Ever since the Ryder Cup made a change to allow players from Continental Europe to feature in 1979, there have been just two names who have won every single match they have played in the event.
Jack Nicklaus, perhaps unsurprisingly, is one of those with a flawless record since 1979. Nicklaus was a seven-time major champion before he was eligible to make his Ryder Cup debut in 1969.
He did not qualify for the team in 1979, but was back in the side for 1981 in what would prove to be his final Ryder Cup. He went on to win all four of his matches at Walton Heath as the USA won 18.5-9.5.
The only other player with a perfect record in the last 46 years made his one and only appearance in the Ryder Cup a decade later – at Kiawah Island, in what became known as the War on the Shore.
The only European to win every Ryder Cup match he played since 1979
The 1991 event seemed to be something of a game-changer for the Ryder Cup. The matches came down to the very last putt, with Bernhard Langer missing from six feet to ensure that Dave Stockton’s men won 14.5-13.5.
The home side had dominated the foursomes over the first two days, winning six of the eight matches. But Europe recovered in the afternoons to ensure that the score was tied at 8-8 heading into the final day.
One of those victories for the visitors on Saturday afternoon came as Paul Broadhurst and Ian Woosnam beat Paul Azinger and Hale Irwin 2&1. The Welshman looked much more comfortable alongside Broadhurst than he had done with Nick Faldo on the first day. The pair lost both of their matches on Friday.
Woosnam was beaten 3&1 by Chip Beck in match seven on Sunday. But in the following game, Broadhurst was able to beat Mark O’Meara by the same scoreline.
It would prove to be the only two matches the Englishman would play in the Ryder Cup.
Why Paul Broadhurst was desperately unlucky to play just two matches at Kiawah Island in the War on the Shore
One of the decisions Bernard Gallacher must have questioned when he reflected on the 1991 Ryder Cup was the call to only play Broadhurst once over the first two days.
He had won just one month earlier, by seven shots at the European Pro-Celebrity. He had also finished second in both Belgium and Germany during the season.
And in preparation for the Ryder Cup, he travelled over to the United States and finished inside the top 10 at the B.C. Open the week before the showdown in South Carolina.
Despite his lack of opportunities, only Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal won more points for the European side at Kiawah Island than Broadhurst.
He did win again on the European Tour in 1993 and 1995 – both of which were Ryder Cup years. However, he was not picked by Gallacher for either event.
It may not be a consolation for Broadhurst, but it does mean that he finds himself in an incredibly exclusive club along with Nicklaus, with the pair the only two players to win every match they played since the Ryder Cup became the USA against Europe.
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