Biggest Team Blowouts in Ryder Cup History

Which teams (USA, Europe, Great Britain/Ireland) have posted the biggest blowout wins and suffered the worst losses in the history of the Ryder Cup? In the current era, the biggest blowout is by 10 points: a 10-point margin of victory for the winning side. But earlier in Ryder Cup history, when different formats were used, even bigger blowouts occurred.

Related: Biggest wins and losses in matches at the Ryder Cup

Biggest Ryder Cup Win/Loss in 28-Point Era

Beginning in 1979, when the Great Britain & Ireland side was expanded to become Team Europe, the Ryder Cup format has been stable: 28 matches are played, which means 28 points are at stake. The largest gap in the final points is 10: a 19-9 final score has happened once:

• 2021 Ryder Cup: USA 19, Europe 9. Three previous times a Ryder Cup team had won by an 18.5 to 9.5 score — Team USA in 1981, and Team Europe in both 2004 and 2006. But in the 2021 Cup, the American side dominated from the opening session, building an 11-5 lead going into singles. And in the singles session, the Americans won eight of the 12 available points. That resulted in the final score of 19-9, setting a new record for biggest win. And for Europe, alas, that meant setting the new record for worst loss. Dustin Johnson was 5-0-0 for the U.S.; Europe had five players who failed to win a match.

Biggest Ryder Cup Blowouts in USA vs. GB&I Era

The Ryder Cup dates to 1927, when it was a USA vs. Great Britain tournament. Ireland was officially added to the tournament in 1973, making it Team Great Britain & Ireland (or GB&I) vs. Team USA. Prior to 1979, then, these are the biggest wins/losses by teams.

• 1947 Ryder Cup: USA 11, Great Britain 1. With 12 matches played, the American side won 11 out of 12 possible points, or nearly 92-percent of available points. That is easily the highest percentage of points won in a single Ryder Cup. This was the first Ryder Cup played since 1937 due to World War II. The British side traveled to New York by boat, then spent several days on a cross-country train ride to Portland, Oregon. Only Sam King's singles win over Herman Keiser prevented the American shutout.
• 1967 Ryder Cup: USA 23.5, Great Britain 8.5. With 32 points overall available, Team USA posted a 15-point margin of victory — the largest in Ryder Cup history. On the second day, Team USA won 7.5 of an available 8 points, all in fourballs. Arnold Palmer and Gardner Dickinson each went 5-0-0 (winning four times as partners), the first golfers in Ryder Cup history to go 5-for-5.