1959 Ryder Cup: USA wins at Eldorado Country Club
USA won the 1959 Ryder Cup 8½–3½ over Great Britain at Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells, California, United States.
Updated October 23, 2026
See 1959 in the Ryder Cup room, or every year on the Ryder Cup results list.
- Dates
- November 6, 1959 to November 7, 1959
- Course
- Eldorado Country Club, Indian Wells, California, United States
- Edition
- 13th Ryder Cup
- Teams
- USA v Great Britain
- Result
- USA 8½, Great Britain 3½ · USA won by 5 points
- Points to win
- 6½ (holder retains with 6)
- USA captain
- Sam Snead
- Great Britain captain
- Dai Rees
- Holder after
- USA
Session 1: foursomes, November 6, 1959 (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 | Bob Rosburg and Mike Souchak | Bernard Hunt and Eric Brown | 5 & 4 | USA |
| 2 | Julius Boros and Dow Finsterwald | Dai Rees and Ken Bousfield | 2 up | USA |
| 3 | Art Wall Jr. and Doug Ford | Christy O'Connor Snr and Peter Alliss | 3 & 2 | Great Britain |
| 4 | Sam Snead and Cary Middlecoff | Harry Weetman and Dave Thomas | halved | halved |
Session 2: singles, November 7, 1959 (36 holes (all day))
Session: USA 6, Great Britain 2 · running score USA 8½, Great Britain 3½.
| Match | USA | Great Britain | Result | Point to |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doug Ford | Norman Drew | halved | halved |
| 2 | Mike Souchak | Ken Bousfield | 3 & 2 | USA |
| 3 | Bob Rosburg | Harry Weetman | 6 & 5 | USA |
| 4 | Sam Snead | Dave Thomas | 6 & 5 | USA |
| 5 | Art Wall Jr. | Christy O'Connor Snr | 7 & 6 | USA |
| 6 | Dow Finsterwald | Dai Rees | 1 up | USA |
| 7 | Jay Hebert | Peter Alliss | halved | halved |
| 8 | Cary Middlecoff | Eric Brown | 4 & 3 | Great Britain |
USA team, 1959
| Player | Nationality | Rookie | W-L-H | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julius Boros | United States | yes | 1-0-0 | 1 |
| Dow Finsterwald | United States | 2-0-0 | 2 | |
| Doug Ford | United States | 0-1-1 | ½ | |
| Jay Hebert | United States | yes | 0-0-1 | ½ |
| Art Wall Jr. | United States | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Jack Burke Jr. | United States | did not play | ||
| Cary Middlecoff | United States | 0-1-1 | ½ | |
| Bob Rosburg | United States | yes | 2-0-0 | 2 |
| Sam Snead | United States | 1-0-1 | 1½ | |
| Mike Souchak | United States | yes | 2-0-0 | 2 |
Great Britain team, 1959
| Player | Nationality | Rookie | W-L-H | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Alliss | England | 1-0-1 | 1½ | |
| Ken Bousfield | England | 0-2-0 | 0 | |
| Eric Brown | Scotland | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Norman Drew | Northern Ireland | yes | 0-0-1 | ½ |
| Bernard Hunt | England | 0-1-0 | 0 | |
| Peter Mills | England | did not play | ||
| Dai Rees | Wales | 0-2-0 | 0 | |
| Christy O'Connor Snr | Ireland | 1-1-0 | 1 | |
| Dave Thomas | Wales | yes | 0-1-1 | ½ |
| Harry Weetman | England | 0-1-1 | ½ |
What happened at the 1959 Ryder Cup
The GB team's flight from Los Angeles to Palm Springs dropped about 4,000 feet in turbulence and turned back; Rees declined a later flight and the team went by bus.
In the foursomes Snead and Weetman both found water at the 36th; Middlecoff chipped to 8 feet and Snead holed the putt to halve against Weetman/Thomas.
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.