2012 Ryder Cup
Encyclopedia
The 39th Ryder Cup
Matches will be held September 25-30, 2012 at the Medinah Country Club
in Medinah
, Illinois
. It will be the first time Illinois has staged the competition. Europe will be the defending Cup holder, having defeated the USA by 14½ points to 13½ in the 2010 competition
at Celtic Manor Resort
, Wales
. The team captains will be Davis Love III
for the USA and José María Olazábal
for Europe.
is a match play
event, with each match worth one point. The competition format is generally as follows:
With a total of 28 points available, 14½ points are required to win the Cup, and 14 points are required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches are played to a maximum of 18 holes.
. The project included a dramatic redesign of the 15th hole.
The 15th now offers players with a great 'risk-reward' opportunity with a driveable par-four by reducing its length by 100 yards and adding a two-acre lake that borders the right side of the fairway and green. The new forward tee allows the hole to be set up as short as 280 yards. The original tee area of 392 yards from the championship tees will be preserved to provide the club with flexibility in course set-up.
Jones, who has overseen all architectural design aspects of Medinah's three golf courses since 2000, moved the 15th green to the left (south), which made way for the creation of a new back tee for the 16th hole. The tree-lined par-four now measures 15 yards longer - playing approximately 470 yards from the championship tees.
The major greens renovation took place on eleven of Course No. 3's original 18 greens and its main putting green, which was rebuilt to USGA
specifications. Course No. 3's other six greens were re-grassed and the 15th green rebuilt.
The European team qualification rules have changed since 2010. The European Points List now takes precedence over the World Points List, while the captain's picks have been reduced from 3 to 2 with the top 5 players in the World Points List now qualifying rather than the top 4.
The team will consist of:
The United States qualification rules remain the same as for 2010 and the team will consist of:
The points are the prize money won (in U.S. dollars) in the 2011 majors divided by 1000.
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...
Matches will be held September 25-30, 2012 at the Medinah Country Club
Medinah Country Club
Medinah Country Club is a private country club in Medinah, Illinois with nearly 600 members and containing three golf courses, Lake Kadijah, swimming facilities and a Byzantine-style, mosque-evoking clubhouse with Oriental, Louis XIV and Italian architectural aspects. Medinah is widely known for...
in Medinah
Medinah, Illinois
Medinah is an unincorporated community in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois and is a suburb of Chicago. Medinah, largely located in DuPage County, is situated between the villages of Roselle, Itasca, Bloomingdale, and Addison...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It will be the first time Illinois has staged the competition. Europe will be the defending Cup holder, having defeated the USA by 14½ points to 13½ in the 2010 competition
2010 Ryder Cup
The 38th Ryder Cup matches were held 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in the city of Newport, Wales. It was the first time the competition was staged in Wales. With the USA as the defending Cup holder the event was played on the newly-constructed Twenty 10 course, specifically designed for the...
at Celtic Manor Resort
Celtic Manor Resort
The Celtic Manor Resort is a golf-centric hotel and leisure resort in Newport, south Wales. It consists of two adjoining hotels, a country inn, two golf and country clubs, and a multi-purpose conference centre...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The team captains will be Davis Love III
Davis Love III
Davis Milton Love III is an American professional golfer.Love was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina before turning professional in 1985. He earned his PGA Tour card in the fall of 1985, on his first attempt. He quickly established himself on the PGA...
for the USA and José María Olazábal
José María Olazábal
José María Olazábal Manterola is a Spanish professional golfer who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has won two major championships.-Career outline:...
for Europe.
Format
The Ryder CupRyder 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. The competition format is generally as follows:
- Day 1 (Friday) — 4 fourballFourballA Fourball match is a type of golf match used in match play competitions.A fourball match consists of two teams of two players competing directly against each other. All four golfers play their own ball throughout the round, and each hole is won by the team whose member has the lowest score...
(better ball) matches in a morning session and 4 foursomeFoursome (golf)A foursome, also known as alternate shot, is a type of match in the sport of golf.Golfers compete in teams of two, using one ball, and taking alternate shots until the hole is completed. Team members also take turns in teeing off on each hole, i.e...
(alternate shot) matches in an afternoon session - Day 2 (Saturday) — 4 fourball matches in a morning session and 4 foursome matches in an afternoon session
- Day 3 (Sunday) — 12 singles matches
With a total of 28 points available, 14½ points are required to win the Cup, and 14 points are required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches are played to a maximum of 18 holes.
Course
As part of its 2012 preparations, Medinah commissioned a $1.5 million greens renovation project on Course No. 3, led by golf course architect Rees JonesRees Jones
Rees Jones is an American golf course architect.He was born in Montclair, New Jersey the son of legendary golf course designer Robert Trent Jones and the younger brother of golf course designer Robert Trent Jones, Jr...
. The project included a dramatic redesign of the 15th hole.
The 15th now offers players with a great 'risk-reward' opportunity with a driveable par-four by reducing its length by 100 yards and adding a two-acre lake that borders the right side of the fairway and green. The new forward tee allows the hole to be set up as short as 280 yards. The original tee area of 392 yards from the championship tees will be preserved to provide the club with flexibility in course set-up.
Jones, who has overseen all architectural design aspects of Medinah's three golf courses since 2000, moved the 15th green to the left (south), which made way for the creation of a new back tee for the 16th hole. The tree-lined par-four now measures 15 yards longer - playing approximately 470 yards from the championship tees.
The major greens renovation took place on eleven of Course No. 3's original 18 greens and its main putting green, which was rebuilt to USGA
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
specifications. Course No. 3's other six greens were re-grassed and the 15th green rebuilt.
Europe
The European team qualification rules have changed since 2010. The European Points List now takes precedence over the World Points List, while the captain's picks have been reduced from 3 to 2 with the top 5 players in the World Points List now qualifying rather than the top 4.The team will consist of:
- The leading five players on the Ryder Cup European Points List
- Points (1 Point = 1 Euro) earned in official European Tour events from September 1, 2011 to the conclusion of the Johnnie Walker Championship in 2012
- The leading five players, not qualified above, on the Ryder Cup World Points List
- Total World Rankings Points earned in Official World Golf Ranking events from September 1, 2011 to the conclusion of the Johnnie Walker Championship in 2012
- Two captain's picks
United States
The United States qualification rules remain the same as for 2010 and the team will consist of:
- The leading eight players on the Ryder Cup Points List
- Points gained from money earned in majorsMen's major golf championshipsThe men's major golf championships, commonly known as the Major Championships, and often referred to simply as the majors, are the four most prestigious annual tournaments in professional golf...
in 2011 and official PGA tour events in 2012 up to August 12 (i.e. up to and including money earned at the 2012 PGA Championship). Money earned in 2012 majors count double and money earned in 2012 events played opposite the majors or World Golf ChampionshipsWorld Golf ChampionshipsThe World Golf Championships are a group of four annual events for male professional golfers created by the International Federation of PGA Tours, with a fifth to be added in 2012...
count half.
- Points gained from money earned in majors
- Four captain's picks
The points are the prize money won (in U.S. dollars) in the 2011 majors divided by 1000.