3025) The 44th Ryder Cup held in Italy: 10 Euro Silver Coins with applied colour and concave centre brought out by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) marks the conduct of the prestigious Ryder Cup in Italy for the first time: Date of Coin issue: 18.09.2023:
Posts on the Ryder Cup on this Blog:
i) The 2014 Ryder Cup Commemorative Banknote: Commemorating the Ryder Cup, Europe with a 5 Pound Sterling Banknote issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland
ii) The 44th Ryder Cup held in Italy: 10 Euro Silver Coins with applied colour and concave centre brought out by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) marks the conduct of the prestigious Ryder Cup in Italy for the first time: Date of Coin issue: 18.09.2023
The Header/Banner presents the Obverse and Reverse of the 10 Euro Silver Coin against a background representation of the Ryder Cup at left and the logo of the Ryder Cup placed at extreme left bottom. The whole picturisation is seen in a tree-lined, green grass and sandpit, reminiscent of the Marco Simone Golf course.
The Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) has released new silver Brilliant Uncirculated and colour coins with a concave (or domed) centre, which marks Italy’s hosting the prestigious golf tournament of the 44th Ryder Cup.
The 44th Ryder Cup was a series of golf matches between teams representing the DP World Tour (Europe) and the PGA of America (United States) for the Ryder Cup, that was held in Italy from 29 September to 1 October 2023.
Matches were held at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio, northeast of Rome.
The biennial event was originally scheduled for 2022 before the 43rd matches were postponed into 2021 due to the Wuhan Virus (or COVID-19) pandemic.
It was the first time that Italy has hosted the Ryder Cup, with brothers Eduardo and Francesco Molinari acting as vice-captains of the European team.
The European team won the 44th Ryder Cup with an aggregate score of 16 1/2 - 11 1/2.
The genesis and setting up of The Ryder Cup Challenge:
- The Ryder Cup tournament is a biennial men’s golf competition in which twelve member teams participate from Europe & the United States of America. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of USA and the PGA European Tour.
- The trophy is named after Samuel Ryder, an English businessman, who had been a major sponsor of British professional golf for several years, who also donated the trophy. Ryder was an English seed merchant & entrepreneur who made his fortune selling penny seed packets. His company was called Heath & Heather. He took up golf at a relatively late stage in his life primarily to improve his health.
- - The Ryder Cup is one of the World’s greatest sporting events with millions of people watching this exciting contest between 24 of the greatest golfers from Europe and the United States once every two years.
- - The 44th edition of the 2024 Ryder Cup was held in Italy for the first time in its history at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Guidonia Montecelio, northeast of Rome.
- - The interesting feature of the Ryder Cup and its counterpart the “President’s Cup” is that the players do not receive any prize money, despite the contests being high profile events, with superlative television and sponsorship revenues coming in, with several leading players from USA and Europe taking part in the tournament for the honour of being a member of the participating teams.
The Ryder Cup history:
- In 1921, 20 golfers participated in an international challenge match at Gleneagles in Scotland, between Great Britain and the United States of America. Among the participants were golfing greats for eg. Harry Vardon, J.H. Taylor and Walter Hagen.
The King’s Course at Gleneagles was the venue for the unofficial match between Great Britain and the USA. Great Britain won this precursor to the Ryder Cup, with James Braid, designer of the King’s Course, being a member of the winning British team. This was a precursor tournament to setting up the Ryder Cup challenge, six years later.
- The 1921 match led to the creation of the Walker Cup, which was played annually in 1922, 1923, 1924 and then on a biennial basis from 1926.
- In 1927, originally contested between Great Britain and the USA, the inaugural Ryder Cup Challenge took place at Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts on a course designed by Ronald Ross, a legendary course architect. The US team captained by Walter Hagen, who was nicknamed “golf’s first superstar” were the winners at this challenge.
- In 1929, Great Britain won the second Ryder cup, which was the first one held on British soil at Moortown in Leeds, the course having been designed by Alister Mackenzie, the Scots creator of Augusta National.
- In 1933, Great Britain won the 4th Ryder Cup at Southport & Ainsdale in England. The course was designed by James Braid. Again in 1937, the Ryder Cup returned to Southport & Ainsdale.
