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For the 1979 match at The Greenbrier at White Sulphur Springs in West Virginia, the number of points at stake was 28, as opposed to 20 at Lytham. It was no longer possible to be picked for the team (like John Garner in 1973) and not play a single match as it was agreed that every team member should play in the singles on the final day. The most significant change was that the contest between the professional golfers of Great Britain and Ireland versus the United States was no more. Players from the mainland of Europe, with the agreement of the PGA of America became eligible.

Only two players from mainland Europe were good enough to be selected in 1979: Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido. Ballesteros had won the Open Championship in July and Garrido had four second-place finishes on the Tour during 1979; he had also partnered Ballesteros to win the 1977 World Cup. No other Europeans came close to selection. Spain's Jose-Maria Canizares was next in ranking but well down in 23rd place.

Europe captain John Jacobs sent Ballesteros and Garrido out first on Sept. 14, 1979 in the four-ball series. They faced some of the most blistering golf ever seen in four-ball competition from Larry Nelson and Lanny Wadkins. The Americans reached the turn in a better ball score of 28 made up of 3, 3, 4, 2, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3. Their eventual winning margin of 2 and 1 could have been a lot higher. In the next match, the young and hopeful pairing of Ken Brown and Mark James went down to Fuzzy Zoeller and Lee Trevino. Worse followed when the successful Lytham pairing of Faldo and Oosterhuis lost a close match to Andy Bean and America's first black Ryder Cup player, Lee Elder. One of America's finest golfers was missing; Tom Watson had left the day before play began to be at the birth of his first child. This was a far better excuse than when Tom Weiskopf had turned down the place he had earned in the 1977 Ryder Cup team because he had wanted to bag a rare species of mountain sheep with his rifle. Oddly, Watson was replaced by another new father of a week, Mark Hayes.

With three of the morning fourballs won by the USA, there followed the only compensation for Europe. The partnership of Brian Barnes and Bernard Gallacher came through against Hale Irwin and John Mahaffey by 2 and 1.

U.S. captain Billy Casper drastically changed his line-up for the afternoon foursomes, reckoning to give most of his players an outing on the first day. He was so pleased with the Nelson/Wadkins performance, however, that he left them together for the last match out, in which they beat Barnes and Gallacher 4 and 3.

It was the first match, however, which caused the most controversy. There usually seems to be a mini-scandal in Ryder Cup matches and most involve the British or Europeans. This time, it was the two young members of the team, Mark James and Ken Brown, who were at the center of the affair. They almost missed the flag-raising ceremony and they did miss a team meeting. Back in Britain, both James and Brown were fined and Brown was also banned from the 1981 match.

That first afternoon, Brown was paired with Irishman Des Smyth and most thought he was very unhappy at the change. Brown seemed not to exchange a word with his partner throughout the match, which didn't last very long as Hale Irwin and Tom Kite beat them by 7 and 6. Fortunately for Europe, this was the nadir of the 1979 Ryder Cup match. Playing second, Ballesteros and Garrido won and Sandy Lyle and Tony Jacklin followed with a halved match. At the end of the day, European prospects were poor and the scoresheet had a familiar look: US 5 1/2 Europe 2 1/2.

On the second day, the format was changed so that foursomes were played first. Jacklin and Lyle led off and beat Lee Elder and John Mahaffey by 5 and 4; Oosterhuis and Faldo returned to form and won even more comfortably, by 6 and 5. Barnes and Gallacher also won their games so Europe lost only the last match when Ballesteros and Garrido went down by 3 and 2 to Nelson and Wadkins for the second time.

The four were soon out again in the afternoon fourballs, it was about time the Spaniards hit back -- but it didn't happen. Wadkins and Nelson trounced them yet again, 5 and 4 this time. There were mutters that allowing the Europeans in had changed the object of the match and talk that Sam Ryder, who must have turned in his grave when the decision to bring in Europeans was made, might now be chuckling.

When Jacklin and Lyle then lost for the first time to Kite and Irwin after a close match, the European comeback of the morning, which had brought the gap between the teams down to a single point, was checked. However, the rest of the day went well for Europe, with two wins from the very effective pairings of Barnes/Gallacher and Faldo/Oosterhuis. This meant that the teams went into the final day singles with the score US 8 1/2 Europe 7 1/2.

