Ryder Cup Partnerships: The Records Behind Three Historic Pairings
Ballesteros and Olazábal earned 12 points together; Palmer and Dickinson won five of five, while Molinari and Fleetwood swept four matches in 2018.
The Ryder Cup's partner sessions have produced some of its most successful combinations. Three pairings illustrate different kinds of success: a long-running partnership, a perfect record across two editions and a four-match sweep in one week.
| Pairing | Editions together | Wins–losses–ties | Team points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seve Ballesteros and José María Olazábal | 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993 | 11–2–2 | 12 |
| Arnold Palmer and Gardner Dickinson | 1967, 1971 | 5–0–0 | 5 |
| Francesco Molinari and Tommy Fleetwood | 2018 | 4–0–0 | 4 |
Ballesteros and Olazábal played 15 matches together. Their 12 points remain the European partnership record. Palmer and Dickinson won every one of their five matches, making them a particularly successful American pairing.
Molinari and Fleetwood's Paris week earned them the nickname “Moliwood.” They became the first European partnership to win four matches at a single Ryder Cup, taking both foursomes and both four-ball matches.
The Ryder Cup's partnership records and Golf Monthly's historical review cover these combinations. A partnership win contributes one point to the team; a tied match contributes half a point.
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