Poulter typifies European pride

What a fantastic week. I feel for some of the American team, Bradley Mickelson are names that come to mind. However I don't feel anything for TW or the US fans..... Some of the things that were yelled were horrible - things about Seve, telling Poulter to 'not hit it in the water'? Typical yanks. At least we can be slightly dignified.

The European team did themselves proud, especially on Sunday. I think there are a few things to think about though. Like should Hanson have played on Friday? And are Rory and GMac that good partnership? (Coming from a Northern Irish-man)

Ian James Poulter should be already guaranteed his place for 2014. He was the inspiration on Saturday that led to the fantastic day yesterday.

Well playd Europe.I do believe a lot of humble pie has been eaten today by a certain few people on this blog,and may they learn from there mistakes

Interesting blog Ian, the us have two years to figure out how to win it. The wild cards for the states in Stricker and Furyk did not really work and it puzzles me why when Tiger and Stricker were struggling they kept being put out together. Keegan and Phil gelled really well and Tiger and one of the young guns might have been a better option.
It was great to see all the euro players come good in the singles Rose beating Mickleson was amazing to watch (Don will be happy). Poulter is now the euro mr Ryder cup, the guy drove the team on and never gives up. You have to wonder why he does not win more tournaments as with all that drive and self belief he should be much higher in the world rankings.

To steal a phrase from another manager and another sport...... THE RYDER CUP- BLOODY HELL!!

#1gbell

I agree that 100%, fine post

Oh by the way Ian the blog golf weekend is this week, if you can't make it you can always send Ken on the course Brown to do a write up ;-)

Never have I been so enthralled by the game of golf. There's something about playing not only for yourself, but your country/continent that keeps you glued to the television. If ever the Ryder Cup could be encapsulate within one individual, it would be Poulter. His passionate performance Saturday night single-handledly set the tone for, and inspired the others to follow his lead come Sunday in the singles matches and they delivered.

You have to feel a little for the Amercans. They were all splendid to a man, and behaved like gentlemen, especially Mickleson, but Furyk's match with Garcia was probably the moment Europe becames favourites when he fluffed a few putts and gifted Garcia the point.

DaveyboyF. Don't forget Lee and Kaymer came good when it mattered. As Mania has stated I hope there will be a lot of the regulars ( you know who you are JM ) eating huge slices of humble pie and apologise to those who never lost faith.

Great piece Iain, so good to see a character like Poults getting the positive focus he deserves. Olazabal played a blinder too I would say. I thought from the opening press conferences he bested Davis Love. It's easy to underestimated the effects this can have. Check out the impress Coaching blog. https://ow.ly/e8gWD

From 13.20 on Friday until early this morning I watched - and I don't mind admitting that I'm still clueless as to what actually happened.

It strikes me that The Ryder Cup is almost akin to two tournaments in one - the foursomes/balls, where the US players looked far more comfortable yet confident having a teammate at close quarters than the Europeans did, and the singles, where the Europeans thoroughly excelled and showed an inner strength and courage the likes of which is rarely seen.

Every single one of the European team (captain/vice captains/players) can be immensely proud of not only the achievement, but the way in which it came about - in the face of every odd being stacked against them, they were successful. If I had to pick out a highlight - I would be partisan and say that Paul Lawries victory over Snedeker was, for me, THE ultimate chest puffed out moment. Truly magical round from him.

Now, when is the ballot for 2014? Whenever it is, please be kind to me.

Wcihis yes they all played their part quite fitting that the out of form Kaymer holed the winning putt. I have to admit I thought it was to big an ask to win it especially with the US only needing 4 and a half from 12 to win, they just ran out of steam and maybe as the Europeans got used to the course set up and the greens the home advantage was nullified.

"In essence it was going to be one bunch of PGA Tour pros against another, two groups of pals contesting a famous trophy but without the hostile edge of old."

I don't think you could be further from the truth. The way the drama unfolds at each and every Ryder Cup, there is no way that this is the case. If you had different players every two years then maybe so, but players on both teams have been through the pressures of this competition and would never let it become "humdrum"

When Kaymer stood over that putt I bet I wasn't the only one thinking about the Langer one. Highlights for me were Micklesons reaction to Roses putt, and the joyfull looks on Keegan and Duffman's faces at the closing ceremony.

Absolute class from Lefty giving the thumbs-up and applauding Rosie for draining that 40 footer on the 17th, genuine sportsmanship. He has gone up in my estimation big-time.

Also very magnanimous of Tiger on the 18th although my immediate reaction at the time was that he maybe should have simply offered instead of actually conceding ... you never know, Molinari might have actually fancied the legacy of holing the winning putt.

Looking forward to Gleneagles already where there will actually be some rough (lol) and also hopefully plenty of wind.

Congratulations Team Europe and congratulations Olllie ... Seve is very proud of you.

Can anyone help me by saying who the European young bloods will be in 2014? Guys like this year's US rookies who did so well? Just interested...

A lot is made of the Phil show but you can't keep an act like that up the guy seems the real deal a true class act and gent. He plays the game with a smile and a gung ho attitude but fans the world over love him. Tiger was also very gracious in giving Molinari the putt, especially as he had a tough time of it. At least next time he won't be carrying Stricker.

Skippo two years is a long time and who knows who will come through, Tom Lewis may come back, Mannesero will be a bit older and possibly more competive. Not that many of the current team will be too old to play oldest would be Westwood at 41

Posters on PGA blogs are saying that Tiger missed the putt deliberately because he was unhappy about being hidden away in last place cos the yanks were convinced they had it in the bag. Can't believe it myself but he never looks a happy bunny in team comps. 2013 can't come quick enough for him and his latest swing.

