Ryder Cup 13–1 victory for the British team (1 match was halved). The American point was won by Bill Mehlhorn with Emmet French being all square. Medals were presented to the players by the American ambassador Alanson B. Houghton. The match was widely reported as being for the "Ryder Cup". However "Golf Illustrated" for 11 June states that because of uncertainty following the general strike in May, which led to uncertainty about how many Americans would be visiting Britain, Samuel Ryder had decided to withhold the cup for a year. It has also been suggested that because Walter Hagen chose the American
1981 Ryder Cup winner of the 1981 PGA Championship (which finished on August 9), provided he was not in the top 11, in which case the 12th player in the points list would qualify (Howard Twitty). With his victory in the PGA Championship, Larry Nelson gained the last slot. Nelson had finished 17th in the points list. Nelson qualified by virtue of winning the 1981 PGA Championship. "18 September 1981" "19 September 1981" "20 September 1981" Each entry refers to the Win–Loss–Half record of the player. Source: 1981 Ryder Cup The 24th Ryder Cup Matches were held 18–20 September 1981 at the Walton