The 2006 Ryder Cup kicked off on Friday at the K Club in County Kildare, Ireland. Paul doesn’t much follow golf, and he doesn’t post on weekends anyway, so I’m gonna cover the Ryder today and tomorrow. Open threads will run the same as usual for Saturday and Sunday, they’ll just be located underneath the Ryder posts.
I know some of you don’t consider what the teams wear “uniforms” in the traditional sense, since they don’t have numbers and it isn’t exactly a fast-moving contact sport. But for the sake of this post we’re going to call them uniforms. Ryder Cup teams actually have a long history of uniforms, although they didn’t match quite as much as they do today. The earliest example I could find was this picture of the American team on top of the Savoy Hotel in London in 1929 Cup (the second Ryder Cup). During the early Cups, the two teams generally wore matching suits at photo shoots, like in this 1935 picture, but their golf course attire didn’t match exactly (additional photo here).
The Ryder Cup was cancelled from 1939-1945 during World War II, but it resumed in 1947. Interesting piece of transportational history in the span of four years: In 1949, the American team boarded the SS Queen Elizabeth (that’s Sam Snead second from left, and Ben Hogan fifth from left) and four years later they made the transcontinental trip by plane, always in full uniform.
More Team Photos:
- Team USA, 1955 at Thunderbird Golf and Country Club in California.
- Team USA, 1961 at Royal Lytham in England (Arnold Palmer third from left).
- Team USA, 1965 at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in England.
- Team USA, 1973 at Muirfield in Scotland (Palmer, Nicklaus, and Trevino).
- Team USA, a few ugly sportcoats in 1979 at the Greenbrier in West Virginia.
- Team USA, 1981 at Walton Heath Golf Club in England.
- Team USA’s slow-motion train wreck in 1983 at PGA National in Florida.
- Team Europe, 1985 at the Belfry in England.
- Team USA, 1985 at the Belfry in England.
- Team USA, 1987 at Muirfield Village in Ohio.
- Team USA, 1989 at the Belfry in England.
The golf course uniforms did not originally have the Ryder Cup logo. The United States team appears to have added it in 1963, as shown here on Arnold Palmer (who wasn’t wearing it in 1961). Irish golfer Christy O’Connor was sporting a logo in 1965 and Englishman Eric Brown wore one in 1957, but it’s difficult to tell whether those are Ryder Cup logos or an English team logo. If anyone has further information on this, please let us know.
With a few exceptions, the United States team has been wearing blue or red since the advent of color photography. Here’s Jack Nicklaus pulling off the blue plaid pants in 1973 and Tom Watson showing off the baby blue in 1981. Paul Azinger is sporting the red vest in 1991. Here’s Payne Stewart (God rest his soul) in ‘93 with navy pants, and this is the entire team in navy pants after the victory (note the Ryder Cup on the sweaters). The Europeans don’t have team colors and pretty much wear every color on the spectrum, since they represent an entire continent. (The European team was English-only until 1973, when they added the Irish, and then expanded to include all of Europe in 1979.) They’ve worn brown, red, pink, light blue, yellow, baby blue, salmon, and navy blue just to name a few colors.
Here’s some recent Ryder Cup uni history:
1997 – Valderamma, Spain
- Colin Montgomerie (EU) on Friday without vest.
- Jose Maria Olazabal (EU) on Friday with vest.
- Fred Couples (US) on Friday without vest.
- Tiger Woods (US) on Friday with vest.
- Europeans Colin Montgomerie and Darren Clarke on Saturday.
- Jose Maria Olazabal (EU) in sweater on Saturday.
- Scott Hoch (US) on Saturday without vest.
- Tiger Woods (US) on Saturday with vest.
- European Team on Sunday.
- Fred Couples (US) on Sunday.
1999 – The Country Club, Brookline, Massachusetts
- Europeans Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood on Friday.
- Americans Tiger Woods and David Duval on Friday.
- Europeans Miguel Angel Jiminez and Padraig Harrington on Saturday.
- Americans Hal Sutton and Jeff Maggert on Saturday.
- Europeans on Sunday.