Skippo, not too many good young British players coming through but there are three very good young Spaniards - Fdez-Castano, Cabrera-Bello and Larrazabal - who hopefully can make the grade and continue the Seve and Ollie legacy.

Hopefully Paul Casey will be back to something like his best then also.

Would also like to add that I really dislike Johnny Miller. As some of you know I am currently living in the states and having to listen to that man commentate was a nightmare. This is roughly what he said as Lawrie and Snedeker teed off:

'Snedeker for me is the odds on favourite. For this match to go Europes way Lawrie needs to play his best and Snedeker needs to have a bad day.'

I hope he ate some humble pie after that. It was so satisfying beating them after some of the things he came out with.

VAMOS EUROPE!

Skippo - Rory McIlroy is pretty good and young as well. I can see him causing some trouble in 2014.

I hope that Monty will get 2014 again, so we don't have to suffer his appalling commentary again.

Can I remind Iain Carter that he absolutely slated Pouter in 2008 when he would not change his schedule to include playing more European tour events thus relying on a captains pick. This blog post is a bit two faced.

I agree that Poulter has become a Ryder Cup legend. Amusing, however, how many of the people who laud him condemn those same sort of antics when they come from an American (e.g. Bradley).

Tiger, the poor guy just can't win, can he? He missed his putt neither deliberately nor through nerves/pressure, but because his adrenalin and concentration had gone with the cup having been lost. He then conceded to Molinari and knockers say he's being 'petulant'. No, just dejected. And why not? ... he tried, tried hard, but underperformed woefully.

Great RC, anyway, one of the absolute best.

Poulter was fantastic. Considering the amazingly partisan crowd, he had total focus and conviction and was certainly a major part in keeping them quelled. Although ever the iron man on the course, like Micklesonhe showed the gentlemanly side of the sport by asking the crowd to keep quiet while Simpson was taking his fairway shot.

The defining moment though was Furyk dropping his putter in joy at what he thought was a sunk putt on the 16th. He went on to lose the match....The fat lady still have a few verses to sing!

With all the players from both sides "pumped up",Mickleson has once again shown to the world what a fatastic golfer ang gentleman he is,poor old Tiger cannot do anthing right,personnelly I would ike to applaud him for conceding the putt to Molinari,it just goes to show that he to is a gentleman on the course and that "winning" is in deed not everything although you can bet he was probably the most gutted player out there,when he could have again become the darling of american golf.

A quick question will the team or Poulter win SPOTY ?

wow yes SPOTY ... Mo Farah, Jess Ennis, Andy Murray, Bradley Wiggins ... or Ian Poulter!

Any of the 5 would be a worthy winner but personally my vote would be for Wiggo.

The team have to be in with a chance of team of the year, but no realistic chance this year for any golfers for the individual SPOTY. Wiggins, Murray and Olympians (Ennis, Farah) will be at the top of that list. Poults is sixth favourite at about 40-1 according to today's odds, and I suspect that's as close as he will get.

Er the team is a European team so does not actually qualify doh

Golf will get a mention in dispatches at spoty but that will be it. The Olympics will take over and rightly so.
And back to golf, Tiger does the right thing and gets slated how does that work? In the grand scheme of things the match was over and anyone thinking Tiger missed a putt on purpose needs a jacket with strange sleeves. The guy thrives on pressure and is a proud man who respects the game so to think that he would miss on purpose is a joke.

@31Daveyboy
Are you telling me that the previous fotball teams that have won team of the year all had british players ,I think you may have your doh, as well as a piece of humble pie

I have criticised Ian Poulter in the past, for not winning as often as his dress sense suggests. But he is now one of my heroes, well played I tip my hat to you. Carry on doing what you do best. I look forward to the time when he captains the side.

@31 daveyboyfletcher

Could you please eat a very,very large piece of humble pie as,surprise,surprise the winner of sports personality team of the year 2010 ? The Ryder Cup team

Er er ok I will have a large slice of Dons finest with custard thanks none of that gravy stuff ha ha

We really have been spoilt this year. From Andy Murray's classic semi final match with Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in January to last night's sporting drama at its raw best, I don't remember a year where so many sports have given us this much joy, despair, entertainment but most of all such levels of skill and dedication.

I've never been a huge fan of Ian Poulter, but the way he played this weekend has changed that completely. When Europe looked down and out on Saturday afternoon it was like he was dragging the rest of the team around with him, carrying them to that vital fourth point and showing them that they weren't out of it, there was still a chance. It was an unbelievable show of passion and leadership when just about everybody else (me included) seemed like they'd resigned themselves to defeat.

And boy did it rub off, Europe's big hitters, for so long looking down and out came out Sunday ready for a fight. Donald, Westwood, McIlroy, Sergio and Rose all played like we all know they can but had rarely seen this weekend. Paul Lawrie quietly going about his business like he so often does, a real unsung hero of the team. By now Poulter was being predictably brilliant and what a relief to find a German ready to sink the vital putt - always a reliable pair of hand in a shoot-out!

Brilliant brilliant weekend, I still quite can't believe it happened.

I'm still a quivering, blubbing wreck, but can I just say this:

The Radio 5 Golf commentaries were outstanding, fantastic, brilliant, and so much more. A truly memorable and great piece of broadcasting. Thank you and well done.

I must say the terrific moments when Ian Poulter got the crowd cheering him on - EVEN when he was about to hit the ball!! Quite extraordinary when considering how much quiet is normally demanded at a player's ball address. I hope it doesn't catch on though - too much noise will spoil the tension. Then again......... But what a game and what a result. To have to win so many singles to win - and we did - is the best thing I have seen in golf in the many a long year.

Of the many stand out moments, one of them has to be the sportsmanship of Phil Mikelson.

