Editing Ryder Cup (section)

==Inclusion of continental European golfers==
The most significant change to the Ryder Cup has been the inclusion of continental European golfers since 1979. Up until [[1977 Ryder Cup|1977]], the matches featured teams representing the United States and Great Britain and Ireland. From 1979 players from continental Europe have been eligible to join what is now known as Team Europe. The change to include continental Europeans arose from discussion in 1977 between [[Jack Nicklaus]] and [[Edward Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby]], who was serving as the President of the [[Professional Golfers' Association (Great Britain and Ireland)|Professional Golfers' Association]]; it was suggested by Nicklaus as a means to make the matches more competitive, since the Americans almost always won, often by lopsided margins.<ref>{{cite book |title=Jack Nicklaus: My Story |first1=Jack |last1=Nicklaus |first2=Ken |last2=Bowden}}</ref> From the resumption of competition in 1947 through 1977, Great Britain and Ireland had only managed one win and one tie.

The change worked, as the contests soon became much more competitive, with talented young Europeans such as [[Seve Ballesteros]] and [[Bernhard Langer]] bolstering the European side. The present-day popularity of the Ryder Cup, which now generates enormous media attention, can be said to date from that change in eligibility. As of 2023, per International Golf Federation standards, golfers from fifty countries are eligible to compete for Europe at the Ryder Cup.<ref>https://igfgolf.org/pdf/paris-2024/igf-policies-charters-december-2023.pdf</ref>