Brothers Who Played in the Ryder Cup
How many pairs (or sets, even) of brothers have both played in the Ryder Cup? Not many, which is not surprising. Being good enough to earn a Ryder Cup berth is uncommon, after all, in the golf world. Having two (or more) golfers in the same family who are that good is much rarer. But, in fact, five families so far have sent two or more brothers into the Ryder Cup.
The Ryder Cup is played every other year between two teams, one representing Europe, the other representing the United States. Only 12 golfers make each squad. In the Ryder Cup's history, those numbers were even smaller: Many Ryder Cup teams in the past included only 10 players.
Yet, brothers playing in the Ryder Cup is a thing that has happened. These are the brothers who make the list:
- The Whitcombes: Three Whitcombe brothers made the Team Great Britain squad (long before it was expanded to all of Europe) in the Ryder Cup. Charles Whitcombe made the team in 1927, 1929, 1931, 1933, 1935 and 1937; Ernest Whitcombe in 1929, 1931 and 1935; and Reg Whitcombe in 1935.
- The Turnesas: Joe Turnesa was a member of Team USA in 1927 and 1929; Jim Turnesa made the team in 1953.
- The Heberts: Jay Hebert was on Team USA in 1959 and 1961; Lionel Hebert made the team in 1957.
- The Hunts: Bernard Hunt was on the British side in 1953, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967 and 1969; Geoffrey Hunt in 1963.
- The Molinaris: Edoardo Molinari was part of Team Europe in 2010; Francesco Molinari in 2010, 2012 and 2018.
Brothers Who Played in Same Ryder Cup
Of the five sets of brothers listed above who played in the Ryder Cup, three of them played together in the same Ryder Cup, and two of them even partnered one another in matches.- Charles and Ernest Whitcombe, 1929 and 1931: In the 1929 Ryder Cup, Charles and Ernest became the first brothers to both play in the competition, and the first to be teammates on the same squad. They did not play as partners that year. In the 1931 Ryder Cup, they were once again teammates, and Charles was the Great Britain captain, but they did not play as partners.
- Charles, Ernest and Reg Whitcombe, 1935: The 1935 Ryder Cup is the only one to feature three brothers, as all three Whitcombes played for Great Britain (and Charles was once again a playing captain). And for the first time, two brothers played as partners in a Ryder Cup match. Charles and Ernest partnered for a 1-up foursomes victory over Olin Dutra/Ky Laffoon (the only one of the four foursomes matches won by Great Britain).
- Francesco and Edoardo Molinari, 2010: The Molinaris played as partners twice in the 2010 Ryder Cup, losing one match and halving the other. On Day 1, the Molinaris lost in foursomes, 2-down, to Team USA's Zach Johnson/Hunter Mahan. On Day 2, the Molinaris halved with Stewart Cink/Matt Kuchar.
Ryder Cup Brothers-in-Law
What about brothers who are related not by blood but by marriage? Yes, there have been a couple pairs of Ryder Cup brothers-in-law, too.- Jerry Pate and Bruce Lietzke: Pate and Lietzke each made Team USA once, and for both of them it was the 1981 Ryder Cup. They were married to sisters (Soozi Pate and Rose Lietzke). They did not partner in the 1981 competition. Lietzke had an 0-2-1 record in his matches, Pate a 2-2-0 record.
- Lee Westwood and Andrew Coltart: Westwood was married to Coltart's sister from 1999 until their divorce in 2017. Westwood played for Team Europe in 1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2021. Coltart made Team Europe just once, but it was in the 1999 Ryder Cup, so he and Westwood were teammates that year. But they did not partner in any matches.