Course setup at Gleneagles is going to present an interesting choice. Set it up for a long hitting / putting contest like Medinah or put the emphasis on ball striking. Home advantage suggests the former IMHO.

A few observations on what was a quite remarkable Ryder Cup (and many, many congratulations to the European team).

The first 5 Europeans out on Sunday were simply magnificent. The impetus gained from these matches was critical to victory - well done to Jose-Maria and the rest of the team (even Peter Hanson who unluckily won 0 points from 2 matches; he played brilliantly to recover from 4 down on Sunday).

I think Jim Furyk needed his captain to help him (rather surprisingly). On the last 3 greens he took so long to work out the line on each putt that I believe he lost his usual "feel" for the putt. Maybe paralysis by analysis?

I'm not sure what Davis Love thought of Tiger's concession on the last. A tie might at least have given the USA team something to be thankful for, not that I think Francesco would have missed the putt, but it was well outside gimme distance.

Talking of gimmes, at least 2 of the putts the USA asked Europe to hole out were no more than a foot in length, and there was no way even I would have missed them. I was amazed they weren't conceded. Peter Hanson was certainly not amused with Jason Dufner as he walked off the green at one hole, although Lee took it in good humour.

Staggering that Davis Love continued to partner Woods and Stricker after they amassed 0 points from 2 matches on Friday.

What did Keegan Bradley look like both during the play and especially after the match? He reminded me of a character in a horror film!

I've no doubt that all 24 players had passion, desire and determination by the bucketfull. What sets Poults apart is his ability to channel those emotions to achieve the most remarkable things. His birdies on the closing 5 holes on Saturday gave his team mates belief and perhaps sowed a seed of doubt into the mnds of the american team.

Firstly a big congratulatiosn to the European team. I feel special mention must go to Jose-Maria Olazabal. To see him during the opening ceremony, eyes mositening at the mere mention of Seve Ballasteros, was to see a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He didn't want to win the Ryder Cup for himself, the European Tour or anyone else. He was doing this for his old friend, team-mate and mentor. If he had failed, if Europe hadn't mounted the motehr of all comebacks, one can only imagine how he'd have felt. I'm no psychologist, but I'm guessing the emotional scar tissue would have taken some healing. As it is, he can sleep at night now, sure in the knowledge that he didn't let Seve down.

The inquest into the 'Chicago Chokers' began in the US almost as soon as Tiger Woods and Francesco Molinari shook hands on the 18th green. Several fingers have been pointed at the selection of the experienced duo of Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker. Several people on these very pages raised eyebrows at the selection of these two, pointing to the fact taht their experience (Furyk's especially) consisited mainly of losing! I don't know who it was who said "Experience is simply making the same mistake over and over again, with increasing certainty," but somebody at the PGA of America should pass the adice to the next US RC Captain. Furyk and Stricker join a list of veteran American players- Curtis Strange, Fred Couples, Tom Watson, who were given Captain's Picks in their later years based on 'experience,' and then failed to deliver on that. Rmember that, next time you're angling after a pick for Harrington, European fans!

To watch the not-so-gentleman-Jim fall apart down the stretch was a study in what pressure can do to a man. I'll employ my favourite-ever Peter Alliss quote here; "Everything about him gave the look of a man who knew he was going to miss." Alliss was referring, of course, to Doug Sanders' famous missed three-fott putt on the 72nd hole of the 1970 Open, but he could equally ahve been referring to Furyk on the 18th green. If ever there was a man giving off bad vibes, it was there. Furyk is what they like to call 'Methodical' (and what I like to call 'Bloody Slow') at the best of times, and he took an entire Ice-Age to put club to ball. The ore he waited, the more he pondered, the more obvious it became that Europe would be getting another point.

This will almost certainly be Furyk and Stricker's last Ryder Cup- with only 8 players getting automatic selection now, I can't see them playing their way onto the team and they surely won't get another Captain's Pick. Where Tiger and Phil stand is more difficult to judge. Phil had a godd Ryder Cup, returned a useful 3 from 4 points and could eb considered unlucky to lsoe his match t Rose in the singles (Kudos to Phil for the way he took the loss). I hope to see him at Gleneagles, but he only just made the US team this year by the skin of his teeth, and unless his play picks up, you'd have to question whether he'd get a pick, given the aforementioned failure of 'experienced' players.

Sadly, I think Tiger probably will be at Gleneagles. I say 'sadly,' becsue the guy clerly has no time for the Ryder Cup, and I'm sick of all his insincere, on-message soundbites and platitudes trying to claim otherwise. Anyone who wants an example of what's wrong with Tiger should examine the 16th hole of the Friday Fourballs and consider it 'Exhibit A.' Tiger's just drained a clutch putt to peg him nd Stricket to one-down in their match with Nicolas Colsarets. Stricker's been sruggling all day, chunking his drive into the drink one hole previously. Do you go up to him, high five him, punch fists, put on a display of team unity and have a quiet word of encouragement. No, of curse not, this is Tiger Woods! What he did do was point at somebody (not sure who it was but it was in the general direction of the bank where the non-playing meembers of the US Team were sat), high fived his caddie, then stormed off to the next tee as if he were playing for hismelf in a Major. It was no surprise that at the next hole- a long par-3 over water with wind a major factor, that Stricker again found water. Tiger, you sir are an idiot!

Well guys we have loads to talk about after that weekend...what a fantastic performance by Europe and USA. What Europe did on the last day was simply amazing but it was made possible by the collapse of the USA team.

and I wont say I told ya so regarding Westwood being an embarressment and out of his league...but he was a distrace golf wise (ya ya I know he won his singles with a fantastic round of 70 and fair play because we did need him) but he will need to sort out his game pretty sharp if he is o survive in the states.