- Americans on Sunday.
2002 – The Belfrey, England
- Europeans Darren Clarke and Thomas Bjorn on Friday.
- Europeans Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood on Friday.
- Americans Jim Furyk and Scott Hoch on Friday.
- Tiger Woods (US) on Friday.
- Jesper Parnevik (EU) on Satuday.
- Europeans Colin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington on Saturday.
- Europeans Paul McGinley and Darren Clarke on Saturday.
- Americans Jim Furyk and Scott Hoch on Saturday.
- David Duval (US) on Saturday.
- Tiger Woods (US) on Saturday.
- Sam Torrance (EU) on Sunday.
- Colin Montgomerie (EU) on Sunday.
- David Duval (US) on Sunday.
- Paul McGinley (EU) wishing for Nike Dri-fit unis after the win.
2004 – Oakland Hills, Michigan
- US and EU Teams Thursday Opening Ceremony.
- Colin Montgomerie (EU) on Friday.
- Europeans Paul McGinley and Luke Donald on Friday.
- Tiger Woods (US) on Friday.
- Davis Love III (US) on Friday.
- Sergio Garcia (EU) on Saturday.
- Paul Casey (EU) on Saturday.
- Jay Haas (US) on Saturday.
- Woods and Riley (US) on Saturday.
- Sergio Garcia (EU) on Sunday.
- Lee Westwood (EU) on Sunday.
- Colin Montgomerie (EU) on Sunday.
- Team Europe after the Ryder Cup victory.
- Tiger Woods (US) on Sunday.
And here’s what been happening in the 2006 Ryder:
Wednesday: The Europeans used Wednesday’s practice session to break out the teal sweaters, while the American squad wore navy rain jackets. Later on, the Americans wore classic black tuxedos (additional photo here) and the Euros wore matching white tuxedos (more photos here and here) to the Ryder Cup Gala Dinner at Citywest Hotel and Golf Resort in Dublin. Many of the American wives wore red dresses (more photos here and here).
Thursday: The practice sessions on Thursday saw the Americans in brown vests with flags located on the upper back. The Europeans wore blue striped polos for the morning practice. Team photos were next on the schedule, with the Euros wearing the same blue polos for one and navy jackets with yellow racing stripes for the other. The Americans wore the same brown vests as they had been wearing earlier.
Opening ceremonies began later in the afternoon as both teams walked out together. The U.S. team sported navy sportcoats and the Europeans went with green. Much has been made about the Europeans’ choice of color, but my belief is that they wanted to pay homage to Ireland (hosting for the first time) without stepping on any toes.
The WaGs (wives and girlfriends) are definitely having fun this week. The girls have been wearing matching outfits the last few years, as seen here in 1997, 2002 and 2004. This year the American women wore these outfits for the opening ceremony, while the European women wore these. Let’s just hope they didn’t walk on any greens.
Friday: The morning matches began with the Americans wearing argyle sweater vests and gray polos underneath. Most of the Americans went vest-free for the afternoon matches. The European team started the day with green sweater vests, but some of them went long-sleeve only. Most switched to brown for the afternoon matches.
The WaGs were in uniform as well, with the American girls wearing these outfits (more photos here and here) and taking a cue from their husbands by switching it up for the afternoon. The European women wore this on Friday.
Saturday: Saturday’s matches started out with a little confusion, as it was difficult to tell the difference between the US and European unis without looking closely. Perhaps they should adopt a “home team picks unis first” policy for future Cups. The rain brought out the jackets and the Euros seem to be a step ahead of the Americans in fashion as well as performance on the course. The American Rain Jackets are a little dull compared to the sharp looking European ones (here’s another view). Afternoon matches saw a change to light purple for the European squad, while the US stuck with the unis from the morning. Check out the detail on the European players’ pants.
The WaGs were at it again on Saturday. Here’s a good picture of Sergio Garcia’s girlfriend sitting with Luke Donald’s girlfriend. Paul Casey’s girlfriend is matching as well. The American girls were in all black, probably to match the mood.
You have to think the Ryder Cup will return to Ireland in the near future after views like this.
