1937 Ryder Cup: USA wins at Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club
USA won the 1937 Ryder Cup 8–4 over Great Britain at Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club in Southport, Merseyside, England.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1937 in the Ryder Cup room, or every year on the Ryder Cup results list.
- Dates
- 29 June 1937 to 30 June 1937
- Course
- Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, Southport, Merseyside, England
- Edition
- 6th Ryder Cup
- Teams
- USA v Great Britain
- Result
- USA 8, Great Britain 4 · USA won by 4 points
- Points to win
- 6½ (holder retains with 6)
- USA captain
- Walter Hagen
- Great Britain captain
- Charles Whitcombe
- Holder after
- USA
- Retaining point
- Gene Sarazen d. Percy Alliss 1 up (took USA to 6, retaining the Cup)
- Attendance
- about 12,000 (estimate, day not specified (host-club history))
Session 1: foursomes, 29 June 1937 (36 holes (all day))
Session: USA 2½, Great Britain 1½ · running score USA 2½, Great Britain 1½.
| Match | USA | Great Britain | Result | Point to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ed Dudley and Byron Nelson | Alf Padgham and Henry Cotton | 4 & 2 | USA |
| 2 | Ralph Guldahl and Tony Manero | Arthur Lacey and Bill Cox | 2 & 1 | USA |
| 3 | Gene Sarazen and Denny Shute | Charles Whitcombe and Dai Rees | halved | halved |
| 4 | Henry Picard and Johnny Revolta | Percy Alliss and Dick Burton | 2 & 1 | Great Britain |
Session 2: singles, 30 June 1937 (36 holes (all day))
Session: USA 5½, Great Britain 2½ · running score USA 8, Great Britain 4.
| Match | USA | Great Britain | Result | Point to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ralph Guldahl | Alf Padgham | 8 & 7 | USA |
| 2 | Denny Shute | Sam King | halved | halved |
| 3 | Byron Nelson | Dai Rees | 3 & 1 | Great Britain |
| 4 | Tony Manero | Henry Cotton | 5 & 3 | Great Britain |
| 5 | Gene Sarazen | Percy Alliss | 1 up | USA |
| 6 | Sam Snead | Dick Burton | 5 & 4 | USA |
| 7 | Ed Dudley | Alf Perry | 2 & 1 | USA |
| 8 | Henry Picard | Arthur Lacey | 2 & 1 | USA |
USA team, 1937
| Player | Nationality | Rookie | W-L-H | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Dudley | United States | 2-0-0 | 2 | |
| Ralph Guldahl | United States | yes | 2-0-0 | 2 |
| Tony Manero | United States | yes | 1-1-0 | 1 |
| Byron Nelson | United States | yes | 1-1-0 | 1 |
| Henry Picard | United States | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Johnny Revolta | United States | 0-1-0 | 0 | |
| Gene Sarazen | United States | 1-0-1 | 1½ | |
| Denny Shute | United States | 0-0-2 | 1 | |
| Horton Smith | United States | did not play | ||
| Sam Snead | United States | yes | 1-0-0 | 1 |
Great Britain team, 1937
| Player | Nationality | Rookie | W-L-H | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percy Alliss | England | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Dick Burton | England | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Henry Cotton | England | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Bill Cox | England | 0-1-0 | 0 | |
| Sam King | England | yes | 0-0-1 | ½ |
| Arthur Lacey | England | 0-2-0 | 0 | |
| Alf Padgham | England | 0-2-0 | 0 | |
| Alf Perry | England | 0-1-0 | 0 | |
| Dai Rees | Wales | yes | 1-0-1 | 1½ |
| Charles Whitcombe | England | 0-0-1 | ½ |
What happened at the 1937 Ryder Cup
Gene Sarazen's approach at the 33rd bounced off a spectator onto the green and he holed the birdie putt to lead Percy Alliss, winning 1 up.
Henry Cotton beat Tony Manero 5 & 3 and Dai Rees beat Byron Nelson 3 & 1, but the USA won the last four singles to become the first visiting team to win.
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.