No doubt Poulter's birdie run on Saturday was pivotal,without it winning 8.5 to 3.5 would still not have been enough from a 11-5 deficit.

I would also say that on the Sunday even those that lost played their part, even when Europe got to parity, the fear was the middle and lower parts of the singles would not produce. Those that lost were key because none of them got a beating,it only needed a couple of early finishes and large winning margins for the Americans to then sense victory,pump up the crowd and as a result hold on in the closer games and scramble over the line. It never happened, so yes Poulter the main man but everyone played their part.

Westwood, Westwood, Westwood - what the hell is it with some people on here ? The man is a Ryder Cup LEGEND - that's 8 consecutive appearances - won a crucial point Sunday and is looked up to by the rest. But all some of you want to do is criticise the man - won 2 lost 2 over the weekend - that's fine - previous RCs have seen a won 4 lost 1 so, hey, he must be rubbish now ! And apart from Tiger and Phil, can anyone name another of the 24 players who was in the World Top 10 in 2001 and still there 11 years later ???? Thought not.

Ross are you after the title of Don Longs Apprentice? In all fairness you make some good points, though regarding Tiger I think your being a bit over critical. Team golf might not be his thing but why should he high 5 Stricker who was nothing but a passenger.
DL3 might regret not picking Mahan who had a bit of a point to prove after Celtic Manor and Ricky Fowler who would have added to the young guns team ethos.
On the other hand Ollies picks came up trumps and both especially Poulter delivered ponits and more to the team.

Westwood played like a 10 handicaper. Colsaerts counted on all 18 holes against Woods\Stricker (except where Westwood made one of his few pars and Colsaerts missed his birdie and picked up). If Westy didnt get a player on such bad form for the singles and lost then people would be calling for him to retire because I really was like watching a train crash in slow motion.

I hope he hangs up his gloves before he ruins his reputation. I respect him too much to watch him fall to the waste side.

48- Fair point davy, re: Stricker and not contributing. But to revisit that 17th tee for a moment, the US were one down in a match they had a good chance of winning- imagine what would have happened if the US had gone 4-0 in the Friday fourballs? Westwood was out of every hole almost (cue entry from jamesmatthew), so Tiger and Steve ought to have been scenting blood against a European rookie playing in his first ever RC match. Maybe Stricker isn't a high-five sort of guy, but I think Tiger should have made it his business to walk over to Stricker, and put a quiet word in his ear to the effect of 'You can do this, I need you to hit a solid tee shot on the green here, garauntee us a par and leave the rest to me.' Something to make him feel like he was part of the enterprise. Now, I admit, I wasn't there and for all I know he did say that. But the way he just marched off like that, I half expected him to lift his shirt-up Balotelli-style and reveal a t-shirt saying 'It's all about ME!'

Positives:-

- Ian Poulter's inspirational play all week. You've just got to love his reaction when he holes one of those vital putts!

- Rory's contribution. Unlike other former no. 1's. All the talk of him being a 'marked man' etc was just talk. With a better performing partner than G-Mac he might have done even better. No doubt Don247 will be in his 'dark room' doing some cutting and pasting to detail where the week all went wrong for Rory!

- USA couldn't keep up the incredible putting performance of the first 2 days - I've never seen so many long putts holed. I was gobsmacked when Davis Love talked about how team USA had so many lip-outs the first 2 days!

- Olazabal - maybe not the most vocal captain ever, but you couldn't help but be moved by the emotion showed every time he talked of Seve. The only think I might have done differently would have been to rest Westwood a little earlier.

- Beating arguably the best US team in 20+ years. On paper we were more or less a match, but they had more players in good form. Some of ours hadn't shown much for a while eg Kaymer, Hansen, Molinari, perhaps even Westwood.

- Sportsmanship was good - some people are commenting on short putts not being given, but I personally think that's fair enough - I've always taken the view that if it's short enough to be considered a gimme then it's no bother to knock in either. Woods' concession at the last to give Europe the victory surely outweighed a couple of short ones.

Negatives:-

- Great course for matchplay with the par 3s over water etc, but I wasn't a fan of having no rough. I know that was the perogative of the US captain, but it made it a bit of a nonsense to have NO rough whatsoever.

- I thought the crowd were on the edge a couple of times - generally later in day after a few drinks. I don't mind cheering a missed putt as that's just cheering a US win/half, but shouts of get in the water or booing when someone backed off a putt were OTT.

- having to watch with an inebriated father-in-law who tried to talk through the whole thing. VERY annoying!

oh dear yet again the tiger bigots ride in to vent their hatred, why not just revel in what was an amazing sporting spectacle and enjoy the win.

The ryder cup was excellent, but the problem i see with european golfers is that they appear to see winning the ryder cup as the pinnacle - it's all about majors and i think the european mindset is wrong when it comes to majors, with one exception - Rory.

53- I'm sure the major winning Martin Kaymer would be delighted to read that comment about "the european mindset is wrong when it comes to majors, with one exception - Rory"

JM if you respect Westwood kindly put a sock in it and stop talking out of your ***.
If as a 10 handicapper most people playing that poorly would clean up every weekend.
You clearly have absolutely no idea about what your talking about time for you to jog on and play with the soft toys as that is clearly your level bye bye!!!!!!

Why all the talk about course set-up, it didn't affect this tournament, not all the europeans are straight hitters and it made for a wonderful, attacking competition - surely that's what you want.

Keep the hacking out for us opens, and opens.

The silly thing about the ryder cup is the players records, westwood was carried by colsaerts in the friday 4 ball and gets a point for his record, tiger was -7 for his round and has a losing score for his record.

