder Cups
Fuzzy Zoeller, 1-8-1, .150
Jerry Barber, 1-4-0, .200
Olin Dutra, 1-3-0, .250
Tommy Aaron, 1-4-1, .250
Bubba Watson, 3-8-0, .272

Europe—Minimum 15 Matches Played
Harry Weetman, 2-11-2, .200
George Will, 2-11-2, .200
Dave Thomas, 3-10-5, .306
Bernard Hunt, 6-16-6, .321
Mark James, 8-15-1, .354

USA—Minimum 15 Matches Played
Curtis Strange, 6-12-2, .350
Jim Furyk, 10-20-4, .353
Stewart Cink, 4-8-7, .395
Paul Azinger, 5-7-3, .433
Raymond Floyd, 12-16-3, .435

Records of All Players With Minimum 15 Matches Played

Ian Poulter, Europe, 12-4-2, .722
Arnold Palmer, USA, 22-8-2, .719
Luke Donald, Europe, 10-4-1, .700
Hale Irwin, USA, 13-5-2, .700
Tom Watson, USA, 10-4-1, .700
Julius Boros, USA, 9-3-4, .688
Lee Trevino, USA, 17-7-6, .667
Gene Littler, USA, 14-5-8, .667
Jack Nicklaus, USA, 17-8-3, .661
Jose Maria Olazabal, Europe, 18-8-5, .661
Colin Montgomerie, Europe, 20-9-7, .653
Rory McIlroy, Europe, 9-6-4, .647
Billy Casper, USA, 20-10-7, .635
Lanny Wadkins, USA, 20-11-3, .632
Justin Rose, Europe, 11-6-2, .632
Seve Ballesteros, Europe, 20-12-5, .608
Sergio Garcia, Europe, 19-11-7, .608
Tom Kite, USA, 15-9-4, .607
Graeme McDowell, 8-5-2, .600
Darren Clarke, Europe, 10-7-3, .575
Bernhard Langer, Europe 21-15-6, .571
Hal Sutton, USA, 7-5-4, .563
Peter Oosterhuis, Europe, 14-11-3, .554
Nick Faldo, Europe, 23-19-4, .543
Zach Johnson, USA, 8-7-2, .529
Ian Woosnam, Europe, 14-12-5, .532
Lee Westwood, Europe, 20-18-6, .523
Howard Clark, Europe, 7-7-1, .500
Henrik Stenson, Europe, 7-7-2, .500
Bernard Gallacher, Europe, 13-13-5, .500
Tony Jacklin, Europe, 13-14-8, .485
Phil Mickelson, USA, 18-20-7, .478
Payne Stewart, USA, 8-9-2, .474
Brian Huggett, Europe, 8-10-6, .458
Fred Couples, USA, 7-9-4, .450
Sandy Lyle, Europe, 7-9-2, .444
Davis Love III, USA, 9-12-5, .442
Maurice Bembridge, Europe, 6-8-3, .441
Dai Rees, Europe, 7-9-1, .441
Tiger Woods, USA, 13-17-3, .439
Matt Kuchar, USA, 6-8-2, .438
Raymond Floyd, USA, 12-16-3, .435
Paul Azinger, USA, 5-7-3, .433
Brian Barnes, Europe, 10-14-1, .420
Peter Alliss, Europe, 10-15-5, .417
Padraig Harrington, Europe, 8-13-3, .396
Stewart Cink, USA, 4-8-7, .395
Neil Coles, Europe, 12-21-7, .388
Miguel Angel Jimenez, Europe, 4-8-3, .367
Christy O'Connor Sr., Europe, 11-21-4, .361
Sam Torrance, Europe, 7-15-6, .357
Mark James, Europe, 8-15-1, .354
Jim Furyk, USA, 10-20-4, .353
Curtis Strange, USA, 6-12-2, .350
Bernard Hunt, Europe, 6-16-6, .321
Dave Thomas, Europe, 3-10-5, .306
Harry Weetman, Europe, 2-11-2, .200
George Will, Europe, 2-11-2, .200

Golfers Who Played 5 or More Career Matches Without Losing

USA
Jimmy Demaret, 6-0-0
Bobby Nichols, 4-0-1

Europe
None

Golfers Who Played 5 or More Career Matches Without Winning

Europe
Alf Padgham, 0-7-0
Tom Haliburton, 0-6-0
John Panton, 0-5-0

USA
None

Partnerships with Most Points Earned

Europe
Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal (11-2-2), 12 points
Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood (6-2-0), 6 points
Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam (5-2-2), 6 points
Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie (5-1-1), 5.5 points
Bernard Gallacher and Brian Barnes (5-4-1), 5.5 points
Peter Alliss and Christy O'Conner (5-6-1), 5.5 points

USA
Arnold Palmer and Gardner Dickinson (5-0-0), 5 points
Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth (4-1-2), 5 points
Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson (4-0-0), 4 points
Larry Nelson and Lanny Wadkins (4-2-0), 4 points
Tony Lema and Julius Boros (3-1-1), 3.5 points

Largest Margin of Victory—Singles

36-Hole Match
George Duncan, Europe, def. Walter Hagen, USA, 10-and-8, 1929

18-Hole Match
Tom Kite, USA, def. Howard Clark, Europe, 8-and-7, 1989
Fred Couples, USA, def. Ian Woosnam, Europe, 8-and-7, 1997

Largest Margin of Victory—Foursomes

36-Hole Match
Walter Hagen/Denny Shute, USA, def. George Duncan/Arthur Havers, Europe, 10-and-9, 1931
Lew Worsham/Ed Oliver, USA, def. Henry Cotton/Arthur Lees, 10-and-9, 1947

18-Hole Match
Hale Irwin/Tom Kite, USA, def. Ken Brown/Des Smyth, Europe, 7-and-6, 1979
Paul Azinger/Mark O'Meara, USA, def. Nick Faldo/David Gilford, Europe, 7-and-6, 1991
Keegan Bradley/Phil Mickelson, USA, def. Lee Westwood/Luke Donald, Europe, 7 and 6, 2012

Largest Margin of Victory—Four-Balls

18-Hole Match
Lee Trevino/Jerry Pate, USA, def. Nick Faldo/Sam Torrance, Europe, 7-and-5, 1981

Most Points Earned By One Player In A Single Ryder Cup

Europe
Peter Alliss, 1965, 5 points (out of 6 available)
Tony Jacklin, 1969, 5 points (out of 6 available)

USA
Larry Nelson, 1979, 5 points (out of 5 available)
Gardner Dickinson, 1967, 5 points (out of 6 available)
Arnold Palmer, 1967, 5 points (out of 6 available)