Ryder Cup Ballesteros – had been guilty of excessive celebration and gamesmanship as far back as the 1985 Ryder Cup Matches, without attracting the same criticism from the European media. There was still considerable bad blood after the match, with some of the European players complaining about the behavior of the American galleries throughout the match. Sam Torrance branded it "disgusting", while European captain Mark James referred to it as a "bear pit" in a book recounting the event. There were also reports that a spectator spat at James' wife. Payne Stewart had conceded his singles match to Colin Montgomerie with both
2016 Ryder Cup picks are shown in yellow. Players written in italics qualified through the Ryder Cup World points list below. Two players qualifying through that list were not in the top 15, as they mainly played on the USPGA tour during the qualification process. The leading 15 players in the final Ryder Cup world point list were: Players in qualifying places are shown in green. Captain's picks are shown in yellow. Players written in italics qualified through the European points list above. Darren Clarke was named as the European captain on February 18, 2015. He was selected by a five-man selection panel