Europe produced a stunning final-day
comeback to win the Ryder Cup at a
shell-shocked Medinah.
The United States required only four-
and-a-half points from the 12 on offer,
but the Europeans secured eight and a
half to clinch a historic 14½-13½ win.
Martin Kaymer sank a five-foot putt on
the 18th green to get his team to the 14
points needed to retain the trophy.
Then a Tiger Woods bogey on the final
green of the final match gifted Jose
Maria Olazabal's side overall victory.
The victorious European captain said:
"To the 12 men of Europe, what you
did out there was outstanding. All men
die but not all men live and you made
me feel alive again this week.
"I don't know how heaven feels, but it
must be close to this."
The win matches the record recovery of
Ben Crenshaw's US team in Boston in
1999 and is the best from a European
side in the Ryder Cup.
It was a fitting tribute to the late Seve
Ballesteros, the man who did so much
to reinvigorate the competition and
whose trademark navy blue and white
the side wore on the final day in
Chicago.
"Seve will always be present with this
team," said fellow Spaniard Olazabal.
"He was a big factor for this event, for
the European side. Last night, when we
were having a meeting, I think the boys
understood that believing was the most
important thing. And I think they did."
Kaymer held his nerve in the
penultimate singles match to beat Steve
Stricker, having been given some simple
guidance from Olazabal.
He said: "Jose Maria told me: 'We need
your point. I don't care how you do it,
just deliver.' But I like those, it was
straightforward. That is the way we
Germans are. Fortunately, I could
handle it and I made the last putt."
The German's putt was the high point
of an afternoon of scarcely believable
drama where Europe first clawed back
their overnight deficit of four points and
then matched their opponents point
for nerve-shredding point.
Blows were traded down the stretch,
one side grabbing the initiative before
the other snatched it back, until it came
down to the last two matches on the
final two holes.
Both were all-square, with overall score
locked at 13-13.
When Steve Stricker three-putted on the
17th, Kaymer had a one-hole lead. The
German then made a brilliant approach
from a bunker on 18, rolling home the
pivotal putt as Stricker crumbled under
the pressure.
It was left to Italian Molinari to seal
overall victory, when he halved his
match with Woods.
"When I knew I was coming out last, I
was really happy because I knew the
guys would do a great job and it would
come down to the last matches," he
said.
"Martin did a great job and I just fought
as hard as I could to get that last point."
For the first time in three days, Europe
had come charging out of the traps,
Luke Donald going into an early two-
hole lead over Bubba Watson and
muting both his opponent and the
crowd in the process.
With Justin Rose also two up on Phil
Mickelson, Rory McIlroy holding off the
previously unbeatable Keegan Bradley
and the unheralded Paul Lawrie taking
early control against Brandt Snedeker,
there was an entirely different
atmosphere around the course than
there had been on the first two one-
sided days.
Donald had been asked to do what
Colin Montgomerie had done in 2004
and win the first point of the day in
style. And he did so on the 17th despite
a late charge from Watson.
McIlroy's day had begun in
extraordinary fashion, confusion over
his tee time meaning he was still at the
team hotel with just 25 minutes to go.
Thanks to a police escort, he eventually
reached the course 10 minutes before
he was due to tee off.
His battle with Bradley was a see-saw
classic, but he got his nose in front on
the 14th and went two up on the 15th
before closing out with a long putt on
17.
Poulter has been brilliant all week and
made it four wins out of four in typically
indomitable fashion against Webb
Simpson.
Poulter had gone two holes down early
and only went in front for the first time
on par-three 17th when Simpson finally
cracked under the enormous pressure
and stuffed his tee-shot into the bunker
left.
Simpson then pulled his iron approach
to the 18th while Poulter fired his from
out in the oak trees to 13 feet. When the
American's desperate long putt sailed
way past, Europe had their third point
in three.
A week after winning £6m at the Fed-Ex
Cup, Snedeker was clobbered 5&3 by
Lawrie, but Rose's triumph over the
previously unbeaten Mickelson was
more remarkable.
One down on 16, he nailed a nerveless
putt to half the hole and then produced
a wonderful 30-footer on the sliding
17th to go all square.
Mickelson, magnanimous, grinned his
approval, but then slashed his
approach to 18th over the back and
watched aghast as Rose clipped his to
15 feet and then curved in a stunning
birdie for the match.
The points kept coming for Europe. Jim
Furyk collapsed from the same position
against Sergio Garcia by pushing two
six-foot putts right. Then, after Zach
Johnson held off a tired Graeme
McDowell, Lee Westwood found his
form to beat Matt Kuchar 3&2 and put
Europe 13-12 up.
It was peerless sporting theatre, the
sun-drenched autumnal course awash
with excitement.
When Jason Dufner held his nerve to
see out Peter Hanson two up on the
18th, the score was level again at 13-13
with just two matches, both all-square,
left on the course.
None of the four players still in action -
Kaymer, Stricker, Francesco Molinari
and Woods - had won a single point
between them all week.
Stricker broke first, making a dreadful
mess of his putts on 17 and then
booming his approach to 18 long, while
Kaymer conjured up a beauty from the
fairway bunker.
With Woods going one up on Molinari
on 17, Kaymer had two putts for the
Cup. And he somehow held his nerve
as the shadows lengthened to seal an
extraordinary triumph.
With the packed home galleries silent
with disbelief, a dazed Woods then
blew two putts from within eight feet to
hand Molinari a half point and with it
overall victory to the Europeans.
"The boys understood that believing
was the most important thing and they
did," said Olazabal.
US captain David Love admitted defeat
was hard to take and compared it to the
loss Europe suffered at Brookline in
1999. "We know what it feels like now,"
he said. "It's a little bit shocking. We
were playing so well."
USA 13½-14½ Europe
Singles matches:
Watson lost to Donald 2&1
Simpson lost to Poulter 2 up
Bradley lost to McIlroy 2&1
Mickelson lost to Rose 1 up
Snedeker lost to Lawrie 5&3
D Johnson beat Colsaerts 3&2
Z Johnson beat McDowell 2&1
Furyk lost to Garcia 1 up
Dufner beat Hanson 2 up
Kuchar lost to Westwood 3&2
Stricker lost to Kaymer 1 up
Woods halved with Molinari
Source- BBC
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