1967 Ryder Cup
| Dates | October 20–22, 1967 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Champions Golf Club | ||||
| Location | Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||
| Captains | |||||
| |||||
| United States wins the Ryder Cup | |||||
The 17th Ryder Cup Matches were held October 20–22, 1967 at the Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas. The United States team won the competition by a record score of 231⁄2 to 81⁄2 points.[1][2][3] To date, the 15-point victory margin remains the largest at the Ryder Cup.[4]
Ben Hogan was named the captain of the U.S. team in May 1967, five months before the matches.[5] He opted for the U.S. team to use the smaller British golf ball; the same weight, its diameter was .06 inches (1.5 mm) smaller at 1.62 inches (4.11 cm).[6]
The match had originally been arranged for June 9–11, a date that the British P.G.A. had reluctantly agreed to, as it interfered with the British tournament season. In April 1966, it was agreed that the dates be changed to October 20–22.[7]
The course hosted the U.S. Open two years later in 1969.
Format
[edit]The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. From 1963 through 1971 the competition format was as follows:
- Day 1 — 8 foursomes (alternate shot) matches, 4 each in morning and afternoon sessions
- Day 2 — 8 four-ball (better ball) matches, 4 each in morning and afternoon sessions
- Day 3 — 16 singles matches, 8 each in morning and afternoon sessions
With a total of 32 points, 161⁄2 points were required to win the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.
Teams
[edit] Team USA | ||||||
| Name | Age | Points rank | Previous Ryder Cups | Matches | W–L–H | Winning percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Hogan | 55 | Non-playing captain | ||||
| Billy Casper | 36 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 8–3–3 | 67.86 |
| Arnold Palmer | 38 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 11–4–1 | 71.88 |
| Gay Brewer | 35 | 3 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Doug Sanders | 34 | 4 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Gene Littler | 37 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 5–3–6 | 57.14 |
| Julius Boros | 47 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 7–2–2 | 72.73 |
| Bobby Nichols | 31 | 7 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Al Geiberger | 30 | 8 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Gardner Dickinson | 40 | 9 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Johnny Pott | 31 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1–2–0 | 33.33 |
The British team was based on a points system using performances in 1966 and 1967, starting with the 1966 Schweppes PGA Close Championship and finishing after the 1967 Open Championship.[10][11]
 Team Great Britain | ||||||
| Name | Age | Points rank | Previous Ryder Cups | Matches | W–L–H | Winning percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dai Rees | 54 | Non-playing captain | ||||
 Peter Alliss | 36 | 1 | 6 | 21 | 9–8–4 | 52.38 |
 Hugh Boyle | 31 | 9 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Neil Coles | 33 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 5–8–3 | 40.62 |
| Malcolm Gregson | 24 | 8 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Brian Huggett | 30 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 2–2–1 | 50.00 |
| Bernard Hunt | 37 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 6–12–3 | 35.71 |
| Tony Jacklin | 23 | 5 | 0 | Rookie | ||
| Christy O'Connor Snr | 42 | 6 | 6 | 19 | 7–11–1 | 39.47 |
| Dave Thomas | 33 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 1–9–3 | 19.23 |
