10 Reasons The Ryder Cup Is Better Than the World Cup

published 30 September 2018

There is no other sporting event quite like it. Here are 10 Reasons The Ryder Cup Is Better Than the World Cup

There is no other sporting event quite like the Ryder Cup. Every two years it serves up drama that is guaranteed to leave you pumping your chest while sitting on the edge of your seat. Here are 10 reasons the Ryder Cup is Better than the World Cup:

1 Short & sharp

The 2018 World Cup started on June 14^th and finished on July 15^th. Towards the end of the tournament there are long gaps between games and the momentum is lost. Not so at the Ryder Cup. Three days drama from dawn ‘til dusk.

2 Pure Class

The lowest ranked player at the 2018 Ryder Cup was Thorbjorn Olesen with a world ranking of 45. At Le Golf National, we watched 24 of the best golfers on the planet. With thousands of players competing at the World Cup, it stands to reason that some of those might not be too good!

Where is the Ryder Cup in 2020?

3 Team Spirit

There is no bromance like a Ryder Cup bromance. Exhibit A? Moliwood.

4 No Injuries

Five minutes into match one and your country’s only world-class player breaks his leg. Your four-year World Cup odyssey is over. Unless your favourite player at the Ryder Cup falls over getting out of the bath, your chances of getting injured are virtually zero.

5 Spirit Of The Game

Golf is one of the few self-policing sports. As such, the honour of the players lies at the heart of the game. Football, with its ever-expanding group of divers and card-wavers, sits at the opposite end of sports moral spectrum.

Where is the Ryder Cup in 2022?

6 Silence

The tension created when 7,000 fans fall silent around a 10 yard square patch of grass is spine-tingling. Grenades of sound burst through that silence creating a sporting atmosphere like no other.

7 Anyone can beat anyone

The beauty of golf, not just the Ryder Cup, is that even the best player in the world tends not win more four or five tournaments a year. This relatively low winning percentage means that any player can easily beat any other on any given day. When every match can throw up an underdog winner, the excitement never fades. How many points did Tiger Woods win in Paris?

8 Tactics

One of the appeals of football is the simplicity but when it comes to winning football matches your tactical options are limited to a handful. At the Ryder Cup, there are a variety of different ways to find an edge. The captain needs to unearth his best pairings considering their personalities and their strengths and weaknesses, the opponents and the course.

9 No VAR

Enough said.

No such thing as 0-0

In football, a 0-0 draw is often a snooze-fest. A half in a golf match is the most exciting result. With both teams able to win it on the final green, the tension is unbearable.

In his current role, Neil is responsible for testing drivers and golf balls. Having been a part of the Golf Monthly team for over 15 years and playing off a handicap of 3, he has the experience to compare performance between models, brands and generations. For 2022 he thinks the main trend in drivers is: "In a word, consistency. Whilst all the brands are talking about ball speed (and the new drivers are certainly long), my biggest finding has been how much more consistent the ball flights are. Mishits don't seem to be causing the same level of drop-off or increase in the spin numbers. This means that more shots seem to be flying the way you want them to!" As far as golf balls are concerned the biggest development is in the, "three piece, non-Tour, urethane-covered section. For regular golfers, these models offer superb performance at both ends of the bag without denting your wallet quite as much as the premium Tour-played options."

Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he is now the brand's Digital Editor and covers everything from Tour player interviews to gear reviews. In his time at Golf Monthly, he has covered equipment launches that date back well over a decade. He clearly remembers the launch of the Callaway and Nike square drivers as well as the white TaylorMade driver families, such as the RocketBallz! If you take a look at the Golf Monthly YouTube channel, you'll see his equipment videos dating back over a decade! He has also conducted 'What's In The Bag' interviews with many of the game's best players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm. Over the years, Neil has tested a vast array of products in each category and at drastically different price-points.

Neil is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Fairway Wood: Titleist TSR2 Hybrid: Titleist TS3 Irons (4-9): Mizuno JPX 919 Forged Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 46˚, 50˚, 54˚, 60˚ Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Ten Ball: Titleist Pro V1X