Sunday: The final day of the competition and the format was singles matches. It was raining early, which brought out the first short-sleeve rain jackets. Stewart Cink wore the American version and Sergio Garcia was in the Euro version (additional views here and here). Some of the European team wore red vests and some went with the light pink shirt on its own (more photos here and here). This is the European long-sleeve version. This European is not in uniform. Photographic evidence supports that the United States did in fact show up, just not on the scoreboard. Most of the Americans wore red striped shirts with navy vests. Some Americans went without the vests, the long-sleeve version is here. It didn’t seem to matter what they wore this weekend, as the results were usually the same.
Fantastic performance by Darren Clarke, who recently lost his wife to cancer and went undefeated (3-0-0). Truly a class act and one of golf’s great gentlemen. Heartfelt congratulations to him.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this long entry, and congrats to European Team who thoroughly dominated the U.S all weekend.
#1 by Max Dugan on 09.23.06 6:18 am |
1983
I remember it like it was only about 23 years ago.
I don’t remember seeing ANYTHING like those Ryder Cup Jackets.
Did the world as I knew it end that year, and I’m living in an alternate universe?
BTW, plaid only looks good in kilts, scarves, and doggy sweaters.
#2 by thnom on 09.23.06 6:38 am |
Those american women don’t have a fucking clue what to where – every photo the Europeans look better than the US.
PS – this live Preview is pretty nifty ;)
#3 by caknuck on 09.23.06 6:52 am |
Who’s the Euro-wife in the aviator glasses? Yum.
#4 by Miguel on 09.23.06 8:36 am |
I would rock the 1983 outfit today.
But only if I could wear Tom Kite’s Cazals.
#5 by Andrew F. on 09.23.06 9:23 am |
Yeah, we definitely need some more in depth analysis of the WaGs unis, or whatever it is they’re wearing…
#6 by Buckeye Mike on 09.23.06 9:47 am |
Andrew F. said:
Or, for Tiger’s friends in the newspaper, What they are not wearing either way, I am willing to examine them more in depth!
#7 by Rick on 09.23.06 10:01 am |
I love the different Ryder cup outfits!
Is Stewart Cink wearing an approved undershirt (Logo Creep)?
#8 by Paul Lukas on 09.23.06 10:05 am |
Everyone please join me in thanking and congratulating John for doing such a fantastic job with today’s post.
Some quick background: Yesterday morning John suggested that I do some Ryder coverage. I said, “Not really my strong suit. You wanna do it?” He said he’d think about it, and later in the day he said, “Yeah, I’ll do it for tomorrow.” So he whipped up this amazing post, full of great historical info, in less than a day. I think we can all agree that he did a dynamite job.
And now that I know how good he is at this, he’s definitely gonna have to do it more often.
#9 by viggs14@yahoo.com on 09.23.06 10:21 am |
Fantastic post, EK, definatly should do it more often.
#10 by Wayne on 09.23.06 11:07 am |
I’m with Paul on not really following golf. I’d rather just play it. I do have to give props to John though for a very detailed post.
#11 by Minna H on 09.23.06 11:26 am |
Thumbs way up to Ek! I knew you had done today’s entry as soon as I saw it—fantastic job. I really like the similar-but-not-quite-matching look. Team USA should go with that again. Now, I’m off to watch a bit of the Ryder Cup myself.
#12 by John Ekdahl on 09.23.06 11:45 am |
Thanks everyone.
Just a note: I’ll be updating the day’s events after the NBC coverage is over and not after the matches themselves (it’s on tape delay).
I don’t want to spoil anything.
#13 by Jason on 09.23.06 11:59 am |
Fantastic post. Kudos. Does anyone know if these uniform shirts are ever available for sale? The players shirts always look so much better than the stuff offered at the PGA website. Of course that’s probably by design too.
#14 by Raul on 09.23.06 12:10 pm |
Maybe next weekend we can have a full days discussion about who was best and worst dressed at the Oscar’s, or what the Spice girls look like without makeup, or how to stuff a bra without getting caught.
