The 3rd Ryder Cup Matches were held at the Scioto Country Club

Scioto Country Club

Scioto Country Club, is a private country club and golf course in Upper Arlington, in suburban Columbus, Ohio. The course, designed by Donald Ross, opened in 1916 and since then has hosted five PGA tournaments throughout its history, including two majors...

 in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

 on June 26 and 27, 1931.
The United States team won the competition by a score of 9 to 3 points.

Format

The Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup

The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...

 is a match play

Match play

Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; this is as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes...

 event, with each match worth one point. From 1927 through 1959, the format consisted of 4 foursome (alternate shot) matches on the first day and 8 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

  Team USA

• Walter Hagen
  Walter Hagen
  Walter Charles Hagen was a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of eleven professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods . He won the U.S. Open twice, and in 1922 he became the first native-born American to win the British Open, which he went on...
  
   — Captain
• Gene Sarazen
  Gene Sarazen
  Gene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S...
  
  
• Leo Diegel
• Billy Burke
• Johnny Farrell
  Johnny Farrell
  John Joseph Farrell was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1928 U.S. Open.Farrell was born in White Plains, New York. He turned professional in 1922.In 1928, Farrell won the U.S. Open...
  
  
• Denny Shute
  Denny Shute
  Herman Densmore "Denny" Shute was an American golfer who won three major championships in the 1930s.Shute was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was born in England. He attended Western Reserve University , and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. He was married on March 20, 1930 to Hettie Marie Potts...
  
  
• Al Espinosa
• Wiffy Cox
  Wiffy Cox
  Wilfred Hiram "Wiffy" Cox was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1930s....
  
  
• Craig Wood
  Craig Wood (golfer)
  Craig Ralph Wood was an American professional golfer in the 1930s and 1940s, the winner of 21 PGA Tour titles including two major championships and a member of three Ryder Cup teams ....
  
  

  Team Great Britain Charles Whitcombe

Charles Whitcombe

Charles Whitcombe was the second of the three Whitcombe brothers who were all successful English professional golfers in the 1920s and 1930s and - despite never winning The Open Championship like his younger brother Reg - could be considered the most prominent of the three, winning the British PGA...

 — Captain Archie Compston

Archie Compston

Archibald Edward Wones Compston was an English professional golfer. Through the 1920s he built a reputation as a formidable match play golfer, in an era when many professionals made more money from "challenge" matches against fellow pros, or wealthy amateurs, than from tournament golf.Compston was...

 George Duncan

George Duncan (golfer)

George Duncan was a Scottish professional golfer.Duncan was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire. He was first apprenticed as a carpenter and rejected a chance to become a professional footballer at Aberdeen to become a golf professional...

 Abe Mitchell

Abe Mitchell

Henry Abraham Mitchell was an English professional golfer.Mitchell was born in East Grinstead, Sussex. He was runner-up in the 1912 Amateur Championship, losing to John Ball on the second extra hole...

 Syd Easterbrook

Syd Easterbrook

Sydney Easterbrook was an English professional golfer. He won the Irish Open in 1934 and was a member of the Great Britain Ryder Cup team in 1931 and 1933. In 1933, he won the deciding match for Great Britain by beating Denny Shute on the final hole.-References:...

 William Davies Arthur Havers

Arthur Havers

Arthur Gladstone Havers was an English professional golfer who won the 1923 Open Championship at Royal Troon.Havers was born in Norwich, England. He had first qualified for the Open in 1914 at the age of sixteen...

 Fred Robson Ernest Whitcombe Bert Hodson
Prior to the match, there was some controversy about the qualification rules for the Great Britain team. In 1927 and 1929 the American PGA had decided to only select American born and resident players but the original Ryder Cup Deed of Trust made no such provision. All members of the Professional Golfers' Association were eligible. In late 1929 the Deed of Trust was revised requiring players to be born in and resident in their respective countries. This rule disqualified Percy Alliss

Percy Alliss

Percy Alliss was an English professional golfer. He was the father of commentator and former golfer Peter Alliss....

 and Aubrey Boomer, two of Great Britain's best players, as they had both taken jobs as club professionals in mainland Europe.

In early 1931, it was announced that a selection committee of five would choose the Great Britain team for the 1931 Ryder Cup. This committee consisted of G. Oke, Charles Whitcombe

Charles Whitcombe

Charles Whitcombe was the second of the three Whitcombe brothers who were all successful English professional golfers in the 1920s and 1930s and - despite never winning The Open Championship like his younger brother Reg - could be considered the most prominent of the three, winning the British PGA...

, C.H. Corlett, W.R. Wheildon and A. Haskins. Charles Whitcombe was announced as the captain. An initial squad of 24 was announced.

Henry Cotton objected to a team rule requiring all players to travel out together and return together. Cotton wished to remain in the United States after the match. As a consequence Cotton was withdrawn from the squad.

