Ryder Cup Rivals: The Fiercest Battles for Golf's Holy Grail

by Hank Gola

Veteran journalist and author Hank Gola takes readers on a tour of the most consequential clashes in the history of the biennial matches. Since the first meeting between the United States and Great Britain in 1927, the Ryder Cup has become the most passionate of golf' s professional events with the combatants playing for country rather than themselves. Gola brings readers inside the ropes and behind the scenes from the most memorable shots to the most momentous putts to the craftiest machinations and most contentious confrontations. He recalls iconic moments and figures including Walter Hagen and his gamesmanship, Dai Reese and Britain' s 1957 upset, Jack Nicklaus, Tony Jacklin and The Concession, Seve Ballesteros and the arrival of the Europeans, Bernhard Langer' s agony at the War at the Shore and Paul Azinger' s stunning captaincy at Valhalla.

484 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2025

About the author

Hank Gola has spent over four decades as a journalist, primarily covering professional football and golf for the New York Daily News and New York Post after starting his career at The Herald-News of Passaic, NJ, and the Daily Record of Morris County, NJ, where he covered the Cosmos of the North American Soccer League and the New York Giants of the National Football League.

A native of Garfield, NJ, Gola graduated with a BA in history from Montclair State College in 1976. He has previously authored two books, Hard Nose, (HBJ, 1987) with Jim Burt, the inside story of the Giants’ 1986 Super Bowl season and Tiger Woods, (Courage Books, 1998) an illustrated biography of the then-young superstar golfer.

Gola has collected several writing awards from the Golf Writers Association of America and was most recently named the 2018 recipient of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association's Lincoln Werden Award for golf journalism. He lives in Parsippany, N.J., with his wife, Lillian. He has two children, Henry and Julianne, and four grandchildren, Rose, Ruby, Elliot and Iris and a loyal pug, Freddie.

Reviews

[Michael Frasca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer:
Hank Gola and I were friends in high school. We still play golf together whenever I find myself back in New Jersey. I bought his book through Barnes and Noble. This review was unsolicited.

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Sports writer and historian Hank Gola explores the history of the Ryder Cup. Rather than writing a brief summary of each of the 44 previous matches, he chose the 13 events with historical significance when the tide and/or paradigm shifted.

Drawing from one hundred years of books, newspapers, magazines, and news services, Gola weaves together 13 short stories that are tied together by the unimposing shiny gold trophy donated by mail-order seed magnate Samuel Ryder.

Here are the 13 Ryder Cup stories covered in the book:

1927 (Worcester Country Club) - The first Ryder Cup
1937 (Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club) - A new generation of American golfers win on foreign soil
1947 (Portland Golf Club) - The Ryder Cup is saved by an Oregon supermarket businessman
1957 (Lindrick Golf Club) - Great Britain ends a streak of American wins
1969 (Royal Birkdale Golf Club) - Jack Nicklaus’s concession and Dave Hill’s conniptions.
1985 (The Belfry) - It’s Europe and not GBI. The domination begins.
1987 (Muirfield Village) - Seve
1991 (Kiawah Island Ocean Course) - The Americans seek revenge after losing 3 straight Ryder Cups
1997 (Valderrama Golf Club) - Seve again
1999 (The Country Club) - “Pay me.” American comeback in singles
2008 (Valhalla Golf Club) - Boo rides his horsey and Azinger cranks up the crowd
2012 (Medinah Country Club) - What word works best; choke, meltdown, or flop?
2016 (Hazeltine National Golf Club) - Ryder Cup Task Force for the win

Each stand alone story has its own unique settings, cast of characters, and plot. Perfect bedtime reading prior to this year’s Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black on September 25 to 28.

Remember, "What's past is prologue,” especially in the tempest of the Ryder Cup.

[Tom McKeown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished Hank Gola’s book, Ryder Cup Rivals, in time to watch this year’s 2025 Ryder Cup.  As a casual golfer but serious sports historian I loved the way Gola presented the competition and series of matches all the way from Samuel Ryder’s original vision, through World War II, and onto the eventual expansion of the British Team to an all European one.  I consumed his back stories of the great golfers who played and the narratives of the significant matches over the years like a fine wine.  I recommend this book to golfers, historians, or anyone who just loves sports.