- In 1951, the USA won the 9th Ryder Cup at the iconic Pinehurst No. 2 Course in North Carolina, the course having been designed by Donald Ross.
- In 1963, the USA won the 15th Ryder Cup at East Lake in Atlanta, Georgia.
- In 1969, the 18th Ryder Cup tournament held at Royal Birkdale in England ended in a tie for the first time, when in a memorable final, Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin halved their match on the final hole. In this tournament, Jack Nicklaus picked up Jacklin’s marker, conceding the putt which Jacklin needed to tie the matches. Nicklaus reasoned that, he felt, Jacklin would have sunk his putt anyway but he did not want to give Jacklin the opportunity to do so. This “sportsmanship” was met with some adverse comments from the US team which felt that Jacklin should have been allowed to take his shot, because if he had missed, the US team would have got an outright win instead of a tie. With the US team already holding the Cup, the tie allowed it to retain the Cup. In this edition of the Ryder Cup, Bernard Gallacher became the youngest player to represent Britain at the age of twenty.
- In 1971, Harry Bannerman picked up two-and-a-half points for Great Britain in the 19th Ryder Cup at the old Warson Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri, the tournament winners being USA.
- In 1973, the US team consisting of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino beat the British and Irish team at the 20th Ryder Cup tournament held at Muirfield in East Lothian, which became the first Scottish course to host the Tournament. This was also the first time that the British Team was joined by an Irish team.
- In 1975, in the 21st Ryder Cup held at Laurel Valley in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, Brian Barnes beat Jack Nicklaus twice in the singles on the same day even as Norman Wood beat Lee Trevino in his singles match, nevertheless the Americans carried the day winning this edition of the Ryder Cup.
- By 1979, the US team had won the five competitions in a row, as such, it was decided to expand the competition from USA versus Great Britain & Ireland to include Continental Europe from 1979 onwards. This expansion brought into the “Team European”, players mostly from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden. This inclusion of European golfers made the Ryder Cup challenge more competitive, as talented young European players helped bolster the European side. The present-day popularity of the Ryder Cup, which now commands enormous world-wide attention, dates back to this change in eligibility criteria.
- In the 23rd Ryder Cup, Sandy Lyle made his debut for the Great Britain & Ireland team which was now called the “Team Europe”. Lyle during his career played in five Ryder Cup tournaments and took part in 18 matches.
- In 1985, in the 26th Ryder Cup, the European team bagged its first Ryder Cup win in 28 years. Since creation of “Team Europe”, the European sides have won the Trophy nine times outright and retained the Cup once in a tied match.
- In 1987, the European team won the 27th Ryder Cup again at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Gordon Brand Jr. was a member of the winning team both, in this edition, as well as the 1989 edition of the tournament held at The Belfry.
- In 1989, the Ryder Cup held at The Belfry in Europe, saw the rising of tensions in the Series. After holding the Cup for more than two decades, the US team lost both the 1985 and 1987 matches. The pressure in this tournament was on the American team. This edition of the Ryder Cup is infamous for the running “feud” between Seve Ballesteros and Paul Azinger who disputed several features of each other’s games. The US team’s frustration grew, with the matches ending in a tie and the European team retaining the Cup.
- The 1991 Ryder Cup matches were dubbed “The War on the Shore”. The overall tension between the teams and the feud between Ballesteros & Azinger escalated further at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort. At the ceremonial opening dinner, the PGA of America played two videos that were seen as less than hospitable by the European team. The first video, presented as a highlight reel of past Ryder Cups showed only Americans. The second video was a welcome address by the US President George Bush in which he closed by cheering on the American side. Tensions and inter-match level disputes ran to such a high level that on several occasions players on both sides were driven to tears. The US team won back the Cup in a bitterly contested tournament.
- In 1995, Bernard Gallacher captained Europe to victory at the 31st Ryder Cup tournament held at Oak Hill Country club in Pittsford, New York. This was the second time the American team was defeated on home soil.
- In 1999, the 33rd Ryder Cup at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts was won by the US team in controversial circumstances. Golf, considered to be a gentleman’s game took a backseat, with several rules and codes of conduct being overlooked/flouted, so much so, that although the US team won the tournament, several members of the US team apologized for their behavior and both teams endeavoured to calm down the increasing “nationalism” that had crept into the game. Subsequent Ryder Cups are now played in the “spirit of the game”.
