1959 Ryder Cup Winner, Match Scores, Player Records
Final Score: United States 8.5, Great Britain 3.5
Dates Played: November 6-7, 1959
Golf Course: Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, California
Team Captains: Dai Rees for Great Britain, Sam Snead for the United States
Team Rosters:
- Great Britain — Peter Alliss, Ken Bousfield, Eric Brown, Norman Drew, Bernard Hunt, Peter Mills, Christy O'Connor Sr., Dave Thomas, Harry Weetman, Dai Rees (playing captain)
- USA — Julius Boros, Jack Burke Jr., Dow Finsterwald, Doug Ford, Jay Hebert, Cary Middlecoff, Bob Rosburg, Mike Souchak, Art Wall, Sam Snead (playing captain)
The week got off to a bad start for the Great Britain side, which, for the last time, traveled to American by sea. The last leg of the journey was a hop on an airplane from Los Angeles to Palm Springs, Calif. During the flight, the plane hit severe turbulence. At one point, it suddenly dropped 4,000 feet in altitude before the pilot regained control. The pilot turned around and headed back to Los Angeles, and a later flight was arranged. But Team GB captain Dai Rees said no thanks — they took a bus instead.
Jay Hebert was on Team USA two years after his brother Lionel played on the squad. They were the second pair of brothers ever to play on Team USA, joining Joe and Jim Turnesa, although in neither case did they play in the same years. (The first brothers in the Ryder Cup, Charles, Ernest and Reg Whitcombe, did play on the same Great Britain teams in different combinations, and, in the 1935 Ryder Cup, all three at once.)
American playing-captain Sam Snead made the last of his seven playing apperances in the Ryder Cup. He finished with a career record of 10-2-1.
And the 1959 Ryder Cup was the end of an era in terms of format. From the inaugural 1927 Ryder Cup through this one, there were 12 matches played — four foursomes on Day 1, eight singles on Day 2, all scheduled for 36 holes — and 12 points at stake. But this was the last time that schedule was used. Beginning in 1961, more matches were played and they were reduced to 18 holes.
1959 Ryder Cup Results
Day 1
Foursomes- Bob Rosburg/Mike Souchak, USA, def. Bernard Hunt/Eric Brown, Great Britain, 5 and 4
- Julius Boros/Dow Finsterwald, USA, def. Dai Rees/Ken Bousfield, Great Britain, 2-up
- Christy O'Connor/Peter Alliss, Great Britain, def. Art Wall/Doug Ford, USA, 3 and 2
- Sam Snead/Cary Middlecoff, USA, halved with Harry Weetman/Dave Thomas, Great Britain
Day 2
Singles- Doug Ford, USA, halved with Norman Drew, Great Britain
- Mike Souchak, USA, def. Ken Bousfield, Great Britain, 3 and 2
- Bob Rosburg, USA, def. Harry Weetman, Great Britain, 6 and 5
- Sam Snead, USA, def. Dave Thomas, Great Britain, 6 and 5
- Art Wall, USA, def. Christy O'Connor, Great Britain, 7 and 6
- Dow Finsterwald, USA, def. Dai Rees, Great Britain, 1-up
- Peter Alliss, Great Britain, halved with Jay Hebert, USA
- Eric Brown, Great Britain, def. Cary Middlecoff, USA, 4 and 3
Overall and final score: USA 8.5, Great Britain 3.5
1959 Ryder Cup Player Records
(Records are listed as wins-losses-halves.)
Great Britain
Peter Alliss, 1-0-1
Ken Bousfield, 0-2-0
Eric Brown, 1-1-0
Norman Drew, 0-0-1
Bernard Hunt, 0-1-0
Peter Mills, did not play
Christy O'Connor Sr., 1-1-0
Dai Rees, 0-2-0
Dave Thomas, 0-1-1
Harry Weetman, 0-1-1
United States
Julius Boros, 1-0-0
Jack Burke Jr., did not play
Dow Finsterwald, 2-0-0
Doug Ford, 0-1-1
Jay Hebert, 0-0-1
Cary Middlecoff, 0-1-1
Bob Rosburg, 2-0-0
Sam Snead, 1-0-1
Mike Souchak, 2-0-0
Art Wall, 1-1-0
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1957 Ryder Cup | 1961 Ryder Cup