And then there was a little more controversy. With every team member playing, there was no scope for a player being off form or, even worse, injured. Mark James hurt his shoulder and had to withdraw an hour before the start of play. Gil Morgan had a similar problem and was the player whom Casper chose to drop, having only played him once in the series. However, the night before the singles, each captain had placed in an envelope the name of the player they would drop if a member from the other side was injured. Unfortunately, Casper had misunderstood the procedure and decided on and named the man he considered his best player -- Lee Trevino. European captain, John Jacobs, allowed him to make a change. Trevino played and Morgan stood down.

Europe made a good start. When Gallacher beat Lanny Wadkins 3 and 2, the teams were level but at number two Seve Ballesteros faced his nemesis Larry Nelson for the fourth time and again he lost. The next four matches in the order also went to the USA though in the meantime Nick Faldo had beaten Lee Elder. In the end, though, only Ken Brown added to the European point total, beating Fuzzy Zoeller. Peter Oosterhuis lost, ending an unbeaten singles record going back to 1971. By this time, he had long been a struggling player on the U.S. Tour but was transformed in Ryder Cup play. It took birdies from Hubert Green on both the 17th and 18th holes to beat him.

Despite losing eight of the singles Europe consoled herself with the fact that four of these games had gone to the last green. Yet a loss is still a loss. The winners were complimentary about the European performance. Though the USA had won by 17-11, Billy Casper said he had never felt confident of victory.

Was the gap in playing standards between the two sides closing at last? Many thought it was but, ominously for Europe, it was the Americans who seemed to sink more than their fair share of vital putts. Even so, in Seve Ballesteros, unsuccessful as he had been at The Greenbrier, Europe had a player who had won all over the world and who would soon win the 1980 Masters at Augusta.

Andy Bean/Lee Elder (US) d. Peter Oosterhuis/Nick Faldo (E), 2 and 1

Bernard Gallacher/Brian Barnes (E) d. Hale Irwin/John Mahaffey (US), 2 and 1

Afternoon Foursomes
Hale Irwin/Tom Kite (US) d. Ken Brown/Des Smyth (E), 7 and 6

Seve Ballesteros/Antonio Garrido (E) d. Fuzzy Zoeller/Hubert Green (E), 3 and 2

Lee Trevino/Gil Morgan (US) vs. Sandy Lyle/Tony Jacklin (E), halved

Lanny Wadkins/Larry Nelson (US) d. Bernard Gallacher/Brian Barnes (E), 4 and 3

Morning Foursomes
Tony Jacklin/Sandy Lyle (E) d. Lee Elder/John Mahaffey (US), 5 and 4

Nick Faldo/Peter Oosterhuis (E) d. Andy Bean/Tom Kite (US), 6 and 5

Bernard Gallacher/Brian Barnes (E) d. Fuzzy Zoeller/Mark Hayes (US), 2 and 1

Lanny Wadkins/Larry Nelson (US) d. Seve Ballesteros/Antonio Garrido (E), 3 and 2

Afternoon Four-balls
Lanny Wadkins/Larry Nelson (US) d. Seve Ballesteros/Antonio Garrido (E), 5 and 4

Hale Irwin/Tom Kite (US) d. Tony Jacklin/Sandy Lyle (E), 1 up

Bernard Gallacher/Brian Barnes (E) d. Lee Trevino/Fuzzy Zoeller (US), 3 and 2

Nick Faldo/Peter Oosterhuis (E) d. Lee Elder/Mark Hayes (US), 1 up

United States 8.5, Europe 7.5

Singles
Bernhard Gallacher (E) d. Lanny Wadkins (US), 3 and 2

Larry Nelson (US) d. Seve Ballesteros (E), 3 and 2

Tom Kite (US) vs. Tony Jacklin (E), 1 up

Mark Hayes (US) d. Antonio Garrido (E), 1 up

Andy Bean (US) d. Michael King (E), 4 and 3

John Mahaffey (US) d. Brian Barnes (E), 1 up

Nick Faldo (E) d. Lee Elder (US), 3 and 2

Hale Irwin (US) d. Des Smyth (E), 5 and 3

Hubert Green (US) d. Peter Oosterhuis (E), 2 up

Ken Brown (E) d. Fuzzy Zoeller (US), 1 up

Lee Trevino (US) d. Sandy Lyle (E), 2 and 1

Gil Morgan (US) vs. Mark James (E), halved, James injured