Thomas Lyte are honoured to be the official restorers of the Ryder Cup. The original Ryder Cup was made in sterling silver and gold plated back in the 1920s and there is only one in existence in the world today. Thomas Lyte have, in the past. also made two-third size replicas of the trophy for the players and management of the team.
First presented in 1927 by English seed merchant Samuel A. Ryder, the Ryder Cup was handed to The Professional Golfers’ Association of Great Britain to place as a prize for an international competition between American and British professional golfers.
The Ryder Cup was commissioned for £250. The trophy stands 17 inches high, is nine inches from handle to handle. It weighs just four pounds. The golfing figure depicted on the top of the trophy reflects the image of Abe Mitchell, a former gardener himself and a friend and instructor of Samuel Ryder. A bout of appendicitis prevented Mitchell from competing in the inaugural Matches in 1927. But he returned to compete for Great Britain in 1929, ’31 and ’33.
