The 39th Ryder Cup was held September 28–30, 2012, in the United States at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, a suburb northwest of Chicago. This was the first time that the Ryder Cup was held in Illinois. Europe went into the competition as the cup holders, having won in 2010 to regain it. The team captains were Davis Love III for the U.S. and José María Olazábal for Europe.

José María Olazábal Manterola is a Spanish professional golfer from the Basque Country, Spain, who has enjoyed success on both the European Tour and the PGA Tour, and has won two major championships, both at The Masters.