Records aren't necessarily a true reflection of the games.

What was strange about this cup was that the americans were stronger in the 4somes and 4balls - normally thats the europeans fortay - then the europeans were stronger in the singles, normally the american fortay.

I guess we'll see very few of the europeans playing in europe next year, thats the sad bit for me, they don't play in europe enough for my liking and make the comps up in the majors, wgc events.

In my eyes its not a true tour v tour - its european born players v american born players and thats how it should be billed.

Rose was magnificent at times, and most of the European team excelled in the singles. But this really was Poulter's Ryder Cup. He was unbelievable, not only winning matches on desire and stare-eyed intimidation, but also inspiring those around him to do better. Without him Europe would have been buried in the first two days. I know it sounds like hyperbole, but for me Poulter's performance at Medinah stands with Botham's in the 1981 Ashes: he was that inspiring, that tremendous.

I hope SPOTY can find an award for him when the time comes around, because he certainly deserves it.

Thank you Jose Maria and your wonderful team. You have made me very happy !!!!

I know that Kaymer won a major and McDowell, but none of the europeans have a spectacular record, poulter, donald, westwood, garcia.

Why do these guys have such a formidable record in the ryder cup, but can't replicate it in majors? They obviously have the skill, balls, talent, determination - so why not in stroke play? or when they don't have a team backing them up?

The course was set up as easy as it could be and yet Westwood managed 7 birdies between 2 fourball matches and a singles. WOW...world number 4? The system obv has a huge flaw in it.

A few random thoughts from me:
- JMO’s speech, where he dedicated the win to Seve, was a real tear jerker. One of the most emotional sporting moments I’ve seen for a long time
- What makes the victory all the more unbelievable is the number of “oh so nears”. For instance: Rose boxed 3 amazing putts to come from 1 down and win, not to mention a great par save on 15. Furyk nearly went 2 up (and dormie) on 16 – missed by less than a cm, and then bogeyed in to lose. Just based on that, it would have been a win to them.
- My view of Tiger’s concession – initially he probably thought his match would be a dead rubber, but then for most of the last hour his match it started to become clear that it would be crucial. So he probably went from playing with little pressure to gradually realising that he had to get a result. Right up until his final approach shot, he could have been the man to save the RC. So now he in his zone, under pressure, just how he likes it. cometh the hour etc. Then as the green clears, he finds out that he can’t win. Slightly deflating, but he still has pride to play for, and the tie. He misses the green, misses the chip, then misses the putt and that final miss took the wind out of his sails. At that point I believe that he’d had enough and just wanted to get it over with. I don’t think it mattered to him whether he halved or won by then, and he was tipped over the edge by missing a relative tiddler after a really bad week.
- Agree with John (#46) that the losing players (notably Hanson who scored zip all week) had a part to play. He came back from 4 down to take Dufner up 18, and because he kept it alive so long, Poulter, Rose, Garcia, McIlroy etc all retained hope. Had Dufner closed him out it could have been say 13-10 or whatever and might have seemed like a lost cause
- Would also add that Lawrie’s comprehensive spanking over Snedeker gave us some huge momentum and also left that twerp Miller with some serious egg on face.
- My fave hobby horse of loutish behavior. I think a few of the US team overdid it (Bradley, Simpson in the main). Funnily enough I liked Bubba’s OTT rabble rousing, as it seemed to be done in a different spirit, and notably Watson acted sportingly in defeat and also told the crowd to pipe down more than once. I think the fact the Europe were getting caned for most of the match worked in their favour. The crowd didn’t need to gee up%2

A few random thoughts from me:
- JMO’s speech, where he dedicated the win to Seve, was a real tear jerker. One of the most emotional sporting moments I’ve seen for a long time
- What makes the victory all the more unbelievable is the number of “oh so nears”. For instance: Rose boxed 3 amazing putts to come from 1 down and win, not to mention a great par save on 15. Furyk nearly went 2 up (and dormie) on 16 – missed by less than a cm, and then bogeyed in to lose. Just based on that, it would have been a win to them.
- My view of Tiger’s concession – initially he probably thought his match would be a dead rubber, but then for most of the last hour his match it started to become clear that it would be crucial. So he probably went from playing with little pressure to gradually realising that he had to get a result. Right up until his final approach shot, he could have been the man to save the RC. So now he in his zone, under pressure, just how he likes it. cometh the hour etc. Then as the green clears, he finds out that he can’t win. Slightly deflating, but he still has pride to play for, and the tie. He misses the green, misses the chip, then misses the putt and that final miss took the wind out of his sails. At that point I believe that he’d had enough and just wanted to get it over with. I don’t think it mattered to him whether he halved or won by then, and he was tipped over the edge by missing a relative tiddler after a really bad week.
- Agree with John (#46) that the losing players (notably Hanson who scored zip all week) had a part to play. He came back from 4 down to take Dufner up 18, and because he kept it alive so long, Poulter, Rose, Garcia, McIlroy etc all retained hope. Had Dufner closed him out it could have been say 13-10 or whatever and might have seemed like a lost cause
- Would also add that Lawrie’s comprehensive spanking over Snedeker gave us some huge momentum and also left that twerp Miller with some serious egg on face.
- My fave hobby horse of loutish behavior. I think a few of the US team overdid it (Bradley, Simpson in the main). Funnily enough I liked Bubba’s OTT rabble rousing, as it seemed to be done in a different spirit, and notably Watson acted sportingly in defeat and also told the crowd to pipe down more than once. I think the fact the Europe were getting caned for most of the match worked in their favour. The crowd didn’t need to gee up t

60- "Why do these guys have such a formidable record in the ryder cup, but can't replicate it in majors? "

I imagine the sublte differences between the 72-hole Strokplay/medal-play majors and the single-round match play Ryder Cup accounts for some of the difference. It may also account for Tiger/Phil/Furyk etc having lamentable RC records.

