The 28th Ryder Cup Matches were held 22–24 September 1989 at The Belfry in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England, near Sutton Coldfield.
For only the second time, the competition ended in a draw at 14 points each, but the European team retained the Cup since they had won it outright in 1987.
For only the second time in Ryder Cup history, the biennial matches were halved. Surrounding the excitement on the course was the support of the host site and sponsors.
This Ryder Cup edition featured the largest tented village at any sporting event in Great Britain – 226 structures covering 350,000 gross square feet.
Adding to the pre-Ryder Cup hype was U.S. Captain Raymond Floyd’s introduction of his team at the gala ball as “the 12 greatest players in the world.”
Floyd’s bold declaration failed to accomplish the same results as Ben Hogan’s introduction of his team in 1967.
Europe followed its winning pattern of two years earlier by taking the lead after two days.
The 9-7 start was aided by Spain’s dynamic duo of Seve Ballesteros and José María Olazábal winning two matches and halving another.
Europe’s Christy O’Connor Jr., a Captain’s selection, upset Fred Couples, 1-up, and rookie Ronan Rafferty didn’t score a point until the singles, when he defeated reigning Open Champion Mark Calcavecchia, 1-up.