- In 2002, Europe won the 34th Ryder Cup at the Belfry after thirteen years from the last win.
- In 2010, Europe won the 38th Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, Wales, captained by Colin Montgomerie, who before captaining Europe, had played in 36 matches in 8 Ryder Cup Challenges and was never beaten in a singles match.
- In 2012, in the Ryder Cup held at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, the European team won the tournament in an exciting photo-finish on the last day, with Scotland’s Paul Lawrie playing a pivotal role in the so called “Miracle of Medinah” victory. The European team came from behind to win this edition of the Ryder Cup. Martin Kaymer struck the putt that retained the Cup for Europe. Including this tournament, out of the last nine Ryder Cups, Team Europe has won seven.
- In 2014, for the first time in over 40 years and only the second time in the tournament’s history, the Ryder Cup was held in Scotland.
The Ryder Cup Format:
The Ryder Cup tournament involves various matches between players selected from the two teams – USA & Europe each having twelve members.
The tournament takes place from a Friday to a Sunday with a total of 28 matches being played, all matches being over 18 holes.
On Friday and Saturday, there are four fourball matches and four foursomes matches each day, a session of four matches in the morning and a session of four matches in the afternoon.
On Sunday, there are twelve singles matches when all the members play. For the matches on Friday & Saturday each Captain selects any eight players for each of the sessions over these two days.
The winner of each match scores a point for his team, with a half point each being awarded for any match that is tied after the 18 holes. The winning team is determined by cumulative total points. In the event of a tie, i.e. each team scoring 14 points each, the Ryder Cup is retained by the team who held it before the contest.
A foursomes match is a competition between two teams of two golfers each. The golfers on the same team take alternate shots throughout the match, with the same ball. Each hole is won by the team that completes the hole in the fewest shots.
A fourball match is also a competition between two teams of two golfers, but all four golfers play their own ball throughout the round rather than alternating shots. Each hole is won by the team whose individual golfer has the lowest score.
A singles match is a standard match play competition between two golfers.
This format has undergone a sea-change from the inaugural event in 1921 until 1959, the Ryder Cup originally being a two-day event with 36 – hole matches.
In 1961, the matches were changed to 18 holes each and the number of matches doubled.
In 1963, the tournament duration was expanded to three days, with fourball matches being played for the first time.
In 1977, the number of matches was reduced to 20.
In 1979, the first year Continental European players took part, the format was changed to the 28 match version in use today, with 8 foursomes/four-ball matches on the first two days and 12 singles matches on the last day.
Since 1979, a player can play a maximum of five matches – 2 foursomes, 2 fourballs and a singles match.
Future venue for the Ryder Cup:
2024, Bethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, New York.
The Coin:
The 10 Euro Silver coin has been designed by IPZS engraver Annalisa Masini. and it is the first Italian coin with a domed shape in the centre.
The Obverse of the 10 Euro Silver Coin includes colour, which features the surface of a golf ball along with the official logo of the international golf tournament RYDER CUP 2023.
Encircling the gold ball is the text "REPUBBLICA ITALIANA" ("Republic of Italy"), separated on each side by two red and blue bands, identifying respectively the United States of America and Europe, which compete every two years on the most prestigious golf courses.
On the left and between the blue and red band is the name of the coins’ designer "A. MASINI".
On the Obverse of the 10 Euro Silver coin is featured a depiction of Rome’s Coliseum, which represents Italy as the host.
Above the coliseum is the denomination of 10 EURO and the mintmark "R" (the mintmark of the Mint of Rome).
Around the inverted dome is a band of green grass shown in vivid colour, which also includes the text RYDER CUP encircling the centre with the year of issue "2023" placed below.
The specifications of this Coin are:
Country of issue: Republic of Italy; Date/Year: 18.09.2023; Coin Theme: "The Ryder Cup"; Denomination/Face Value: 10 Euro; Metal Composition: .925 Fineness Silver (Ag); Weight: 22.00 grams; Diameter/Size: 34.00 mm; Coin Quality: Brilliant Uncirculated (BU); Mintage: 10,000 pieces; Special Technique: Applied Colour; Presentation Box/Case: Coin Folder; Designer: Annalisa Masini.
