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Donated by Samuel Ryder, the Ryder Cup is a golf trophy which is awarded every other year to the winning team in an event called the Ryder Cup Matches played between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is co-administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour and is contested every two years. The site alternates between courses in the United States and Europe. In 2010, the 38th Ryder Cup Matches are set to take place at the Celtic Manor Resort in City of Newport, Wales.

The 37th Ryder Cup Matches were held September 19-21, 2008 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Team USA won 16½ to 11½, ending the streak of three consecutive victories for Team Europe. This was Team USA's largest margin of victory since 1981 and the first time since 1979 the Americans held the lead after each session of play.

The Ryder Cup competition began following an exhibition match in 1926 between a team comprising American professionals against a similar one drawn from the British PGA on the East Course of the Wentworth Club in the United Kingdom. The first competition took place in 1927 at Worcester Country Club in Worcester, Massachusetts and ended with the United States defeating Great Britain by the score of 9½ to 2½.

Early Ryder Cup matches between the two sides were fairly even, but after World War II repeated U.S. dominance led to a decision to extend the representation of the British and Irish team to also include continental Europe in 1979. This change was partly prompted by the success of a new generation of Spanish golfers of the time, including Seve Ballesteros, who with Antonio Garrido became the first Spaniards to play in the event in 1979. Since then, Team Europe has included players from Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Sweden.

Following this change the event has enjoyed more competitive battles for the Ryder Cup, with Europe winning seven times and retaining the Cup in a tie once, while the Americans notched seven wins of their own during same span. Through 2008, the all-time record stands with the United States on top with 25 wins, 10 losses, and 2 ties, followed by Europe at 7-7-1, Great Britain 3-15-1, and Great Britain/Ireland with a 0-3-0 record.

The Ryder Cup Matches are always hotly contested and have not been without controversy over the years. The 1969 Cup, held at Royal Birkdale, was perhaps one of the best and most competitive contests in terms of play – 18 of 32 matches went to the last green – but was also marred by bitterness and gamesmanship between some players. In one of golf's most memorable moments of sportsmanship, Jack Nicklaus, playing in his first Ryder Cup competition, conceded a two-foot putt to Tony Jacklin after making a four-footer for par on the last green. The "gimme" was very generous as Jacklin was far from assured of making it, while Nicklaus had commented "I don't think you would have missed that putt, but in these circumstances, I would never give you the opportunity." The result was the first tie in Ryder Cup history (the U.S. retained the Cup), but some of Nicklaus' teammates were less than pleased, including captain Sam Snead.