The Ryder Cup dates back to 1927, with American players taking on Great Britain in a two-day match. It expanded to three days, and the teams eventually expanded to include Ireland, then the rest of the continent of Europe.
Through 42 Ryder Cups, just four players have managed to 5-0-0 in a single Ryder Cup, the best possible record for a player. (From 1936-1975, a player could compete in six matches in a single Ryder Cup, but no player ever went an undefeated 6-0-0 in a single Ryder Cup. That's no longer possible with five sessions over three days of 28 matches.)
Four Americans have gone a perfect, undefeated 5-0-0 in a single Ryder Cup.
In 1967, two Americans went 5-0-0, with Arnold Palmer and Gardner Dickinson posting a perfect record. The Americans won at Champions Golf Club in Houston by a 23.5-8.5 count.
In 1979, Larry Nelson went 5-0-0 at the Ryder Cup, which should have locked up his future Ryder Cup captaincy with his three major titles, but it never did. The US went on to win at The Greenbrier Course at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, playing against a full Europe for the first time, by a 17-11 count.
In 2021, Dustin Johnson went 5-0-0 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, the same place where Bunkergate cost him an initial major championship in the 2010 PGA Championship.
Until 2018, no European player had managed to go a perfect 5-0-0 in a single Ryder Cup. At Le Golf National in Paris, however, Francesco Molinari capped off the best year of his career by going a perfect 4-0-0 in the foursomes and fourball matches with Tommy Fleetwood, a feat never done by a European duo in a single Ryder Cup. He then defeated Phil Mickelson in Sunday singles to officially earn the winning point to cap the European victory.
Four other players have managed to earn five total points in a single Ryder Cup, back when a player could play in six matches: Tony Lema and Peter Alliss went 5-1-0 in the 1965 Ryder Cup; Tony Jacklin went 4-0-2 in 1969; and Jack Nicklaus went 5-1-0 in 1971.