To take the point further- listen to Rory McIlroy talk about his PGAChampionship win rceentley, and you'll hear hear talk of setting targets. 'Posting a number' he calls it. Rory, and all top players, know what a good score for an 18 hole round is on any gven day and many will try and play to that over 1-2 rounds and see where it leaves them. Rory said he set himself a goal of scoring 67 in the final round at Kiawah,a nd played to that, not worrying about anything any other player was doing (ian Poulter had charged thru' the field and was only a stroke in arreas of Rory at one point).

In Matchplay, of course, that's impossible- you're playing the man as well as the course. Also you can't set yourself a goal, as evey hole becomes an event in it's own right. Tiger shot -7 on Friday afternoon, but still lost! There are tactical advantadges to playing an approach shot firt, putting first etc. if you can pull the shot off, there is more incetive to go for low-percentage, high risk shots as the penalty for getting it wrong (lose one hole at worst) is not the same as cocking it up in strokeplay (running up a triple bogy is usually far more damaging). Also the shorte format- only 18 holes as opposed to four rounds- is conducive to fluke wins. Philip Price has probaably never beat Phil Mickelson in a 72-hole strokeplay event, but by hook or crook he managed to better him in 18 hole matchplay.

Not the complete answer for sure, but it is a contributory factor

A few random thoughts from me:
- JMO’s speech, where he dedicated the win to Seve, was a real tear jerker. One of the most emotional sporting moments I’ve seen for a long time
- What makes the victory all the more unbelievable is the number of “oh so nears”. For instance: Rose boxed 3 amazing putts to come from 1 down and win, not to mention a great par save on 15. Furyk nearly went 2 up (and dormie) on 16 – missed by less than a cm, and then bogeyed in to lose. Just based on that, it would have been a win to them.
- My view of Tiger’s concession – initially he probably thought his match would be a dead rubber, but then for most of the last hour his match it started to become clear that it would be crucial. So he probably went from playing with little pressure to gradually realising that he had to get a result. Right up until his final approach shot, he could have been the man to save the RC. So now he in his zone, under pressure, just how he likes it. cometh the hour etc. Then as the green clears, he finds out that he can’t win. Slightly deflating, but he still has pride to play for, and the tie. He misses the green, misses the chip, then misses the putt and that final miss took the wind out of his sails. At that point I believe that he’d had enough and just wanted to get it over with. I don’t think it mattered to him whether he halved or won by then, and he was tipped over the edge by missing a relative tiddler after a really bad week.
- Agree with John (#46) that the losing players (notably Hanson who scored zip all week) had a part to play. He came back from 4 down to take Dufner up 18, and because he kept it alive so long, Poulter, Rose, Garcia, McIlroy etc all retained hope. Had Dufner closed him out it could have been say 13-10 or whatever and might have seemed like a lost cause
- Would also add that Lawrie’s comprehensive spanking over Snedeker gave us some huge momentum and also left that twerp Miller with some serious egg on face.
- My fave hobby horse of loutish behavior. I think a few of the US team overdid it (Bradley, Simpson in the main) and some of the crowd were crass, as per gbell's remark. Funnily enough I quite liked Bubba’s OTT rabble rousing, as it seemed to be done in a different spirit, and notably Watson acted sportingly in defeat and also told the crowd to pipe down more than once. Strangely though, the fact the Europe were getting hammered for most of%

A few random thoughts from me:
- JMO’s speech, where he dedicated the win to Seve, was a real tear jerker. One of the most emotional sporting moments I’ve seen for a long time
- What makes the victory all the more unbelievable is the number of “oh so nears”. For instance: Rose boxed 3 amazing putts to come from 1 down and win, not to mention a great par save on 15. Furyk nearly went 2 up (and dormie) on 16 – missed by less than a cm, and then bogeyed in to lose. Just based on that, it would have been a win to them.

/ continued:
- My view of Tiger’s concession – initially he probably thought his match would be a dead rubber, but then for most of the last hour his match it started to become clear that it would be crucial. So he probably went from playing with little pressure to gradually realising that he had to get a result. Right up until his final approach shot, he could have been the man to save the RC. So now he in his zone, under pressure, just how he likes it. cometh the hour etc. Then as the green clears, he finds out that he can’t win. Slightly deflating, but he still has pride to play for, and the tie. He misses the green, misses the chip, then misses the putt and that final miss took the wind out of his sails. At that point I believe that he’d had enough and just wanted to get it over with. I don’t think it mattered to him whether he halved or won by then, and he was tipped over the edge by missing a relative tiddler after a really bad week.
- Agree with John (#46) that the losing players (notably Hanson who scored zip all week) had a part to play. He came back from 4 down to take Dufner up 18, and because he kept it alive so long, Poulter, Rose, Garcia, McIlroy etc all retained hope. Had Dufner closed him out it could have been say 13-10 or whatever and might have seemed like a lost cause
- Would also add that Lawrie’s comprehensive spanking over Snedeker gave us some huge momentum and also left that twerp Miller with some serious egg on face.
- My fave hobby horse of loutish behavior. I think a few of the US team overdid it (Bradley, Simpson in the main). Funnily enough I liked Bubba’s OTT rabble rousing, as it seemed to be done in a different spirit, and notably Watson acted sportingly in defeat and also told the crowd to pipe down more than once. I think the fact the Europe were getting caned for most of the match worked in their favour. The crowd didn’t need to gee up the US team nor put off the Europeans. By the time a defeat looked possible it was too late and they had lost their momentum. Hopefully the US team will stop this 13th man nonsense in future.
- Did anyone notice Woods' reaction at the closing ceremony. Love made some comment about how great the team was, or the team spirit or something, and Woods just looked as if to say 'yeah, right'!
- Phil Mickleson and Watson were especially gracious in defeat and so was Love. Furyk, understandably, was crushed.

