1955 Ryder Cup: USA wins at Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club
USA won the 1955 Ryder Cup 8–4 over Great Britain at Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California, United States.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1955 in the Ryder Cup room, or every year on the Ryder Cup results list.
- Dates
- November 5, 1955 to November 6, 1955
- Course
- Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club, Rancho Mirage, California, United States
- Edition
- 11th 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
- Chick Harbert
- Great Britain captain
- Dai Rees
- Holder after
- USA
Session 1: foursomes, November 5, 1955 (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 | Chandler Harper and Jerry Barber | John Fallon and John Jacobs | 1 up | Great Britain |
| 2 | Doug Ford and Ted Kroll | Eric Brown and Syd Scott | 5 & 4 | USA |
| 3 | Jack Burke Jr. and Tommy Bolt | Arthur Lees and Harry Weetman | 1 up | USA |
| 4 | Sam Snead and Cary Middlecoff | Harry Bradshaw and Dai Rees | 3 & 2 | USA |
Session 2: singles, November 6, 1955 (36 holes (all day))
Session: USA 5, Great Britain 3 · running score USA 8, Great Britain 4.
| Match | USA | Great Britain | Result | Point to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tommy Bolt | Christy O'Connor Snr | 4 & 2 | USA |
| 2 | Chick Harbert | Syd Scott | 3 & 2 | USA |
| 3 | Cary Middlecoff | John Jacobs | 1 up | Great Britain |
| 4 | Sam Snead | Dai Rees | 3 & 1 | USA |
| 5 | Marty Furgol | Arthur Lees | 3 & 2 | Great Britain |
| 6 | Jerry Barber | Eric Brown | 3 & 2 | Great Britain |
| 7 | Jack Burke Jr. | Harry Bradshaw | 3 & 2 | USA |
| 8 | Doug Ford | Harry Weetman | 3 & 2 | USA |
USA team, 1955
| Player | Nationality | Rookie | W-L-H | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Barber | United States | yes | 0-2-0 | 0 |
| Tommy Bolt | United States | yes | 2-0-0 | 2 |
| Doug Ford | United States | yes | 2-0-0 | 2 |
| Marty Furgol | United States | yes | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| Chick Harbert | United States | 1-0-0 | 1 | |
| Chandler Harper | United States | yes | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| Jack Burke Jr. | United States | 2-0-0 | 2 | |
| Ted Kroll | United States | 1-0-0 | 1 | |
| Cary Middlecoff | United States | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Sam Snead | United States | 2-0-0 | 2 |
Great Britain team, 1955
| Player | Nationality | Rookie | W-L-H | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Bousfield | England | did not play | ||
| Harry Bradshaw | Ireland | 0-2-0 | 0 | |
| Eric Brown | Scotland | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| John Fallon | Scotland | yes | 1-0-0 | 1 |
| John Jacobs | England | yes | 2-0-0 | 2 |
| Arthur Lees | England | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Dai Rees | Wales | 0-2-0 | 0 | |
| Syd Scott | England | yes | 0-2-0 | 0 |
| Christy O'Connor Snr | Ireland | yes | 0-1-0 | 0 |
| Harry Weetman | England | 0-2-0 | 0 |
What happened at the 1955 Ryder Cup
John Fallon and John Jacobs beat Chandler Harper and Jerry Barber 1 up for GB's only foursomes point.
Arthur Lees, all square with Marty Furgol at lunch, won 3 & 2, and Eric Brown beat Jerry Barber 3 & 2, but the USA still took the singles 5-3.
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.