Personalised ‘Ryder Cup’ Golf Book
Enjoy a Terrific Newspaper History of The Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf tournament that is contested between the USA and Europe. The competition is a popular event amongst players and fans, as it forces the professionals to compete as a team rather than for themselves. Each team consists of twelve players and the sides compete in singles, fourball and foursome matches.
Our Personalised Ryder Cup Golf Book is a terrific gift for any golf enthusiast. The presents feature reproduced newspaper coverage of every championship since the 1920s, taking you through the history of this great competition. The fascinating gifts cover a selection of classic Ryder Cup contests and comment upon the contribution of Ryder Cup legends, such as Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie.
The Ryder Cup Golf Books are smartly presented, making them a wonderful piece of golf memorabilia. Below you will find a brief history of the tournament and more information about the contents of our Personalised Golf Books. We also suggest other personalised sports presents and alternative golf gifts.
Brief History of The Ryder Cup
In 1920, James Harnett began to raise funds for a professional golf match between the USA and Great Britain. Harnett worked for "Golf Illustrated" and he received financial support from the American PGA. An informal golf match between the two countries was subsequently hosted at Gleneagles. The event was repeated in 1926, this time sponsored by English entrepreneur Samuel Ryder. Ryder had been receiving golf lessons from a member of the Great Britain team and had become captivated by the sport. He was particularly enamoured by the ‘USA versus Great Britain’ match and suggested that it should become an official championship. Ryder agreed to provide a trophy for the competition, plus continued sponsorship. He also became a patron of the Ryder Cup.
The Ryder Cup was initially a successful format, but America soon began to dominate the event. The lack of competition threatened the championship, but a natural solution was provided by the foundation of the European Golf Tour in 1971. The Ryder Cup became a contest between the USA and Europe in 1979. The two teams have since enjoyed a captivating and closely-fought rivalry.
Highlights of The Ryder Cup Golf Book
Our Personalised Ryder Cup Golf Books stretch all the way back to the 1920s, when the USA competed against a team from Great Britain. The Ryder Cup regularly changed hands at this stage and as the competition moved into the 1930s, Hagen versus Taylor emerged as a classic clash of captains. The USA won the Ryder Cup seven times between 1935 and 1955, but Great Britain claimed a shock win in 1957. America soon regained its dominance and the gifts chronicle the success of the USA into the 1960s.
The Ryder Cup Gift Book contains daily reports from the 1969 event, which would become known as “The Concession." Jack Nicklaus was playing in his first Ryder Cup and he caused incredible controversy when he gifted a two foot putt to British Open champion Tony Jacklin. Nicklaus’ concession became even more of a talking point when the match ended in a draw – the first in Ryder Cup history – therefore ruining the USA’s consecutive record of wins. The golf gifts also cover the first Ryder Cup to be held in Scotland (1973) and the first Ryder Cup to feature a team representing Europe rather than Great Britain (1979).
Since the European team has been formed, the Ryder Cup has enjoyed many close finishes and a similar number of wins for both sides. Europe won the Ryder Cup for the first time in 1985 and the championship ended in tense draw in 1989. The Ryder Cup Book includes some terrific ‘USA versus Europe’ contests, such as the 1991 feud between Ballesteros and Azinger and the 1999 “Battle of Brookline". It also incorporates the emotional European Ryder Cup win of 2006, when Darren Clarke contributed three points from three matches, despite the recent death of his wife.
Other Golf Gifts
I Just Love It offers many other gifts for golf fans, including our popular Personalised ‘The Open’ Golf Book. This great piece of golf memorabilia provides a detailed newspaper history of the Open Championship, the oldest golf tournament in the world and one of the four ‘majors’. Other golf presents include our fantastic range of Golf Experiences, a Personalised Golf Diary, Personalised Golf Calendars and fun Personalised Golf Poster gifts.
Alternative Sports Gift Books
The Personalised Ryder Cup Book is just one of our terrific Sports Book Gifts. You can alternatively enjoy editions dedicated to sports such as Boxing, Cricket and Formula One. We also have an extensive range of Personalised Football Club Books, featuring match reports on some of the biggest games in the history of over fifty clubs. Our unique Personalised Gift Books make great presents for any sports fan.