Apologies - it wouldn't let me post, and then I split the post and it's got on there twice. Well nearly. No I'm not going senile

Nice way to get your point over BMG if you dont read it the first time then catch it all again a second time.
One of the more pleasing aspects was the failed tactic of taking out of 1000 trees where the US bombers were supposed to land there balls. If you hit a drive 50 yards wide into trees you should be punished for it. Not have a line to the green from an unsurprisingly perfect lie. The same can be said about the 'rough'. The Ryder Cup is not so much about a test of golf but more about a test of nerve. Europe won the test hands down.
Sunday night will go down as one of the most tense sporting occassions ever as the Europeans came back point by point.

BMG - you're in danger of repeating yourself there!!

WoW BMG a quadruple post well done.

can someone do me a favour and complain about comments 62, 63 and 65 as they are all repetition. I don't know how to get them removed and am feeling a little foolish right now. A bit like Dave after comment 31 probably

Wow, That was quite something.

It seems that almost every Ryder Cup is pronounced the best ever in the aftermath of the event, it is hard to argue this time around.

A little negative first. The course set up was in my opinion very poor indeed. I know the home side has the perogative to have the course as they would want it but a good set up tests every aspect of your game, i dont feel as though Medinah, with DL3's no rough policy did that.

Plenty more positives though, The behavious of the crowd was generally better than expected, yes there were idiots that spoilt it but you cant condemn 40,000 for the actions of a select few prats. I doubt we would see a European crowd cheering poor american shots quite so gleefully but i think american culture is different and it may grate on some (Yes it grated on me at times) but you just have to accept it.

I thought the conduct of the players was excellent, BMG if you are going to criticise American loutish behaviour then what of Poulter? I thought that the players were all respectful to each other and set an example in sportsmanship that was very good to see. Its already been said but a special mention to Mickleson. Top class.

The issue of Woods concession has raised its head and there are those cynics suggesting he missed on purpose go get back at DL3, Utter Rubbish. My initial reaction at the time as i watched live was that he made a very sporting gesture and was to be aplauded, however hearing his post round comments i have changed my attitude a little bit, here's why.

If you cast your mind back to 1989, (The last tied Ryder Cup) The americans managed to clinch a tie with victories in the final 4 matches, including 3 which went down the last. They carried on fighing and scrapping and playing with pride even in the knowledge that the cup couldnt be retained. Contrast that with Woods interview in which he said words to the effect of "the match was lost, I just wanted to get out of there". No the match wasnt lost, and i'm sure that looking back many of his team mates would have preferred to have been on a team that tied the Ryder Cup rather than lost it.

Finally i hope that in years to come we this isnt remembered as an american choke, but as a great Euro comeback. All those player at the top of the field were significantly under par. They won their matches, it was a privelidge to watch

What do people think about Europe having 1 or 2 more wildcard picks in future ?

Cant help but think it will help Europe out in future at least having 1 more wildcard as you can pick form players , we were thankfully lucky in the end so its glossed over now how many of our players were out of form and frankly were not trusted , you cant afford to carry 2 or 3 players.

As a previous poster touched upon i immediatly thought about Langer , how could you not ? , brilliant from Kaymer though held his nerve under what must of been the most intense pressure you can feel in sport.

#51 You are entitled to your view on short putts not conceded, but my view is that when a putt is unmissable (which in all honesty they were) then it is disrespectful not to concede. Otherwise I think all players should hole out all the time.

#57 It is not Amercian born players vs. Eiropean born players, since the European Tour specifically do not allow European players who only play a different tour (e.g. Carl Pettersen) to be selected. This, I think, is unfair and should be changed. If, for example, Rory gave up his European Tour membership to focus entirely on the PGA Tour he would not be eligible for selection.

Is it just me or were the speeches at the closing ceremony a huge let down?

DL111's speech was clearly a winners speech quickly and poorly doctored to cut out the winning part and congratulate the opposition...said with zero sincerity.

and Ollys speech was just as bad...I wanted to hear him say how amazing the final day was and speak from the heart and not from teleprompter. There was no emotion in any of the speeches. I felt a huge anti climax after they were done. I was left wanting.

Absolutely brilliant by the whole European team !! Practically written off by everyone else but NOT themselves. Pure self belief and talent got them over the line. They all played their part even those who scored nil, half or 1 point(s). It is a team game.
If SPoTY was actually based on the word in it's title then Poulter would be the stand out candidate for this year in high achievement for many sports.

The Americans played some fantastic golf but in the end they must be crestfallen having been on the end of that ! I suppose stricker was picked to partner TW and don't forget a year ago they swept the board at the Presidents Cup. Furyk is also a good player but those missed putts (by both picks) were ultimately the ones that cost the USA the cup. They may change the system again for next time and only have 2 picks again. Surely it is better to have someone who has shown a bit of form ? But then again ask Kaymer !!:-)

I take TWs "giving" of the putt just as it is. A good act of sportsmanship that didn't affect the outcome of the match nor the destination of the cup. It just meant the party could start in earnest a few seconds earlier.

Again congratulations to the WHOLE of the European team / party !

and the US policeman !!! ;-)

That must have made a nice change from being found wanting eh James?

Jamesmathew - I sometimes even enjoy your wind-up posts, but your last line of "I was left wanting" was a classic even for you.

