Ryding high
Michael Henderson
THERE can be little doubt that the 34th Ryder Cup — which Europe regained at the Belfry last weekend after beating the more fancied Americans by three clear points — was the outstanding sports event of the year. The golf was magnificent, the behaviour of the spectators exemplary, and the outcome on a glorious final day, when the weather was at its autumnal best, afforded immense satisfaction, at least to the Europeans.
Played every two years by the finest golfers of Europe and America. the tournament was put back a year last September after the horrible events in New York. As a consequence of American fears, the security at the Belfry, just outside Sutton Coldfield, was thorough — excessively so. The 35,000 spectators who attended on each of the three days were driven in by bus, leading to huge queues before, during and after play. But everybody muddled through in a manner that conferred great credit on the queuers, who were rewarded by a superb European performance.
One man stood out. Colin Montgomerie has never won a Major title (that is, one of the four great championships) and, at 39, he may never do so. It has been said of Monty, a gifted, complicated man, that he is the finest golfer never to win a Major, but even if he never does he can look back fondly on a Ryder Cup record that compares with the best. Unbeaten in singles matches since his debut in 1991, Monty won four and a half points out of a possible five at the Belfry, contributing nearly a third of the team's tally.
The Ryder Cup, of course, is about matchplay, not strokeplay. In other words, golfers win holes, either singly or in pairs, and while this brings out the best in players like Montgomerie it drives others to distraction. On that blissful final afternoon, the 12 singles matches brought the Americans only two victories. Europe had five winners, and another five matches were halved. Bearing in mind the talent on the American side, that was an astonishing result, and it showed just how greatly matchplay golf can confound expectations.
Nobody was more confounded than Tiger Woods. The world's best golfer looked out of sorts all week, opting to practise the day before the tournament started at the crack of dawn, contrary to the rules of engagement, and wearing his customised outfit in preference to the American team colours. His was the performance of a man who only feels right when he is playing by and for himself, and the Ryder Cup is about the team. How otherwise did those Europeans find the emotional nourishment to win the points they needed?
Led superbly by Sam Torrance, their nonplaying captain, the Europeans looked a happy, united team at all times. Torrance, who helped the Europeans regain the Ryder Cup at the Belfry in 1985 as a player, had said beforehand that he would step down after this contest, but now there is talk of him staying on for the next tournament, in Detroit. 'I just led them to the water,' he said of his players, 'and they drank copiously.'
It was a shock for the Americans, who expected to win but whose players fail to understand the nature of international competition in a team sense, mainly because most of the games they play are unfamiliar to the rest of the world, There was no crowing after Paul McGinley's putt halved his singles match, and secured victory for Europe, but there was rejoicing at a wonderful result. It was a glorious day for the Europeans, for the game of golf and for the spectators, who made the tournament such a joy.
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