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In the early 1980s, there came a point where the Ryder Cup governing bodies had seemingly tried everything, but nothing worked. The matches weren't competitive, the U.S. players were losing interest, and the chief sponsor of the European team dropped out, leaving them with no money to continue. This, even more than the pause for the Second World War, saw the Ryder Cup on the thinnest possible ice, seemingly fated to die a sad death. This week on Local Knowledge, we're telling the story of the unlikely resurrection—how a collection of players, captains, and executives managed to keep it alive against the odds.
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"The time the Ryder Cup almost died" is an episode of 50 Things That Changed Golf. Runtime 30 min. Published September 16, 2025. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.