Editing Ryder Cup (section)

===Qualification and selection===
The selection process for the Ryder Cup players has varied over the years. In the early contests the teams were generally decided by a selection committee but later qualification based on performances was introduced. The current system by which most of the team is determined by performances with a small number of players selected by the captain (known as "[[Wild card (sports)|wild cards]]" or "captain's picks") gradually evolved and has been used by both sides since [[1989 Ryder Cup|1989]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://images.pgalinks.com/vmc/pressReleases/MG_2012_RyderCup.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://images.pgalinks.com/vmc/pressReleases/MG_2012_RyderCup.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=PGA Media Guide 2012 – How The Ryder Cup Teams Have Been Chosen |pages=21–22 |publisher=PGA |access-date=23 July 2012}}</ref>

For the [[2014 Ryder Cup]] both teams had 9 players qualifying based on performances with the remaining 3 players selected by the captain. For those players gaining automatic qualification the Europeans used a system, introduced in [[2004 Ryder Cup|2004]], using two tables; one using prize money won in official [[European Tour]] events and a second based on [[Official World Golf Ranking|World Ranking]] points gained anywhere in the world. Both tables used a 12-month qualifying period finishing at the end of August. The American system, introduced in [[2008 Ryder Cup|2008]], was based on prize money earned in official [[PGA Tour]] events during the current season and prize money earned in the [[Men's major golf championships|major championships]] in the previous season. The qualifying period ended after the [[PGA Championship]].

For the [[2016 Ryder Cup]] there were a number of changes from [[2014 Ryder Cup|2014]] in the American system. The number of captain's picks was increased from three to four with the selections being made later than previously, especially moving the fourth and last pick to less than a week before the Ryder Cup, right after the completion of the [[Tour Championship]]. The qualifying events now included both the 2015 [[World Golf Championships]] events and [[The Players Championship]], on top of the four major championships, but only included [[2016 PGA Tour]] events actually played in 2016, thus excluded any other event played in 2015. The qualifying period was also extended because the [[Golf at the 2016 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]] had moved the timeslot for the [[2016 PGA Championship]] which took place already at the end of July. Team Europe retained its old system of qualification and wild cards.