The foundations of today’s Ryder Cup were laid as early as 1920, when the idea emerged on the American side to send a delegation of golfers to Great Britain well in advance of the 1921 British Open. The aim was to compete against British players in a preparatory match. Although the Americans clearly lost this encounter by 3–9, Jock Hutchison nevertheless succeeded in bringing the British Open title to the United States for the first time in history.

The Ryder Cup itself was officially staged for the first time in 1927. The tournament is named after the English seed merchant Samuel Ryder, who supported the idea of an annual international match as a sponsor in 1926. Due to organisational difficulties and disagreements, however, the first official edition was postponed to 1927.

Unlike most professional golf tournaments, the Ryder Cup is not played as stroke play, but in a match play format. Since 1979, the competition has been contested over three days (Friday to Sunday) with a total of 28 matches played over a maximum of 18 holes. On Friday and Saturday, four foursome and four fourball matches are played each day, while Sunday traditionally features the twelve singles matches.

The team captains determine the pairings for the fourball and foursome matches, as well as the order of play for both the team and singles matches. Neither side knows the line-up or order of the opposing team in advance. Each match win is worth one point, while a tied match awards half a point to each team. With a total of 28 matches, a team needs at least 14½ points to win the Ryder Cup. If the contest ends in a tie (14–14), the defending champion retains the trophy.

Although the Ryder Cup originally emerged from the desire to compare American and British golfers, the United States dominated the competition for long periods. Between 1935 and 1973, the British team managed only a single victory. In order to create a more balanced competition, players from Ireland were added to the team from 1973 onwards; since 1979, golfers from across Europe have competed against the USA. Since then, the balance of power has become far more even, even though the United States are often considered favourites.

Despite being a pure prestige event without traditional prize money, the Ryder Cup has developed into one of the most intense contests between golfing continents and a globally acclaimed sporting event. Unusually for the generally restrained sport of golf, emotions among players and spectators can run very high, which led to repeated debates about sportsmanship, particularly during the 1990s.

The Ryder Cup was not held between 1939 and 1945 due to the Second World War. In 2001, the match was postponed by one year following the terrorist attacks of 11 September. As a result, the Ryder Cup was played in even-numbered years until the 2020 edition at Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, was postponed to 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, the Ryder Cup has once again been staged in odd-numbered years.

Following the 2025 Ryder Cup in the United States of America (Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, New York), the next Ryder Cup will take place in Europe in 2027 at Adare Manor in Ireland.