Four trial matches were played in which the new American sized ball was used, and in early May a further six players were selected: Compston, Davies, Jolly, Mitchell, Robson and Ernest Whitcombe. Duncan and Easterbrook were later added and in early June Hodson was the final selection. At the same time Herbert Jolly withdrew because of lack of form and was replaced by Havers.

Friday's foursome matches

	Results
Compston Archie Compston Archibald Edward Wones Compston was an English professional golfer. Through the 1920s he built a reputation as a formidable match play golfer, in an era when many professionals made more money from "challenge" matches against fellow pros, or wealthy amateurs, than from tournament golf.Compston was... /Davies	8 & 7	Sarazen Gene Sarazen Gene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S... /Farrell Johnny Farrell John Joseph Farrell was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1928 U.S. Open.Farrell was born in White Plains, New York. He turned professional in 1922.In 1928, Farrell won the U.S. Open...
Duncan George Duncan (golfer) George Duncan was a Scottish professional golfer.Duncan was born in Methlick, Aberdeenshire. He was first apprenticed as a carpenter and rejected a chance to become a professional footballer at Aberdeen to become a golf professional... /Havers Arthur Havers Arthur Gladstone Havers was an English professional golfer who won the 1923 Open Championship at Royal Troon.Havers was born in Norwich, England. He had first qualified for the Open in 1914 at the age of sixteen...	10 & 9	Hagen Walter Hagen Walter Charles Hagen was a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of eleven professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods . He won the U.S. Open twice, and in 1922 he became the first native-born American to win the British Open, which he went on... /Shute Denny Shute Herman Densmore "Denny" Shute was an American golfer who won three major championships in the 1930s.Shute was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was born in England. He attended Western Reserve University , and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. He was married on March 20, 1930 to Hettie Marie Potts...
Mitchell Abe Mitchell Henry Abraham Mitchell was an English professional golfer.Mitchell was born in East Grinstead, Sussex. He was runner-up in the 1912 Amateur Championship, losing to John Ball on the second extra hole... /Robson	3 & 1	Diegel/Espinosa
Easterbrook Syd Easterbrook Sydney Easterbrook was an English professional golfer. He won the Irish Open in 1934 and was a member of the Great Britain Ryder Cup team in 1931 and 1933. In 1933, he won the deciding match for Great Britain by beating Denny Shute on the final hole.-References:... /Whitcombe	3 & 2	Burke/Cox Wiffy Cox Wilfred Hiram "Wiffy" Cox was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1930s....
1	Session	3
1	Overall	3

Saturday's singles matches

	Results
Archie Compston Archie Compston Archibald Edward Wones Compston was an English professional golfer. Through the 1920s he built a reputation as a formidable match play golfer, in an era when many professionals made more money from "challenge" matches against fellow pros, or wealthy amateurs, than from tournament golf.Compston was...	7 & 6	Billy Burke
Fred Robson	7 & 6	Gene Sarazen Gene Sarazen Gene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S...
William Davies	4 & 3	Johnny Farrell Johnny Farrell John Joseph Farrell was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the 1928 U.S. Open.Farrell was born in White Plains, New York. He turned professional in 1922.In 1928, Farrell won the U.S. Open...
Abe Mitchell Abe Mitchell Henry Abraham Mitchell was an English professional golfer.Mitchell was born in East Grinstead, Sussex. He was runner-up in the 1912 Amateur Championship, losing to John Ball on the second extra hole...	3 & 1	Wiffy Cox Wiffy Cox Wilfred Hiram "Wiffy" Cox was an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour in the 1930s....
Charles Whitcombe Charles Whitcombe Charles Whitcombe was the second of the three Whitcombe brothers who were all successful English professional golfers in the 1920s and 1930s and - despite never winning The Open Championship like his younger brother Reg - could be considered the most prominent of the three, winning the British PGA...	4 & 3	Walter Hagen Walter Hagen Walter Charles Hagen was a major figure in golf in the first half of the 20th century. His tally of eleven professional majors is third behind Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods . He won the U.S. Open twice, and in 1922 he became the first native-born American to win the British Open, which he went on...
Bert Hodson	8 & 6	Denny Shute Denny Shute Herman Densmore "Denny" Shute was an American golfer who won three major championships in the 1930s.Shute was born in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was born in England. He attended Western Reserve University , and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. He was married on March 20, 1930 to Hettie Marie Potts...
Ernest Whitcombe	2 & 1	Al Espinosa
Arthur Havers Arthur Havers Arthur Gladstone Havers was an English professional golfer who won the 1923 Open Championship at Royal Troon.Havers was born in Norwich, England. He had first qualified for the Open in 1914 at the age of sixteen...	4 & 3	Craig Wood Craig Wood (golfer) Craig Ralph Wood was an American professional golfer in the 1930s and 1940s, the winner of 21 PGA Tour titles including two major championships and a member of three Ryder Cup teams ....
2	Session	6
3	Overall	9

External links

• Scioto Country Club description of the event