The Ryder Cup, starting this Friday, is golf’s most electric team event, played every two years between Europe and the United States (US). Unlike regular stroke-play tournaments, where every golfer chases the lowest total, the Ryder Cup is about head-to-head holes and points for your side.

The contest runs for three days. On Friday and Saturday, captains send out four pairs of players each morning and each afternoon in one of two formats.

The first format is foursomes, also called alternate shot. Two teammates play a single ball, taking turns until the hole is finished. Before the round, they decide who tees off on odd-numbered holes and who tees off on even-numbered holes.

The second format is fourballs. All four golfers play their own ball on every hole. Each side counts only its lower score, and the better of the two scores wins the hole. Because a partner’s safe number can still count, players often attack more pins, which creates birdie runs and big momentum swings.

Sunday is singles day. All twelve players from each team go out one-on-one, creating twelve matches to decide the Cup.

Scoring is simple. Each match is worth one point. If a match is tied after 18 holes, each team earns half a point. There are 28 points available in total. The first team to reach 14½ points wins the Ryder Cup. If the overall score finishes 14–14, the team that won the previous edition keeps the trophy.