The 24th Ryder Cup Matches were held 18–20 September 1981 at the Walton Heath Golf Club in Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey, UK.
Larry Nelson continued his remarkable run with four more victories, nine over the last two Ryder Cups, to boost one of the strongest American Teams in Ryder Cup history.
With 36 major championship victories on the U.S. side, they quickly gained the momentum it needed during a lopsided second day to win its 22nd consecutive Ryder Cup 18.5 to 9.5.
The Americans piled up a 7-1 record, ranked just behind the U.S. all-time record set in 1967 of a 7.5 to 0.5 margin in four-balls or foursomes for one day.
Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson teamed for three victories, and Nicklaus finished 4-0 overall. Germany’s Bernhard Langer made his Ryder Cup debut, as did Spain’s José María Canizares and Manuel Pinero.
Spain’s Seve Ballesteros, who had won the 1980 Masters and had spent much of his competitive season away from the PGA European Tour, was voted out of the competition by the European Team.