Ryder Cup 2021: Scores, format, how to watch in Australia

The Ryder Cup is upon us.

The biennial intercontinental tournament that pits the world's best male golfers from the USA and Europe against each other kicks off later this month and is always a must-watch.

Read below for all the details on the famous team event and how to watch it in Australia.

RYDER CUP SCORES

Team USA clinches the 2021 Ryder Cup after rookie Collin Morikawa secures the final half point to get to a 14.5-6.5 victory. It's the first time since 1979 and 1983 that Team USA won back-to-back home Ryder Cups after winning in 2016 at Hazeltine.

Heading into Sunday, the United States held the largest winning margin since 1975 with their 11-5 lead. It only took five singles matches on Sunday for Team USA to capture the win. Rory McIlroy won the first match of the day over Xander Schauffele, but Patrick Cantlay, Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau finished their strong performances shortly after. Scheffler started out as the only American underdog since he was up against the world No. 1 Jon Rahm, but he kept the lead the entire match, even being 4UP a few times.

Scheffler and Morikawa were the only two rookies who went undefeated in their Ryder Cup play, and they arguably had the two most important victories of the day. The young talent on the American side was too tough for the veteran European team.

Dustin Johnson made Ryder Cup history as he became the only player to go 5-0. As the oldest American teammate, this is quite the feat.

The team that wins the Ryder Cup will be the first to reach at least 14 1/2 points. Teams earn a single point for each match won, or they earn a half point in the case of a tie. There are 28 possible points, so should the two teams end with 14 points each, the team that previously won the Ryder Cup — Team Europe — will be claimed the champion.

LIVE: Follow scores, results from the 2021 Ryder Cup

Singles results

RYDER CUP TEE TIMES & PAIRINGS

SUNDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER - SINGLES TEE TIMES (AEST)

WHEN IS THE 2021 RYDER CUP?

The Ryder Cup was scheduled to take place last year but was postponed due to COVID-19. 

The rescheduled tournament will take place from Friday, 24 September 2021 and run through until Sunday, 26 September 2021.

WHERE IS THE 2021 RYDER CUP?

The 2021 Ryder Cup will be played at Wisconsin's Whistling Straits on the par 72 Straits course.

Whistling Straits hosted the 2015 PGA Championship, which was won by Australian Jason Day.

HOW TO WATCH THE 2021 RYDER CUP IN AUSTRALIA

Australian viewers can watch this year's Ryder Cup through Kayo and Foxtel.

Kayo  subscribers  can watch the event live and on-demand, while it will be limited to  Foxtel  users with the sports pack, who will only be able to watch the event live.

Want to watch every shot of this year's Ryder Cup live? You can with Kayo subscription, starting at $25 a month.

2021 RYDER CUP TV SCHEDULE

WHAT IS THE RYDER CUP? 

The Ryder Cup is a men's golf tournament held every two years that is contested between Europe and the United States.

Filled with history, it's considered one of the biggest events on the golfing calendar with the first Ryder Cup being contested between Great Britain and the United States before intercontinental Europe was introduced in 1979.

FORMAT

Each team consists of 12 players who playoff against each other in a match play format across four-ball, foursome and single disciplines over three action-packed days.

Throughout the tournament each team tries to accumulate points for winning holes, with the winner determined by who finishes with the most points on the Sunday.

Four ball sees two members from each team playing in a group where the best score at the end of each hole for each team is recorded. If lowest scores for each team are equal, the point on that respective hole is halved.

Foursomes see two members from each team playing one ball each, with players taking turns until the hole is complete. The team with the lowest score on each hole receives a point.

Singles  follows the same match play format and consists of individual players from each team facing off.

SCORING

28 matches are played across the entire tournament, with the winner in each earning one point. Whichever team has the balance of the 28 points at the end claims the Ryder Cup, and if scores are tied at 14-14, the previous winner retains the trophy.

WHAT ARE THE RYDER CUP TEAMS?

Each team is comprised of 12 members.

For Team USA, six golfers automatically qualified based on their performances from the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons, including majors and PGA Tour events. The remaining six players are selected by the team captains.

For Team Europe, nine golfers automatically qualify, while the three remaining spots are chosen from captain's picks.

Here are the playing lists from both teams.

WHO WON THE RYDER CUP LAST TIME?

Team Europe are the Ryder Cup holders having claimed a 17 ½ – 10 ½ win in the 2018 edition of the tournament at Le Golf National.

Team Europe has been a dominant force over the past decade, winning four of the last five Ryder Cup tournaments.

Since Team Europe was introduced in 1979, they've won 11 times while Team USA have won eight times, while in 1989 was the only time the two teams have tied.

2021 RYDER CUP BETTING ODDS

Odds courtesy of Sportsbet

RYDER CUP 2021 PRIZE MONEY

There has never been prize money for the Ryder Cup that goes directly to the players. Whichever team wins receives money to donate towards their charities of choice. Those donations then get put in each golfer's name. 

The exact purse amount hasn't been announced for this year, but in 2018, Team USA sent around  $2.85 million  to communities even though they lost. The biggest prize of the Ryder Cup is bragging rights for the next two years.

RYDER CUP PAST WINNERS

In the tournament's history, Team USA has captured 26 wins, while Team Europe only has 14. However, in the last 20 years, Team USA has only won twice (2008, 2016).