1931 Ryder Cup: USA wins at Scioto Country Club
USA won the 1931 Ryder Cup 9–3 over Great Britain at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, United States.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1931 in the Ryder Cup room, or every year on the Ryder Cup results list.
- Dates
- June 26, 1931 to June 27, 1931
- Course
- Scioto Country Club, Columbus, Ohio, United States
- Edition
- 3rd Ryder Cup
- Teams
- USA v Great Britain
- Result
- USA 9, Great Britain 3 · USA won by 6 points
- Points to win
- 6½ (holder retains with 6)
- USA captain
- Walter Hagen
- Great Britain captain
- Charles Whitcombe
- Holder after
- USA
Session 1: foursomes, June 26, 1931 (36 holes (all day))
Session: USA 3, Great Britain 1 · running score USA 3, Great Britain 1.
| Match | USA | Great Britain | Result | Point to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gene Sarazen and Johnny Farrell | Archie Compston and Bill Davies | 8 & 7 | USA |
| 2 | Walter Hagen and Denny Shute | George Duncan and Arthur Havers | 10 & 9 | USA |
| 3 | Leo Diegel and Al Espinosa | Abe Mitchell and Fred Robson | 3 & 1 | Great Britain |
| 4 | Billy Burke and Wiffy Cox | Syd Easterbrook and Ernest Whitcombe | 3 & 2 | USA |
Session 2: singles, June 27, 1931 (36 holes (all day))
Session: USA 6, Great Britain 2 · running score USA 9, Great Britain 3.
| Match | USA | Great Britain | Result | Point to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billy Burke | Archie Compston | 7 & 6 | USA |
| 2 | Gene Sarazen | Fred Robson | 7 & 6 | USA |
| 3 | Johnny Farrell | Bill Davies | 4 & 3 | Great Britain |
| 4 | Wiffy Cox | Abe Mitchell | 3 & 1 | USA |
| 5 | Walter Hagen | Charles Whitcombe | 4 & 3 | USA |
| 6 | Denny Shute | Bert Hodson | 8 & 6 | USA |
| 7 | Al Espinosa | Ernest Whitcombe | 2 & 1 | USA |
| 8 | Craig Wood | Arthur Havers | 4 & 3 | Great Britain |
USA team, 1931
| Player | Nationality | Rookie | W-L-H | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billy Burke | United States | yes | 2-0-0 | 2 |
| Wiffy Cox | United States | yes | 2-0-0 | 2 |
| Leo Diegel | United States | 0-1-0 | 0 | |
| Al Espinosa | United States | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Johnny Farrell | United States | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Walter Hagen | United States | 2-0-0 | 2 | |
| Gene Sarazen | United States | 2-0-0 | 2 | |
| Denny Shute | United States | yes | 2-0-0 | 2 |
| Horton Smith | United States | did not play | ||
| Craig Wood | United States | yes | 0-1-0 | 0 |
Great Britain team, 1931
| Player | Nationality | Rookie | W-L-H | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archie Compston | England | 0-2-0 | 0 | |
| Bill Davies | England | yes | 1-1-0 | 1 |
| George Duncan | Scotland | 0-1-0 | 0 | |
| Syd Easterbrook | England | yes | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| Arthur Havers | England | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Bert Hodson | Wales | yes | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| Abe Mitchell | England | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Fred Robson | England | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Charles Whitcombe | England | 0-1-0 | 0 | |
| Ernest Whitcombe | England | 0-2-0 | 0 |
What happened at the 1931 Ryder Cup
Walter Hagen and Denny Shute beat George Duncan and Arthur Havers 10 & 9 in foursomes, a record foursomes margin.
GB were weakened before sailing: Henry Cotton was withdrawn over the team-travel rule, and Percy Alliss and Aubrey Boomer were barred by the new born-and-resident rule.
How this was built
Every value is shown as recorded in GNN's Ryder Cup data. A value no source confirmed is left out; nothing is estimated. Where sources disagree, the organizer's own record is used.
Data: ryder-cup.csv (the Ryder Cup room's record), with every match and team sheet from GNN's Ryder Cup data.