An English Entrepreneur and The Ryder Cup
Samuel Ryder made his fortune selling garden seeds for a penny, donated the Ryder Cup Trophy for £300.
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Hey Golfers -
The inaugural Ryder Cup was played on American soil in 1927, but its story started many years before.
In September of 1920, James Harnett of Golf Illustrated addressed a letter to George Sargent of Professional Golfers Association of America. The letter suggested an that American winning the British Open is highly unlikely when only one or two Americans participate. Mr. Harnett recommended sending a team of 12- 20 players to the British Open to compete.
Who was going to pay to send those Americans to the British Open? Golf Illustrated.
A few weeks later, the Professional Golfers Association America responded to Golf Illustrated.
We urge that all of our members, both as an Association and individually, do all in their power to to make this a huge sucess. You can depend on the officers of this association giving you every assistance possible.
It was on.
So, on May 24th of 1921, a team of 11 Americans boarded the RMS Aquitania Steamship and departed out of New York Harbor. They would be on the ship for nearly a week before arriving in England to participate in the British Open.
Then there was an idea; an exhibition match between America and Great Britain take place ahead of the British Open at the famous Gleneagles. It would be a one-day match, ten players a side. Great Britain dominated the match 9-3, with three matches being halved. The Herald dubbed it as The American Professional Challenge.
Even with the Americans getting beat badly in the exhibition match, Jock Hutchinson won the 1921 British Open, Tom Kerrigan finished third, and Walter Hagen finished fifth; all Americans.
Fast forward to 1926, Walter Hagen announced a team of ten Americans would compete against a team of ten from Great Britain before the British Open at Wentworth. Again, the British team dominated the American team. This time with a score of 13 -1, with one match halved.
This is where Samuel Ryder comes in. Mr. Ryder was allegedly donating a cup to the winning team after the match was played. Samuel Ryder withheld the cup for a variety of reasons until the 1927 match.
Who was this Samuel Ryder guy?
Born in 1858, Samuel Ryder was a man with many interests. He was an entrepreneur, politician, Sunday school teacher, golfer, golf promoter, and golf financer.
In the late 1800s, Samuel Ryder started selling garden seeds for 1 penny a pack out of his home; later, he moved the company to a 24,000 square foot facility. Ryder eventually generated a decent amount of wealth - enough money to finance several golf events and professionals.
Health and Heather Tournament
Health and Heather Matches
Ryle Memorial Medal Match
Ryder Cup
Abe Mitchell
Here is the crazy thing. Ryder didn’t begin playing golf until he was 50; he immediately became hooked. Samuel would become a single-digit handicap and was on the greens committee for a couple of decades at his local golf club.
Samuel Ryder went on to finance the British team in the 1927 Ryder Cup. He donated the Ryder Cup Trophy for the inaugural Ryder Cup in 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. The Cup cost £300, adjusted for inflation that is $26,500 today.
With the inaugural Ryder Cup set for 1927, Golf Illustrated launched a fund to raise £3,000 to fund British professionals to play in the U.S. Open and the Ryder Cup. Samuel Ryder ended up donating £400 to the fund, adjusted for inflation, which is $35,000 today.
Samuel Ryder’s financial commitment in today’s dollars to start the Ryder Cup: $61,500.
Samuel Ryder and James Harnett; two of the most critical people in originating the Ryder Cup - a Professional Golf Classic.
Enjoy the Ryder Cup.
Have yourself a Monday, talk to you next week!
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