What is fourballs at the Ryder Cup and how does it work?
Is it alternate shot or is it foursomes? Is it better ball or fourballs? What about singles?
The Ryder Cup deploys three different scoring formats and they’re familiar to those of us who play match play. Here’s a one-sheet explaining the differences.
What formats are used in the Ryder Cup?
The competition uses three different formats:
- Fourballs
- Foursomes
- Singles
What is the fourballs format at the Ryder Cup?
Fourballs is also known as better ball. In this format, all four players in each match plays his own ball and whoever scores the lowest individual score wins the hole for his team. If the two lowest scores are the same, then the hole is tied.
What is the foursomes format at the Ryder Cup?
Foursomes is also known as alternate shot. In this format, the two players on each team take turns alternating shots. The lowest team score on each hole withs that hole. If the scores from each team are the same on a given hole, then that hole is tied.
How are Ryder Cup matches scored?
If a team in foursomes or fourballs or an individual in singles format wins more holes than their opponent, that team or single has earned one point. If a match ends up tied after 18 holes, then each side earns a half point.
How does a team win the Ryder Cup?
The biennial event pitting a 12-man squad of Americans against a 12-man team of Europeans has five competitions in all played over three days . The first team to 14 ½ points wins the cup. In the event of a 14-14 tie, the team that won the cup the last time out retains.
What is the schedule at the Ryder Cup?
- Friday morning foursomes
- Friday afternoon fourballs
- Saturday morning foursomes
- Saturday afternoon fourballs
- Sunday singles
As host in 2025, the U.S. has specifically selected foursomes in the morning and fourballs in the afternoon for each of the first two days.
Who plays in each of the formats?
In foursomes and fourballs, each captain will send out four pairings (eight players) for each session. The captains will therefore also have to decide which four golfers will sit out each of the sessions. In singles, each match is a head-to-head featuring one American vs. one European. All 12 members of each side will compete in Sunday singles.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Ryder Cup formats: What is fourballs and how does it work?
