Ryder Cup 2018: What are foursomes and fourballs? What are differences? Format explained | Golf | Sport

But what are the differences between the two formats? And how does the Ryder Cup work?

What are foursomes and four balls?

Of the 28 points available over the weekend, eight will be in foursomes and eight will be in fourballs, with a pair from each team playing against each other for the point.]

RYDER CUP DATES, TIMES, SCHEDULE AND FORMAT

In the foursomes, each pair plays with one ball and the players take it in turns to take shots, with the pair taking the least shots on a hole winning it.

In the fourballs, each player plays their own ball and the lowest score on the hole wins it for their pair.

There are then 12 singles matches which are one-on-one contests with each player playing their own ball.

What is the Ryder Cup? Is it like the Open or the Masters?

No, it is not. While the vast majority of golf events are individual affairs with a player playing for themselves at stroke play across four days, here they are part of a team playing match play.

Both the Americans and the Europeans have 12 players and the teams will battle it out for 28 points over three days at the biennial showpiece.

The first team to 14.5 points wins the Ryder Cup, while the United States will retain the trophy as defending champions should the contest end 14-14.

What is match play?

In match play, the aim of the game is to take fewer shots than your opponent on any given hole to win that hole. If players or pairs record the same score on a hole, it is halved.

The pair or player who wins the most holes in an 18-hole contest earns a point for their team, with the match ending if the leading player or pair cannot be caught. If the contest is level after 18 holes, each team gets half a point.