Each coin is specially encapsulated and presented in a coin folder with a side magnetic closure.
For some other interesting posts from Italy/The Vatican, please visit the following links:
The Fountains of Italy Coin Series:
Other Links:
35) St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican (San Pietro in Vaticano), Republic of Palau: "Tiffany Art Metropolis Coin Series - San Pietro": Coin Invest Trust (CIT) has coordinated the issue of $500 (Gold) and $25 (Silver Coins minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt GmbH at their facilities in Munich: Year of Coin issue: 2022
36) "The Twelve Apostles", Vatican City: The Twelve Apostles Coin Series: The first Silver Coins of 5- and 10-Euro minted by the "Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca Dello Stato" (IPZS) on behalf of "Coommercializzazione Filatelica e Numismatica" (CFN) feature St. Peter & St. Andrew: Date of Coins issued: 10.11.2022
37) "Towards the Holy Year 2025", Vatican City: A 200 Euro Gold Coin issued by the Commercializzazone Filatelica e Numismatica (CFN) to commemorate the three-year programme (2022-2023-2024) culminting in 2025: Date/Year of Coin issue: 19.12.2022
38) "Bergamo and Brescia", Italy: Five Euro Commemorative Copper Coins issued by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) showcases the designated Italian Cultural Capital Cities: Date/Year of Coin issue: 20.02.2023
39) Luigi Vanvitelli (12.05.1700-01.03.1773), Architect and Painter, Italy: 250th Anniversary of his passing away: Five Euro (Silver) and Twenty Euro (Gold) Coins issued by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) commemorate this celebrated Baroque Era Architect: Date/Year of Coin issue: 21.02.2023
40) "The Lateran Pacts between the Italian State and the Holy See", Vatican City State: 90th Anniversary Celebrations (1929-2019): The Ufficio Filetelco E. Numismatico (Office of the Philetelic and Numismatic Bureau of the Vatican) has issued an embroidered postage stamp of 8.40 Euro depicting the Coat of Arms of the Vatican City State: Date/Year of Stamp issue: 2019 (Reissued on 12.12.2022)
41) Environmental Protection as enshrined in the Italian Constitution, Italy: A Square-shaped bi-metallic Silver and Copper 5 Euro Coin brought out by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) highlights environmental protection in the Italian constitution: Date of Coin issue: 27.04.2023
42) "The Resurrection of Christ" ("CHRISTVS RESVRREXIT"), Vatican City State: Rectangular-shaped Silver Proof and Colour Coins feature Renaissance painter Pietro Vannucci's (also known as "Perugino") masterpiece, presently in the Apostolic Palace Library: Date/Year of Coin issue: 04/2023
43) The Second Vatican Council - Nostra Aetate (In Our Time), Vatican City State: A 100 Euro Gold Coin minted by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) at their facilities in Rome on behalf of the Treasury Department of the Vatican City State: Date/Year of Coin issue: 2023
44) The history of the Olympics in Italy - TRiTTICO Cortina 1956, Rome 1960, Turin 2006, Republic of Italy (Repubblica Italiana): Three 20 Euro Gold Coins issued by the Istututo Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) celebrate the selection of 2026 Winter Olympics in the City of Cortino Italy: Date/Year of Coin issue: 07.09.2023
45) A Euro Coin Set - 2018, Vatican City State: An eight (8) Coin Set issued by the Commercializzazione Filatelica e Numismatica on Euro Coins: Coins minted by the IPZS Italy on behalf of the "Stato Della Citta Del Vaticano" (The Vatican City State") in 2018
Posts on the Ryder Cup on this Blog:
i) The 2014 Ryder Cup Commemorative Banknote: Commemorating the Ryder Cup, Europe with a 5 Pound Sterling Banknote issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland
ii) The 44th Ryder Cup held in Italy: 10 Euro Silver Coins with applied colour and concave centre brought out by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato Italiano (IPZS) marks the conduct of the prestigious Ryder Cup in Italy for the first time: Date of Coin issue: 18.09.2023
Italian Excellence Coin Series:
Santosh Khanna has commented:
ReplyDelete"A VERY informative post on Ryder Cup. Thanks for sharing this interesting post."
Thank you so much, Khanna sahab for visiting this post.
Delete