Why The 1969 Ryder Cup Was So Much More Than Just “The Concession”

The Ryder Cup of 1969 is remembered for a single moment – Jack Nicklaus bending down to pick up Tony Jacklin’s marker to concede a putt for a half in their match and a half in the event overall. “The Concession” has gone down in golfing lore as one of the great acts of sportsmanship. It’s remembered every time the biennial contest takes place. The act even has a golf club named after it – “The Concession Club” in Florida. But to boil the 1969 Ryder Cup down to a single moment of munificence is to do the competition a great disservice. It’s an event deserving of far wider commemoration. It was a tremendous performance from the British and Irish side against a US team that was heavily favoured. The two teams had passionate and, at times, feisty captains in Eric Brown and Sam Snead, the two squads featured an intriguing blend of youth and experience, and the matches were held at Royal Birkdale – one of the greatest and most challenging British links. After his opening practice round, Lee Trevino quipped – “It’s tough. I lost a dozen balls… And I hadn’t even left the locker room.”

Youth and Experience

Two months before the Ryder Cup took place at Royal Birkdale, just across the water at Royal Lytham, a young Tony Jacklin secured a marvellous victory in The Open Championship. It was the first time a home player had lifted the Claret Jug since Max Faulkner in 1951. Jacklin was on form and he carried that through to the 1969 Ryder Cup. Jacklin was only 25 but he wasn’t the youngest player on the British team. Scotsman Bernard Gallacher was just 20 in September ’69. Peter Townsend was 23 and both Maurice Bembridge and Brian Barnes were 24. Those youngsters would all play their parts at Royal Birkdale but their youth was supported by a significant amount of experience within the home side. Peter Alliss was playing his eighth Ryder Cup, as were Bernard Hunt and Christy O’Connor. Although the GB&I team featured five rookies, the squad had participated in 29 previous Ryder Cup matches between them. By contrast the American side had just eight matches of experience…