Two Tribes

The extraordinary story of how a moribund golfing institution was reborn as a thrilling, must-see sporting encounter whose passion, drama and excitement is enjoyed by tens of millions of fans around the world.

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In 1979, after 20 years of thrashings of British and Irish teams by America's seemingly unbeatable golfers, the representation of the British and Irish Ryder Cup team was extended to include continental European players. The experiment began badly for Europe, with defeats in 1979, 1981 and (more narrowly) in 1983. In 1985 at the Belfry, however, European golfers won the trophy for the first time since 1957. Over the ensuing 25 years, the Ryder Cup has been transformed into a highly charged - and sometimes highly controversial - clash of golfing equals, Europe having won 7 cups to the USA's 4 since that memorable September day at the Belfry.

In Two Tribes, Gavin Newsham not only tells the thrilling story of 31 years of the expanded Ryder Cup, he analyses how the event has changed from Samuel Ryder's original conception of the competition when he started it in 1927, why exactly it had become so uncompetitive before 1979, and how Europe's golfers have succeeded in turning the tables so effectively from 1985. Two Tribes will tell the full story of the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.

Drawing on interviews with, and contributions from, a world-class line-up of Ryder Cup heroes (and villains) past and present (including Sandy Lyle, Mark James, Jose-Maria Olazabal, Sam Torrance, Nick Faldo, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter, Colin Montgomerie, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Fred Couples, Hal Sutton, Paul Azinger, Corey Pavin and Phil Mickelson to name but several), Two Tribes captures the essence of three passionate decades of Ryder Cup competition - its dramas, duels, triumphs, traumas and more than occasional moments of controversy.