As we approach the start of the 38th Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor Resort near Newport in Wales, few of the original competitors from the tournaments inception in 1927 could have imagined or predicted that almost 75 years later the tournament would still be going strong.
The Ryder Cup is named after the person who donated it to the competition, Samuel Ryder (a seed merchant from Hertfordshire) and the first official match was held at Worcester Golf Club in Massachusetts, USA.
Up Until 1971, the matches were between the USA and Great Britain & Northern Ireland.
Between 1971 & 1979 the Republic of Ireland were allowed to join and finally in 1979 the team was made up of players from all across Europe mainly due to the emerging talents of continental players like Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer.
Before 1979, the Ryder Cup odds were stacked largely in the favour of the Americans and it was considered that this change enabled the tournament to become more competitive and the worldwide success that it is today.
There have been some notable performances over the years, particularly with former European captain Nick Faldo, who holds the title of most appearances and most points scored at Ryder Cups from 1977 through to 1997.
Also, current European captain Colin Montgomerie, who has never lost a singles match in 8 appearances.
Such US greats as Walter Hagen and Sam Snead also had a winning percentage of over 75% in all the matches that they played.
Since 1979, the competition has remained relatively even with 7 wins a piece, which perhaps shows why the Ryder Cup betting odds for this year's event are quite close.
The Europeans have been installed as favourites, having not lost the Ryder Cup on their home soil since 1993 at the Belfry.
However, the USA are the current holders of the trophy and will be hoping to retain it in Wales.
As of 2010, the tournament is hosted bi-annually and the courses switch alternately between the USA and Europe.
However, the tournament has only ever twice been played away from the UK when the Europeans have hosted - in Spain in 1997 and Ireland in 2006.
In 2014, the Ryder Cup is due to be held once more in the UK at the Gleneagles resort in Scotland.