 George Will | 30 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 2–7–1 | 25.00 |
Friday matches
[edit]October 20, 1967
Morning foursomes
[edit]| | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Huggett/Will | halved | Casper/Boros |
| Alliss/O'Connor |  2 & 1 | Palmer/Dickinson |
| Jacklin/Thomas |  4 & 3 | Sanders/Brewer |
| Hunt/Coles | 6 & 5 | Nichols/Pott |
| 11⁄2 | Session | 21⁄2 |
| 11⁄2 | Overall | 21⁄2 |
Afternoon foursomes
[edit]| | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Huggett/Will | 1 up | Casper/Boros |
| Gregson/Boyle | 5 & 4 | Dickinson/Palmer |
| Jacklin/Thomas | 3 & 2 | Littler/Geiberger |
| Alliss/O'Connor | 2 & 1 | Nichols/Pott |
| 1 | Session | 3 |
| 21⁄2 | Overall | 51⁄2 |
Saturday matches
[edit]October 21, 1967
Morning four-ball
[edit]| | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Alliss/O'Connor | 3 & 2 | Casper/Brewer |
| Hunt/Coles | 1 up | Nichols/Pott |
| Jacklin/Thomas | 1 up | Littler/Geiberger |
| Huggett/Will | 3 & 2 | Dickinson/Sanders |
| 0 | Session | 4 |
| 21⁄2 | Overall | 91⁄2 |
Afternoon four-ball
[edit]| | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Hunt/Coles | 5 & 3 | Casper/Brewer |
| Alliss/Gregson | 3 & 2 | Dickinson/Sanders |
| Will/Boyle | 1 up | Palmer/Boros |
| Jacklin/Thomas | halved | Littler/Geiberger |
| 1⁄2 | Session | 31⁄2 |
| 3 | Overall | 13 |
Sunday matches
[edit]October 22, 1967
Morning singles
[edit]| | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Hugh Boyle | 4 & 3 | Gay Brewer |
| Peter Alliss | 2 & 1 | Billy Casper |
| Tony Jacklin | 3 & 2 | Arnold Palmer |
| Brian Huggett | 1 up | Julius Boros |
| Neil Coles | 2 & 1 | Doug Sanders |
| Malcolm Gregson | 4 & 2 | Al Geiberger |
| Dave Thomas | halved | Gene Littler |
| Bernard Hunt | halved | Bobby Nichols |
| 3 | Session | 5 |
| 6 | Overall | 18 |
Afternoon singles
[edit]| | Results | |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Huggett | 5 & 3 | Arnold Palmer |
| Peter Alliss | 2 & 1 | Gay Brewer |
| Tony Jacklin | 3 & 2 | Gardner Dickinson |
| Christy O'Connor | 3 & 2 | Bobby Nichols |
| George Will | 3 & 1 | Johnny Pott |
| Malcolm Gregson | 2 & 1 | Al Geiberger |
| Bernard Hunt | halved | Julius Boros |
| Neil Coles | 2 & 1 | Doug Sanders |
| 21⁄2 | Session | 51⁄2 |
| 81⁄2 | Overall | 231⁄2 |
Individual player records
[edit]Each entry refers to the win–loss–half record of the player.
Source: [8]
United States
[edit]| Player | Points | Overall | Singles | Foursomes | Fourballs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julius Boros | 3 | 2–1–2 | 0–1–1 | 1–0–1 | 1–0–0 |
| Gay Brewer | 3 | 3–2–0 | 1–1–0 | 0–1–0 | 2–0–0 |
| Billy Casper | 4.5 | 4–0–1 | 1–0–0 | 1–0–1 | 2–0–0 |
| Gardner Dickinson | 5 | 5–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2–0–0 | 2–0–0 |
| Al Geiberger | 3.5 | 3–1–1 | 2–0–0 | 0–1–0 | 1–0–1 |
| Gene Littler | 2 | 1–1–2 | 0–0–1 | 0–1–0 | 1–0–1 |
| Bobby Nichols | 4.5 | 4–0–1 | 1–0–1 | 2–0–0 | 1–0–0 |
| Arnold Palmer | 5 | 5–0–0 | 2–0–0 | 2–0–0 | 1–0–0 |
| Johnny Pott | 4 | 4–0–0 | 1–0–0 | 2–0–0 | 1–0–0 |
| Doug Sanders | 2 | 2–3–0 | 0–2–0 | 0–1–0 | 2–0–0 |
Great Britain
[edit]| Player | Points | Overall | Singles | Foursomes | Fourballs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Alliss | 1 | 1–5–0 | 1–1–0 | 0–2–0 | 0–2–0 |
| Hugh Boyle | 0 | 0–3–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–1–0 |
| Neil Coles | 2 | 2–3–0 | 2–0–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–2–0 |
| Malcolm Gregson | 0 | 0–4–0 | 0–2–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–1–0 |
| Brian Huggett | 1.5 | 1–3–1 | 1–1–0 | 0–1–1 | 0–1–0 |
| Bernard Hunt | 1 | 0–3–2 | 0–0–2 | 0–1–0 | 0–2–0 |
