Victory for Europe in the Ryder Cup yesterday afternoon was sweeter for its achievement in the face of the unsporting behaviour of the Chicago mob, egged on by some of the USA golfers themselves. And the resilience of the European players faced with a mountain to climb (from 6 – 10 down) was inspiring. They had to take eight of the 12 singles to retain the Cup and went a half better to win it outright. Tiger Woods’ bogey at the 18th typified the American collapse from their pomp of the first two days.
Well done, lads! Great entertainment!
Boadicea's Chariot 
I am not a golfer, but I was absolutely hooked last night, even punching the air when people I had never heard of before sunk a putt. It was a truly marvelous competition and I felt that even if Europe had lost it towards the end, the teams fig’ht back was so extraordinary that they would still have been ecstatic. Winning was just a huge bonus.
It was difficult to gauge the full extent of the alleged unsporting behaviour of the American audience. I suppose one would have had to be there to determine just how widespread the ‘boos’ and cries of ‘get in the water’ actually were. I would like to think that there were only a few badly behaved spectators and that the majority were as sporting as the European and American teams could have hoped for. I confess that I do find the relentless cries of ‘get in the hole’ to be puerile and irritating in the extreme. I suppose it could be prompted by people competing to have their voices broadcast to an international audience. Frat boys taking bets.
I felt very sorry for Tiger Woods. The poor man’s Ryder Cup history has been pretty dismal and yesterday’s performance was something he will long to forget, I am sure. But it does strike me as extraordinary that the world’s no 2 ranked player and probably still the most talented player around, should have fared so poorly. I could not help wondering whether he had any interest in the competition at all. In many ways he was on a hiding to nothing. For the past 15 years, he has been in a league of his own. There was Tiger and then there was everybody else. Even after his fall from grace, on and off the field, though I have no doubt the two are related, it must be difficult for him to be one of the boys. At the very end, when he missed his final putt, which he should have got and then allowed a ‘gimme’ to Molinari (or whatever his name is) struck me as being extraordinary. That last putt was no dead cert, under the circumstances. I thought it an extremely generous gesture; huge for Molinari as an individual. It allowed him to be included in the massive celebrations, with his head held as high as everybody else’s. However, I wonder how Woods’s captain and team mates felt. Was a draw as bad as a loss? Either way they were not getting their hands on the cup. On the other hand, some of them might have preferred to share the honours.
I know it is not fashionable to feel any sympathy for Woods, but the pressure placed on such a talented individual as he is, must have been and continue to be extraordinary. His wayward behaviour with regards to his marital relationship is typical of people who succeed at that level. It is, apparently, all to do with the high levels of dopamine and testosterone that are released into their bodies. It is almost as if they are drugged. It explains why so many successful CEOs and heads of state, who despite promising beginnings, turn into such wayward individuals. I have been reading a book called ‘The Winner Effect’ by Ian Robertson. I found it fascinating. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Winner-Effect-Power-Affects-Brain/dp/1408824736
One final point about American sportsmanship:
“I didn’t think you were going to miss that putt, but I didn’t want to give you the opportunity,” – Jack Nicklaus’s words to Tony Jacklin at the final hole of the 1969 Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale have entered golfing folklore. At the 18th, in the most competitive tournament the decade had seen, the young Englishman was left with a two-foot putt to tie the match, knowing that if he missed it, the Cup would once again go to the US. To the fury of his team-mates, Nicklaus conceded the putt.
I too stayed up watching, fist pumping with the players as great shots were made.
I thought that Phil’s applause for Justin Rose’s putt on the 17th and subsequent thumbs up another great sporting display
(got the picture from The Golf Channel you can watch the short 1:47 video here)
Well done Europe, a great performance.
Another thing that struck me was the ‘tribalism’ at the 18th, no sooner had victory been earned out came the individual national flags.
Didn’t watch any of it.
I reckon Tiger’s gesture to Frankie at the last allowing him a ‘gimme’ rather than insisting he played the ball, was overgenerous and has allegedly cost the bookies a mint!
Evenin’ Janus. I have to say that shoving it down the throats of the “Yoo-See-Ay” fan element of the crowd was something of a pleasure.
BTW, Peter Alliss’s commentary on the BBC was, as always, neutral, exemplarary and delightful to listen to.
OZ