The Blue Ridge Ryder Cup
Established in 1993, the Blue Ridge Ryder Cup is patterned after the biennial Ryder Cup between leading golfers from the United States and Europe. Play in the Blue Ridge tournament is between two 8-man teams organized by the St. Maxens brothers: the Fighting Mulligans, captained by Tom, and the Redmen, led by Tim. Current BRRC participants hail from nine states and Ireland.
Played each fall in the Blue Ridge mountains, the competition consists of eight 9-hole rounds of match play on Thursday and Friday, including a beloved team alternating shot round known as the Dead Possum Point, and a finishing 18-hole singles match played on Saturday. At stake is the Cup, an old English loving cup from which the victors drink champagne at tourney’s end.
Despite the camaraderie, there is no mistaking each player’s seriousness of purpose in winning the Blue Ridge Ryder Cup for himself and his teammates. In the final analysis, the only individual recognition that matters is the inscription of the names of the members of that year’s winning team on the Cup itself.
Did You Know?
- That Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Davis Love and nine other world-renowned golfers wrote the two teams in the fall of 2012 to congratulate them on their 20th annual Blue Ridge Ryder Cup as “a great example of the traditions that make golf such a wonderful sport”?
- That the BRRC player with one of the highest winning percentages, Matt Dodds, has played with nothing but hickory shaft clubs since 2009 and was selected for the 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021 U.S. teams playing in the U.S. vs. Europe Hickory Grail?
- That the Dead Possum Point, even though it involves all 16 players in a single match, is by far the fastest round of the tournament?
- That the Carroll Valley hole seeing the most BRRC birdies is No. 1 (51), followed by No. 3 (39) and Nos. 12 and 17 (36 each)?
- That the hole seeing the fewest birdies is No. 16 (8), followed by No. 18 (10) and No. 8 (11)?
- That Redmen captain Tim Saint-Maxens had the BRRC’s first and only hole-in-one (No. 3) in 2022, besting rival captain brother Tom’s birdie? Fittingly, all four players in the match were veterans dating back to the inaugural 1993 Cup when they accounted for half of the then 8-man field.
The BRRC Song
The Sites
Since 1996, the Blue Ridge Ryder Cup has been held at Carroll Valley resort in Fairfield, Pennsylvania, just west of Gettysburg. We are appreciative of the excellent service provided by the resort staff.
During its first three years, the event was held at courses in or near the West Virginia panhandle, with Charlestown’s rural Sleepy Hollow G.C. fondly remembered as hallowed BRRC ground.
The Awards
Aside from the Cup itself, the principal awards for individual BRRC participants are the event’s pewter awards. Each member of the tournament’s winning team receives a goblet with elaborate engraving, while members of the losing team each receive a smaller cordial cup with minimal engraving. A unique cordial cup is awarded to the player selected as the year’s most valuable player. The player’s growing forest of pewter vessels can be displayed on an engraved pewter tray which the player receives in his second year of BRRC competition.
In addition, members of the winning team are beribboned upon their arrival at the awards banquet.
Players also receive a “Mumms and Mums” award for birdies shot during the competition. Named for the original practice of bestowing a bottle of G.H. Mumm & Cie. champagne and a pot of chrysanthemums for each birdie, the award was subsequently curtailed to a bottle of champagne for one or more birdies.
The Flags
The BRRC flags have a cherished place among tournament traditions. Painstakingly handcrafted by Susan St. Maxens, the Betsy Ross of the BRRC, the flags convey the competitive drama associated with Cup competition, as well as providing critical information regarding the status of ongoing matches. Details regarding the five-flag system associated with the pole used for each match are provided under Guide.
The Fighting Mulligans
Originally known as the Blue Team, the Fighting Mulligans adopted their moniker after being pummeled in the second BRRC. The name is a takeoff on the Fighting Sullivans, the 1944 film classic about five brothers who, after setting off to war in high spirits and humor, are all killed in action.
In addition to captain Tom St. Maxens, the current Fighting Mulligan team includes son Colin and John Bryan, Rich Kristobek, and Tom Patton from the Washington, DC area, former Vanderbilt classmates Charlie Williams of Texas and Logan Sharpe of Oklahoma, and Lee Sandlin and son Matt of Texas.
The gentlemanly Fighting Mulligans are known for their love of tradition, planning, and dry wit.
The Redmen
The Redmen’s name harkens back to the school colors of Tim Saint-Maxens’ alma mater, the University of Maryland, which has also supplied current and past teammates including Mike Amanuel of California. Their lineup also includes Ted Leasure and Chris Kim of Maryland, Ernie Lepire and Joe Kefauver of Florida, Matt Dodds of Vermont, and new addition Neil Ryan, who was born and raised in Ireland.
The rambunctious Redmen are known for their love of late nights, independence, and hilarity.
