Foursomes and fourballs are two of the three match formats in use during the Ryder Cup.
In both formats two members of the Europe and United States teams face each other, but under slightly different rules.
Foursomes, played in the morning of day one and day two, involve teams sharing one ball and both players taking alternate shots.
Fourballs are different in that all four players play with their own ball on that hole, with the best-performing player winning the hole for their team. They are played in the afternoon on day one and two.
The host captain can choose whether to play foursomes or fourballs first at the start of each day.
Wins in the foursomes, fourballs and Sunday’s singles matches are all worth one point for their team, while draws see both teams earn half a point each.
This format has been in use for the Ryder Cup since 1979, which was also the first in which Europe featured as a team. The United States previously played Great Britain and later, Great Britain and Ireland, in the competition.
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