| Tony Jacklin | 2.5 | 2–3–1 | 0–2–0 | 2–0–0 | 0–1–1 |
| Christy O'Connor | 0 | 0–4–0 | 0–1–0 | 0–2–0 | 0–1–0 |
| Dave Thomas | 3 | 2–1–2 | 0–0–1 | 2–0–0 | 0–1–1 |
| George Will | 0.5 | 0–4–1 | 0–1–0 | 0–1–1 | 0–2–0 |
Nicklaus absence
[edit]Despite having won his seventh major title as a professional at the U.S. Open in June, 27-year-old Jack Nicklaus was not a member of the U.S. team. At the time, a five-year apprenticeship as a professional was required before Ryder Cup points could be earned. Nicklaus turned pro in November 1961 and was granted tournament status at the end of that year.[12] He expedited his status by passing PGA business classes in February 1966, and was granted full membership that June.[13] Only then was he eligible to accumulate Ryder Cup points, which ended with the Masters in April. Captain's selections did not exist in 1967 and Nicklaus was in a slump following his win at the Masters in 1966;[14] entering the Masters in 1967 as the two-time defending champion, he was in 13th place in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings. Also just off the team were Dave Marr and Bob Goalby.[15] Nicklaus and Goalby missed the cut at Augusta and Marr's T-16 finish was not enough to pass Johnny Pott for the tenth and final spot on the team.[9] Pott was 4–0–0 in the competition.
The outmoded five-year rule had similarly kept Arnold Palmer off the teams in 1957 and 1959. Don January won the PGA Championship in 1967 in July, but was also at home; the only reigning major champion on either team in 1967 was Masters champion Gay Brewer.
Nicklaus competed in the Ryder Cup as a player from 1969 through 1981, missing only in 1979. He was the non-playing captain in 1983 and 1987.
References
[edit]- ^ Wright, Alfred (October 30, 1967). "Ben and Arnie liven up the weekend". Sports Illustrated. p. 56.
- ^ "British swamped in Ryder Cup play". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. UPI. October 23, 1967. p. 4B.
- ^ "Palmer ace in Cup win, 23½ to 8½". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. October 23, 1967. p. 34.
- ^ "Ryder Cup 2006 » History » 1967 Results". The PGA of America. Archived from the original on October 22, 2006. Retrieved March 15, 2007.
- ^ "Hogan named Ryder captain". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Florida. Associated Press. May 25, 1967. p. 20.
- ^ "Hogan elects small ball for Ryder Cup matches". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. October 2, 1967. p. 29.
- ^ "October date for Ryder Cup contest". Glasgow Herald. April 6, 1966. p. 7.
- ^ a b "2016 Ryder Cup Media Guide" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ^ a b "Five newcomers chosen for Ryder Cup team". Miami News. Associated Press. April 13, 1967. p. 3B.
- ^ "Butler favoured to win Schweppes tournament". Glasgow Herald. April 28, 1966. p. 13.
- ^ "Will wins Ryder Cup place". Glasgow Herald. July 17, 1967. p. 4.
- ^ "Nicklaus must return to school to qualify for Ryder Cup team". Montreal Gazette. Associated Press. December 18, 1965. p. 38.
- ^ Auclair, T.J. (June 1, 2016). "Jack Nicklaus celebrates 50 years of PGA Membership". PGA of America. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ "Big Nick may miss action on Cup team". Times-News. Hendersonville, North Carolina. UPI. March 29, 1967. p. 8.
- ^ "Ryder spot is elusive for Nicklaus". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. March 28, 1967. p. 12.
External links
[edit]- PGA of America: 1967 Ryder Cup Archived December 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- About.com: 1967 Ryder Cup Archived January 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
- Champions Golf Club – official site