#15 by Mike from Queens on 09.23.06 12:48 pm |
John Ekdahl said:
“Much has been made about the Europeans’ choice of color, but my belief is that they wanted to pay homage to Ireland (hosting for the first time) without stepping on any toes.”
I suppose I can see this, but the color they chose isn’t even close to representing Ireland. That htwould be like representing the Packers with those colors. Nay, I say it’s worse! Ireland’s association with green trumps even the Masters jackets. It’s a whole damn country with millions of people and a history of slavery, diaspora, and violence, not a 70 year old sporting event.
Has the branding and economics in sports gotten to the point where a country’s history and identity comes second to a jacket? I’m getting angrier as I think about it (supposing that the color really is in deference to the Masters). If the change is because of the Masters, then even the color they chose could have been more representative. Sergio’s vest here isn’t close to the Masters jacket, but is actually more like Ireland’s actual green (image taken from http://www.irlgov.ie...). What’s wrong with them wearing that color to represent Ireland?
Having said all that, if the color they chose isn’t to represent Ireland then my argument is moot.
#16 by John Ekdahl on 09.23.06 12:54 pm |
The green jacket is the Masters in the golf world. Golfers don’t wear green jackets unless they’ve won it. That’s why I think they stayed away from it.
Secondly, the green on the flag isn’t the only green that can represent Ireland. Any and all greens are acceptable. Think St. Patty’s Day. You don’t try to match the shade of green you wear to the flag, any shade will do.
#17 by Pat McDermott on 09.23.06 1:18 pm |
I hate Nike’s new sleeve pattern as much as anyone else, but what does everyone think about these beauties?
#18 by Jim on 09.23.06 1:31 pm |
Great post on the Ryder Cup. I almost feel bad to make an off-topic obseration.
…almost….
I’m watching the Harvard Brown game right now, and I notice some inconsistency between Harvard’s uniforms. Some players are wearing enlarged versions of the sleeve numbers for their jersey numbers, and others use a standard varsity block font. It’s really noticeable when you see players #33 and #8 stand next to player #83…the numbers are obviously different.
I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the girth of the player wearing the numbers.
…back to golf
#19 by Terry Mark on 09.23.06 2:01 pm |
John, that was an excellent post. Thank you.
Someone in Friday’s thread (I believe it was Minna H — if not, I’m sorry) questioned why golfers need to wear uniforms as golf is an individual sport.
I replied in that thread, but I’ll repeat it here: The Ryder Cup is a team competition and golf is a sport, much like track or wrestling are a series of individual competitions in a team context.
Secondly, as a spectator, it’s helpful to just look at the screen and know who’s playing the shot. That’s why the Saturday morning outfits by both teams are so disappointing.
Taken on their own, the European and U.S. outfits look excellent, but they’re both wearing the same shade of blue with navy (or maybe black) pants. The only difference is that the Euros are in stripes and the Americans are in solid blue.
I like the Euros rain jackets but no Americans put one on that I noticed. Preference, or are they that ugly no one wants to get it out of the bag?
Anyway, I’m looking forward to more of John’s posts.
#20 by Terry Mark on 09.23.06 2:04 pm |
Just to expand on my previous post, I meant to say that track and wrestling, in settings like college, are a series of individual competitions in a team context.
#21 by Terry Mark on 09.23.06 2:10 pm |
Sorry for hogging this thread. This is my last comment of the day — swear!
My vote for the all-time worst Ryder Cup uniform is the Americans’ Sunday outfits at Brookline. Burgundy was a good color choice, but a series of pictures on it? That might be the all-time worst uniform in any sport, right up there with the Oregon ‘06 football uniforms.
Hello, Nike!
#22 by John Ekdahl on 09.23.06 2:23 pm |
Terry Mark said:
You’re absolutely right. Horrible choice and it’s a shame because the played so beautifully in them.
#23 by Mario on 09.23.06 2:26 pm |
I’ve got say that this was a very good post. I myself am not that great of a golf fan, so i really didn;t know that much about what they wore. The article was great and had alot of info. in it.
On another note, does anyone know where i can get any old school style of socks with the striping on them? I need some with green stripes. anything will help.
