Ryder Cup Captains 1979-Present

Jack Nicklaus, 1983
In 1983, Jack Nicklaus captained the U.S. team to a 14.5-13.5 victory at the PGA headquarters in Palm Beach Gardens. There was no intensity in Nicklaus’s preparations or his captaincy. It followed from his core belief, that the Ryder Cup is a nice golfing exhibition.

In 1987, Big Jack came back for a repeat performance, now with the stakes far higher. The U.S. was coming off a loss and the matches were played at Muirfield Village, Jack’s own course. Nicklaus went deep on course setup but still didn’t think it was his role to be the team cheerleader. Plus, Europe was too good. Your final: Europe 15, U.S. 13.