GOLF MATCH - EUROPE WINS 'RYDER CUP'

MEDINAH, Illinois — Erasing some of their worst Ryder Cup memories, the Europeans wore the image of late Seve Ballesteros on their sleeves and played their hearts out yesterday at Medinah to match the greatest comeback in the sport’s history and head home with that precious gold trophy. 

Europe got its payback for Brookline. Martin Kaymer gave German golf redemption for Kiawah Island.

José María Olazábal(top left photo) squeezed his eyes and fought back tears when Kaymer holed a 6-foot par putt — about the same length that countryman Bernhard Langer missed at Kiawah in 1991 — to beat Steve Stricker and give Europe the point it needed to keep the cup.

Tiger Woods(above left photo) missed a 3 1/2-foot par putt on the 18th hole and conceded a par to Francesco Molinarin(above right photo) that halved their match, that extra half-point making it a clear-cut win for Europe, 14 1/2-13 1/2. Woods and Stricker, the anchors in the lineup, didn’t win a single match at Medinah.

 

 Golf legendary late Seve Ballesteros

• “This one is for all of Europe,” Olazábal said. “Seve Ballesteros will always be present with this team. He was a big factor for this event for the European side, and last night (Saturday’s night) when we were having that meeting, I think the boys understood that believing was the most important thing.”
• Ian Poulter was the first to embrace Olazábal, which was only fitting. It was Poulter who gave Europe hope Saturday evening when he made five straight birdies to turn a loss into a win and swing momentum in Europe’s favour. Poulter was up to his fist-pumping, eye-bulging tricks again on the final day, winning the last two holes in his match against US Open champion Webb Simpson.
• And he had plenty of help. Europe’s top five players in the lineup all won, including Rory McIlroy, who was lucky to be playing. McIlroy kept thinking his match was at 12.25pm — it was listed in Eastern time, not Central — and he needed a police escort to get to the course with 10 minutes to spare. Then, he came up with key birdies to hand Keegan Bradley his first loss of the week.

The biggest match might have belonged to Justin Rose(top left photo). He was on the verge of losing to Phil Mickelson(top right photo) when Rose holed a 12-foot par putt to halve the 16th, made a 35-foot birdie putt from the back of the 17th green to win the hole, and then closed out Mickelson with a 12-foot birdie on the last hole.

Europe now has won seven of the last nine Ryder Cups, and even more remarkable about this comeback is that they did it on the road.

Source: AP, Reuters