Ryder Cup Icons Faldo, Woosnam, Lyle and Torrance to Play 40th Anniversary Match at The Belfry

Four of European golf’s most iconic Ryder Cup heroes will tee it up at The Belfry Hotel & Resort’s Brabazon Course on Tuesday 19th August for a special 40th anniversary match, revisiting the scene of the 1985 Ryder Cup where they helped Team Europe capture its first win in golf’s greatest team contest.

Four members of that famous 1985 European team – Sir Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Sam Torrance – will compete over five holes (10th, 11th, 16th, 17th and 18th) in a fourball Match Play format, with Faldo and Woosnam taking on Lyle and Torrance. Between them, that match boasts 32 Ryder Cup appearances and nine Major Championships.

Fans can watch the first of its kind event live on the Ryder Cup Europe YouTube channel and on international broadcast platforms, with on course commentary and interviews coming from Sky Sports Golf’s Josh Antmann and Wayne “Radar” Riley.

The 1985 Ryder Cup saw Team Europe win the match by a score of 161⁄2 to 111⁄2 points. This marked Europe's first victory as Team Europe, having competed as Great Britain and Ireland until 1977, and was the first loss for the United States since 1957. It was Sam Torrance who holed the winning putt, sinking a 22-foot putt on the 18th hole to defeat America’s Andy North and take the score to 141⁄2 to 81⁄2 – an unassailable six-point margin with five matches on the course.

The 40th anniversary match takes place at the start of the DP World Tour’s Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo, which takes place at The Belfry’s Brabazon Course from 21-24 August. The tournament is the first event in the “Back 9” – a collection of nine of the DP World Tour’s most iconic tournaments and national Opens – and is also the final event where players can earn points to secure automatic qualification into Team Europe for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage in New York next month.

“The 1985 Ryder Cup really marked a turning point in Ryder Cup history. For so long, it felt like an American victory was a foregone conclusion. But under the brilliant captaincy of Tony Jacklin, and with a crop of world-class European players emerging, we finally broke through and that win at The Belfry started a period of European dominance in the event,” said Sir Nick Faldo.

“Today, the Ryder Cup is known for being fiercely contested and 1985 was the start of that. It’s going to be great fun catching up with my old teammates, sharing old stories, and getting our competitive juices flowing. It’s also a brilliant way to kick start the Betfred British Masters, which I’m hosting for the third time. The tournament promises to have a strong Ryder Cup narrative running through it as the final qualifying event for players to earn their spot in the upcoming match at Bethpage Black.”