#24 by Mr. Met on 09.23.06 3:00 pm |
Lastings Milledge has gone to the pajama pants look. Ugh…
#25 by Matt on 09.23.06 3:42 pm |
I can’t tell if all the Europeans are sporting this look, but several of the players have snappy tuxedo striping on the legs and subtle piping on the back pocket flaps. Pretty nifty.
#26 by Josh W. on 09.23.06 4:58 pm |
From the opening video on adidasbasketball.com, it looks like there’s gonna be a lot of logo creep in the upcoming NBA sesaon.
P.S. John, i really like the new preview feature. It makes me less stressed that I’m gonna mess up the links. Speaking of which, i like the new linking method too. Nice work.
#27 by John Ekdahl on 09.23.06 6:39 pm |
The Saturday Update is now up.
#28 by Minna H on 09.23.06 7:29 pm |
Terry Mark, it wasn’t me. I think the Ryder Cup is a team sport, but I wouldn’t mind if the USA went to non-matching-but-in-the-same-family unis as Ek noted has been done in previous Ryder Cups.
I disagree about the maroon unis being the worst ever. They’re not the best, but they add a little necessary oomph to an otherwise bland array of unis.
I really liked what both teams were wearing this morning, but I agree that it was too hard to differentiate between them.
On a totally different note, Antonio Pittman of Ohio State (#25) had his jersey untucked, thus allowing a Penn State defensive member to pull on said jersey and stopping Pittman from getting a first down. It’s yet another reason that players should tuck in their damn jerseys.
Keep up the great work, Ek, you da man!
#29 by Matt on 09.23.06 7:49 pm |
It was me who originally questioned the need for unis…and I never questioned that they were in fact unis.
Maybe I missed something, but the only logo creep I ever saw was on the black Nike undersleeves the guys wore when it was raining. I’m willing to bet they were off-the-rack gear, not team-issued.
#30 by Mike from Queens on 09.23.06 8:31 pm |
Mr. Met said:
Yeah, but he was 2-5 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored. And each of those RBIs came on separate hits. Twice he came up big. I’ll take those numbers over socks any day.
Paul… what’s your take on something like that? For a player on the team you root for: you’d like to see the player do well while looking sharp, but, if you had to choose, you’d take the production, right?
And Ek, I saw your response almost immediately this afternoon, and I wrote up a long response that I scrapped so I wouldn’t clog the board with potentially non-uni material. But, after thinking about it all day, I still disagree. And I think this is uni-related, as it pertains to color choice. If any green goes for Ireland, then any green should go for the Masters—meaning you’d have to avoid green altogether. And, if any green didn’t go for the Masters, then they could have come up with something more representative than some weak seafoam shit. Plus, your reference to St. Patrick’s Day isn’t exactly convincing. It’s an American “holiday” that honors Irish heritage, and it’s become an excuse to get wasted and party—I don’t think that day can represent anything regarding true Irish pride. You ask any Irishman whether or not that color on those Euro jackets is a suitable representative for Ireland’s tricolor green, and they’ll slap you and your mother.
#31 by Nolan on 09.23.06 8:34 pm |
Minna H said:
That is funny because when OSU got the new jerseys (aside from the near riot over the stripes) they talked a lot about how tight they would be. With less draping fabric for defenders to grab on to.
Great Ryder Cup history, keep up the great work. Oh, and hold on to the thought that the good ole americans can pull it out tomorrow.
#32 by Brinke Guthrie on 09.23.06 8:45 pm |
Golf/Ryder Cup= ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
PS why is it each time I have clicked on the comments link today, my screen freezes?
#33 by Colin Morton on 09.23.06 9:55 pm |
And here I thought John was referring to this when he talked of “[not] stepping on any toes”.
#34 by Larry Coode on 09.23.06 10:41 pm |
Okay, I think I’ve finally stopped puking.
This whole Ryder Cup mania, especially the “uniforms”, just reinforces Al Czervik’s “crummy snobatorium” comment from “Caddyshack”. I am, however, glad to see the wives are uniform in their support of the boys…umm, I mean their country/continent…
Wait, gotta go…starting to puke again……
#35 by Shane on 09.23.06 10:54 pm |
What would a discussion of golf fashion be without Payne Stewart? Well done, Ek.
