The 45th Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black begins on Friday, September 26th, but the biennial event is very different from a regular PGA Tour tournament. Below, you can find out everything you need to know about the 2025 Ryder Cup format and scoring.
Overview
While a regular PGA Tour tournament is comprised of four straight rounds of individual stroke play, the Ryder Cup is very different. Two teams of 12 players each from the United States and Europe compete in 28 total matches, which are played over three days.
The first two days of competition feature eight two-person team matches: four in the morning and four in the afternoon (that’s 16 total team matches over the first two days). The third day of competition is devoted to 12 singles matches, in which every player competes against another in a head-to-head match.
Each session’s roster selections and order of play are made by the team captain. That’s Keegan Bradley for the U.S., and Luke Donald for the Europeans.
Match-play formats
Ryder Cup team matches are played in two different formats: four-ball (best ball) and foursomes (alternate shot). At Bethpage Black on Friday and Saturday, foursomes will be played in the morning session followed by four-ball in the afternoon session. In both foursomes and four-ball, only eight of each team’s 12 players will participate in each session. Some players may be called upon to play in both the morning and afternoon on one or both days, while others may not play at all.
In foursomes, one player tees off and that player’s partner hits the next shot. The two alternate, hitting the same ball, until the ball is holed. The players also alternate who tees off on each subsequent hole. The lowest score wins that hole for that team.
In four-ball, each player plays his own ball on each hole. The lowest score of the pair on each hole counts for the team, and the team with the lowest score wins the hole.
Singles play is the Ryder Cup’s grand finale and involves all 12 members of each team. Each player plays his own ball in a head-to-head match against his opponent. The lowest score between the two players wins the hole.
Scoring
In individual stroke play, if a player makes a birdie and his opponent makes a double bogey, that’s a three-shot advantage. In match play, however, every hole is worth one point whether you win it by one stroke or five.
Winning a hole with a score lower than your opponent means you are 1 up. If two players tie a hole, that match is considered even, tied, or all square. There are no carry-overs to subsequent holes.
Unlike stroke play, shots can be conceded in match play, so finishing a hole is not mandatory. If, for example, a player holes our for birdie while his opponent has a putt for par, the par putt can be picked up because the hole has been won, and it’s no longer relevant.
The match is over when a player’s advantage is greater than the number of holes left. For example, if a player wins the 16th hole to go 3 up, the match would end, and the score of the match would reflect a 3 and 2 win: 3 up with 2 holes to play. The players do not continue playing once a match is over.
If a match is tied on the 18th hole, it remains so in scoring. Players do not go extra holes.
Each of the 28 Ryder Cup matches is worth one point. Players or teams that win a match a match outright claim that point for their team. In the event of a tie after 18 holes, the point is shared — 0.5 points each. No points are awarded for a loss.
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How many points to win Ryder Cup?
Since Europe won the last Ryder Cup in Rome in 2023, they only need 14 points to retain it. The U.S. needs 14.5 points to re-claim the Ryder Cup.
Singles matches that remain in progress on Sunday once the Ryder Cup has been clinched will continue on to completion for posterity, even if they’re no longer relevant to the Ryder Cup’s ultimate outcome.
Ryder Cup history
Europe has won 10 of the last 14 Ryder Cups, but only three of those victories were on foreign soil. The U.S. has won three of the last four Ryder Cups played in America.
