When Tommy Fleetwood teed off they mentioned that he had the chance to become one of few players to achieve a 5 and 0 Ryder Cup. I asked Grok who has done it:
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In the history of the Ryder Cup, only five players have achieved a perfect 5-0-0 record (five wins, no losses, no ties) in a single tournament. Here are the players who accomplished this feat, along with the years and details of their performances:
- Arnold Palmer (USA, 1967)
- At the 1967 Ryder Cup held at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas, Palmer went 5-0-0. He partnered with Gardner Dickinson for two foursomes wins on the opening day, defeating Peter Alliss and Christy O’Connor Sr. (2&1) and Malcolm Gregson and Hugh Boyle (5&4). He also teamed with Julius Boros for a four-ball win against George Will and Hugh Boyle (1UP). In singles, Palmer defeated Tony Jacklin (3&2) and Brian Huggett (5&3). The U.S. won the Ryder Cup 23.5-8.5.
- Gardner Dickinson (USA, 1967)
- Also in 1967 at Champions Golf Club, Dickinson matched Palmer’s perfect record, going 5-0-0. He partnered with Palmer for the two foursomes victories mentioned above. In four-balls, Dickinson teamed with Doug Sanders to defeat Brian Huggett and George Will (3&2) and Peter Alliss and Malcolm Gregson (3&2). In singles, he beat Tony Jacklin (3&2). This was Dickinson’s Ryder Cup debut, making him the oldest rookie on either team at the time.
- Larry Nelson (USA, 1979)
- At the 1979 Ryder Cup at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, Nelson went 5-0-0. His specific match details are less comprehensively documented in the provided sources, but his perfect record contributed significantly to the U.S. victory. This was the first Ryder Cup to include continental European players, and Nelson’s performance was notable enough that it was expected to secure him a future captaincy, though that never materialized.
- Francesco Molinari (Europe, 2018)
- At the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National in Paris, France, Molinari became the first European to go 5-0-0. Paired with Tommy Fleetwood, the duo, dubbed “Moliwood,” went 4-0-0 in team matches, defeating Patrick Reed and Tiger Woods in four-balls, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth in foursomes, and other U.S. pairs, achieving the first European clean sweep in foursomes. Molinari capped his week by defeating Phil Mickelson in Sunday singles, securing the winning point for Europe’s 17.5-10.5 victory.
- Dustin Johnson (USA, 2021)
- At the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, Johnson went 5-0-0, leading the U.S. to a record 19-9 victory. He partnered with Collin Morikawa for a foursomes win against Paul Casey and Viktor Hovland and another against Casey and Tyrrell Hatton. With Xander Schauffele, he won a four-ball match against Casey and Bernd Wiesberger. Johnson and Morikawa also defeated Ian Poulter and Rory McIlroy (4&3) in foursomes. In singles, Johnson beat Paul Casey (1UP).
These five players are the only ones to have achieved a perfect 5-0-0 record in a single Ryder Cup, a rare feat given the competition’s intensity and the limited number of matches (five) in the modern format. No player has gone 6-0-0, even when six matches were possible in earlier formats (1936-1975).
Note: The Ryder Cup format has evolved, with the current structure allowing a maximum of five matches per player (four team matches over two days and one singles match on the final day). The records reflect performances under these constraints, and the sources confirm no other players have achieved this record. |
