While golf is traditionally regarded as a game with sportsmanship at its heart, it has been in the fiercely-competitive arena of the Ryder Cup where that description has been occasionally thrown into question.

The financial rewards might not be as great as for those who finish at the head of the Fedex Cup rankings, or win a Golf Major or World Golf Championship event, but for many professional golfers competing in the Ryder Cup is the pinnacle of their careers.

Originally a team contest between golfers from the USA against rivals from Great Britain, the remainder of continental Europe were included from 1979 and the Ryder Cup has since evolved to become one of the most popular team sporting events anywhere in the world, producing a number of iconic moments.

A biennial competition, the venue alternates between the two continents, but it was in 1999 at the Brookline Country Club, Massachusetts, that the Ryder Cup made sporting headlines around the world after the successful American side were accused of bad sportsmanship at the end of their thrilling minimum-margin victory.

Matches involve various matchplay competitions between players selected from two teams of 12. Since 1979 most tournaments have consisted of eight foursomes matches, eight fourballs and 12 singles. The winner of each match scores a point for their team, with a half-point each for a tie. The competition take place over three days, from Friday to Sunday, and involves a total of 28 matches.