SAMUEL RYDER

This time the Americans were humiliated, losing by 13.5 to 1.5, with Mitchell beating Barnes 8&7 in the singles. Afterwards at Ryder’s party, a jubilant Duncan told the event’s benefactor it was a terrible shame the match was not an official contest. There was, after all, already one for British and American amateurs, the Walker Cup. Ryder immediately saw the potential, and today’s biennial contest was born.

Ryder provided a 17-inch gold cup designed by Mappin & Webb for £250 (add several zeros for the trophy’s current value). He said he wanted a golfer on the lid, and naturally that golfer should resemble his old pal Mitchell - who was due to be Britain’s captain for the inaugural edition of the event at the Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts on June 3, 1927.

Ryder’s verve to support the event saw him stump up £500 of his own money to ferry the eight British professionals across the Atlantic after an appeal fell £500 short, but sadly the European team were roundly beaten 9.5-2.5 by Walter Hagen’s ‘homebreds’.

While the British side had talked beforehand of a contest to “bind the two countries together”, there was in fact plenty of argie-bargie, with the visitors refusing to allow the US to replace an injured player and Hagen copping flack for revealing his team line-up so late. When asked how he had enjoyed his captaincy role, Sir Walter replied “never again” - ironically he went on to skipper the next five US sides.

Despite his financial contribution, Ryder missed that first spiky encounter because he was afraid of the six-day voyage and had to wait until the next meeting at Moortown near Leeds in 1929, before he could fully appreciate the success of his vision, made all the sweeter when George Duncan led the British team to victory 7-5.

Ryder’s greatest golfing moment, however, came when the contest next returned to Britain in 1933 (not just because the home side won again, 6.5-5.5). He was joined at Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club by the Prince of Wales, a gallery of 15,000 spectators, and the future of the Ryder Cup was assured. It also proved the last time that Samuel attended his own event - which was perhaps just as well since Britain did not win his cup again for 24 years.

By 1935 Ryder was seriously ill. He died on January 2, 1936, during a Christmas trip to the Langham Hotel in London, of a massive haemorrhage. He was buried in St Albans, along with his favourite mashie (5-iron) and left less than £30,000 in his will. An accompanying note from the great man explained that this was due to his numerous charitable donations in his life, when it was “of greater benefit to all concerned”.

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