Heritage and innovation - Sky Sports' proud Ryder Cup history

The Ryder Cup is extraordinary for many reasons. No other golfing event generates such passion.

For me however, perhaps what’s most remarkable about the Cup is that it brings together 24 of the world’s finest, most accomplished golfers to play for nothing more than honour.

In any fact sheet about the Ryder Cup, the box marked ‘Prize Money’ simply says “None”. Instead, the golfers who qualify or get picked for the US and European teams play their hearts out for their teammates, their fans, their countries, and their continents.

Exactly how this happens in such a high-profile sport can be hard to fathom, but it most surely stems from the gentlemanly history of the event - dating back to the 1920s when a group of American and British golfers first held these transatlantic matches.

The matches were unofficial at first, but after a St Albans seed merchant, Samuel Ryder, created a trophy in his own name, the first Ryder Cup took place in 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts. From then on the Ryder Cup became a biennial event, featuring the head-to-head format of match-play rather than the aggregate scoring of normal tournaments.

There have been many memorable moments along the way, some of them famous, and some of them legendary – such as in 1969 when, at the end of a bad-tempered affair at Royal Birkdale, it’s said that Jack Nicklaus restored dignity to the gentle game of golf. His opponent, England’s Tony Jacklin, was left with a short putt on the last hole needed by Great Britain & Ireland to draw the overall matches. Nicklaus picked up Jacklin’s ball and handed it to him, conceding the putt. He told Jacklin: “I knew you’d make it, but I wasn’t going to give you the chance of missing.”

This was a truly historic moment that we’re looking forward to discussing with Jack when he joins us in the Sky Sports studio on the final day at Medinah.

Since 1995, Sky Sports has been delivering live coverage of Ryder Cups in both Europe and America. We’ve infused this proud heritage with a spirit of innovation, seeking to bring the drama and action to life for viewers in a range of fresh and immersive ways.

In 1999, at Brookline, we used ‘red button’ technology to provide a US commentary option. In 2002, this was upgraded to give a total of six different options including match choice, live stats and leaderboards. In 2006 at the K Club in Ireland, we broadcast our first Ryder Cup in HD, and it was at Celtic Manor two years ago that we presented our first ever broadcast on the Sky 3D channel. And this year, for the first time, we’ll be beaming our 3D coverage - to be produced in partnership with Hollywood director James Cameron - back home to Britain and Ireland from across the Atlantic.

At each event we’ve improved the scale and quality of our coverage, helping develop the profile and popularity of the Ryder Cup. Sky’s role in supporting the game of golf is something we’re really passionate about, especially in Europe, where our partnership with the European Tour has given the tournament a platform to strengthen its schedule and attract long-term sponsors.

Given our history of presenting and encouraging engagement with golf, we’re proud to be a part of one of the most successful periods in for the sport in Europe and we’re really excited to be heading into this Cup with three of the top four players in the world heralding from the UK.

Throughout Sky Sports’ involvement, our ability to tell the stories of the Ryder Cup and find ways of letting the drama unfold in sequence right through to that big climax on a Sunday, is something that Sky Sports is itself now a pro at. This year’s event promises to be every bit as dramatic previous Ryder Cups. After all, it’s golf, but not as we know it.