| Dates | 18–20 September 1981 | ||||
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| Venue | Walton Heath Golf Club | ||||
| Location | Surrey, England | ||||
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| United States wins the Ryder Cup | |||||
The 24th Ryder Cup Matches were held 18–20 September 1981 at the Walton Heath Golf Club in Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey, England, southwest of London. The United States team won the competition by a score of 181⁄2 to 91⁄2 points.[1] It was the largest margin of defeat for a European team (since 1979) at the Ryder Cup until 2021. It is also the largest margin of defeat for the host team on European soil.
Seve Ballesteros was not selected for the European team after an ongoing dispute with the European Tour concerning appearance money.[2] Tony Jacklin was also left off the team.[3][4]
It was the sixth and final Ryder Cup for Jack Nicklaus as a competitor and he won all four of his matches. He had failed to make the team for the first time in 1979. Bernhard Langer made his Ryder Cup debut in 1981 and was 1–2 in pairs and halved his singles match.
- ^ "Nelson, U.S. clinch Ryder Cup victory". Palm Beach Post. wire services. 21 September 1981. p. D7.
- ^ "Win puts Seve back in the big time". The Age. Melbourne. 13 October 1981. p. 46.
- ^ "Captain defends Ryder Cup team". Palm Beach Post. 25 August 1981. p. D4.
- ^ "Jacklin and Seve Axed". New Straits Times. Malaysia. 25 August 1981. p. 34.