The Ryder Cup is a three-day match-play event with 28 total matches: two days of team formats and one day of singles. The first two days use foursomes and four-ball, and Sunday finishes with 12 head-to-head singles matches.

Format

Day Session How it works Matches
Friday Foursomes + Four-ball Two-player teams 8
Saturday Foursomes + Four-ball Two-player teams 8
Sunday Singles One player from each side 12

Match types

  • Foursomes : also called alternate shot; two teammates share one ball and take turns hitting it.
  • Four-ball : each player plays their own ball, and the better score on each hole counts for the team.
  • Singles : one-on-one match play between players from each team.

Scoring

Each match is worth 1 point, and tied matches give 0.5 point to each side. The first team to reach 14.5 points wins the Ryder Cup, and if the event ends 14-14, the defending champion keeps the trophy.

Simple example

If a pair wins more holes than the other pair in foursomes or four-ball, they win that match and earn 1 point for their team. If a singles match is all square after 18 holes, each side gets half a point.

TL;DR: the Ryder Cup is 28 holes? No—28 matches across three days, using foursomes, four-ball, and singles, with the winner decided by total points.