#36 by Paul Lukas on 09.23.06 11:24 pm |
Mike from Queens said:
Of course I’ll take the production. But that’s like asking if I’d rather see the Mets win in black jerseys or lose in pinstripes. Duh, of course I want them to win, but that’s not the point of this web site. The point is, whatever a player does on the field, I want him to look a certain way while he’s doing it.
#37 by Minna H on 09.24.06 1:51 am |
The only problem with the preview area is that I try to correct my text directly in that area, resulting in me losing all my text.
Anyway, I hate bugging you, Ek, after you’ve worked so hard on the Ryder Cup, but when are the gravatars going up? I just want to know if I should start saving for that pink replica shirt.
#38 by Sammy on 09.24.06 10:09 am |
Nice job on this post, John. I think you need a few more visual demonstrations of the W and G uniforms, though.
Also, Penn State’s running back had major pants rippage in the hip area during the fourth quarter of yesterday’s game. They pointed it out on ABC. Does anybody have any pictures/screen shots?
#39 by Anthony on 09.24.06 12:54 pm |
Great post. However, I have to disagree with you on the European’s saturday rain jackets. I think they look ridiculous with the multiple colors and the strange under arm design. The USA’s certainly are plain, but I find them more appropriate for golf.
Which brings me to another point. All these ‘uniform’ changes for the morning and afternoon and day by day are a little out of hand. Maybe if the USA wasn’t so concerned about multiple costume changes they would have more time to play golf and stop getting their butts whooped
#40 by John Ekdahl on 09.24.06 1:27 pm |
Sunday update is now up. Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to read this long post.
Anthony said:
Actually, the Europeans changed more often than the U.S. did, but I get what you’re saying.
#41 by Gibby on 09.24.06 2:02 pm |
Interesting find today Paul and Ek. I was scrolling down on this page, only to find that the bottom bar (where the copyright information in located) of this website is very much black. I agree with and appreciate your campaign against the black, and the changes should start right here.
#42 by Chuck Ryals on 09.24.06 2:11 pm |
the Minnesota Vikings new eye swimming unis remind me of grape “bomb pop” Popsicles and Turkish Taffy candy of my youth!
#43 by Joe on 09.24.06 5:32 pm |
How can you like the euros rain jackets, Yellow shoulder stripes with blue underarm gussets? I thought we hated that here at Uniwatch?
#44 by Jill on 09.24.06 5:49 pm |
Is it just me or do the NFL refs stripes look brown? Not all of them, just a select few. It seems like the color has faded. Maybe its just me and my subpar television set.
#45 by Terry Mark on 09.24.06 7:41 pm |
Maybe the Americans should forget any semblance of a team concept, as it seems completely foreign to them. They might play better if they’re told they don’t need to win, just finish in the top 20 for a big payday.
Any way you cut it, the Europeans are a gutsy bunch who rise to the occasion. They made a ridiculous amount of chip-ins and long putts. In the first two days, it seemed every time a Euro made a bad shot, a teammate was there to pick him up.
As far as unis, I’d say the Americans won the fashion battle by a margin smaller than the actual result. The Euros played well enough to make any shirt/vest combo look good.
#46 by Matt on 09.24.06 10:09 pm |
Maybe Team USA lost because they knew they couldn’t pull-off the celebratory pink blazers?
#47 by Mike from Queens on 09.24.06 10:14 pm |
The New York Mets have a new AAA team: the New Orleans Zephyrs. Some of these photos may be outdated, but if nothing else, this will provide a brief uni-history for them.
Here’s one uni. Here’s a nice shot of that ugly pant stripe. This is one of their logos. This would be another one. This is their alternate cap. Alternate uni top (from 2003 at least). Home whites for 2007? Is this the game helmet? And a t-shirt for BP? Yikes. This is them with white hats, but I couldn’t confirm that they wore them during the game.
That’s about all I’m willing to look up now.