Blimey BMG is your computor set to Monty I say boy I say boy repeat mode and you dont read Don Longs posts had to laugh. Yeah yeah and join in with suitcase in the mickey take, pie ordered large slice, I was having a JM moment at the time.
Oh by the way lots of shouts promoting your book Geddin the hole all very sporting of the US crowd sales should go through the roof.

Well said 47 , Westwood should be cut some slack , hes one of Europes all time great RC players and has contributed big time to previous wins.

A look at the world rankings for the singles match-ups suggests that the USA were favourites to win most of Sunday's matches. Looking at the results for both sides, Poulter, Lawrie and Kaymer were the only players able to beat an opponent ranked higher than they were (Molinari halving), ie no American was able to play above themselves. If all results had gone per the rankings, the USA would have won the singles 7pts to 5, and the overall match 17-11. So much for the traditional belief that the Americans are stronger at singles, with Europeans players relying on their reknowned team spirit to earn points on the first two days.

Poulter (ranked 23) bt Simpson (ranked 8)
Kaymer 32 bt Stricker 11
Lawrie 28 bt Snedeker 9
Molinari 31 halved with Woods 2

Other results:
Donald 3 bt Watson 7
Rose 5 bt Michelson 16
McIlroy 1 bt Bradley 15
D Johnson 13 bt Colsearts 35
Duffner 10 bt Hansen 25
Z Johnson 17 bt McDowell 18
Garcia 19 bt Furyk 23
Westwood 4 bt Kuchar 14

For me, the most meaningful quote of the many we have heard is Kaymer saying that when faced with his 5-6ft return putt to win, said to himself that he just knew he just HAD to hole it, no doubt, no room for uncertainty. This says so much about what we already know about the merits of eliminating fear and staying positive over short putts. But I would love to hear how he felt when he realised that his first putt on the 18th had gone that far past the hole. It seemed at the time that all the hard, miraculous work to get the Europeans this close had been achieved, but that one errant lag putt was about to blow it all. Well done Martin Kaymer. Berhardt Langer must have loved it!

@ BMG.....weren't so random after 4 posts !!! ;-)

74- what good would extra wildcards do? yes Kaymer and other were a little out of touch, but could you honestly say there ws a European player (possible exception of the ridiculously excluded Carl Petterson) who deserved to be part of our team who was not? The two picks that were named were the two highest ranked Europeans in the OGWR that weren't already on the team. Having extra wildcards for it's own sake doesn't garauntee vistory- asked Davis Love III!

This is unfair. I try to make one, admittedly rather long, post. I have technical trouble and it ends up multiplying. Now I'm the laughing stock of the blog.

Well I would be if it wasn't for 'you know who'

Jimmy - interesting point about the level of celebration which is acceptable. It is a bit subjective, but I don't have a big problem with the way Poluter or Rose or Garcia celebrated, with a bit of a fist pump and shouting 'COME ON!'. Poults was a bit OTT but still OK.

Neither do I have a problem with the way most of the US team celebrated. FOR instance, Mickleson on 17 when he nearly chipped in and did a low five with one of the watching team mates. A bit excessive (esp ecially as he lost the hole!) but OK.

What I do object to is inciting the crowd, enocuraging them to be rowdy. Examples: Bradley and Simpson making the gesture (whatever its called) to encourage the crowd. Tom Lehman in 1999 running across the green like a lunatic perform multiple fist pumps and inciting the crowd. Calls for the crowd to be the 13th man. Why? Can't you win fair and square?

Look at someone like Lawrie or Westwood. A clench of the fist, a tip of the hat and maybe a single fist pump. As I said, Bubba was so OTT that it was funny and brought a real atmosphere to it. Its the way he did it, with humour.

I just think that some of the US team went a little overboard and it backfired because Bradely, Simpson and Furyk seemed to totally lose their composure when they realised that the match was slipping away

PS Jimmy, did you see the way Rose celebrated? On 17 he just walked up to the hole, fists clenched (probably not the only thing) and eyes focused like mad. And then on 18 a massive release (steady Russ) and then he actually apologised as he realised he was looking stright at Phil, and toned it down.

Class from Rose, and I might add class from Phil too. Amazingly gracious loser. Contrast with Furyk.

BMG If the cap fits and all that , makes a change to have the upper hand over you!

86.At 11:34 2nd Oct 2012, The Boike-Meister General wrote:
Jimmy - interesting point about the level of celebration which is acceptable. It is a bit subjective, but I don't have a big problem with the way Poluter or Rose or Garcia celebrated, with a bit of a fist pump and shouting 'COME ON!'. Poults was a bit OTT but still OK.

Neither do I have a problem with the way most of the US team celebrated. FOR instance, Mickleson on 17 when he nearly chipped in and did a low five with one of the watching team mates. A bit excessive (esp ecially as he lost the hole!) but OK.

What I do object to is inciting the crowd, enocuraging them to be rowdy. Examples: Bradley and Simpson making the gesture (whatever its called) to encourage the crowd. Tom Lehman in 1999 running across the green like a lunatic perform multiple fist pumps and inciting the crowd. Calls for the crowd to be the 13th man. Why? Can't you win fair and square?

Look at someone like Lawrie or Westwood. A clench of the fist, a tip of the hat and maybe a single fist pump. As I said, Bubba was so OTT that it was funny and brought a real atmosphere to it. Its the way he did it, with humour.

I just think that some of the US team went a little overboard and it backfired because Bradely, Simpson and Furyk seemed to totally lose their composure when they realised that the match was slipping away

Though you might have wanted to repeat that BMG.

BMG:

"What I do object to is inciting the crowd, enocuraging them to be rowdy. Examples: Bradley and Simpson making the gesture (whatever its called) to encourage the crowd."

I propose that from henceforth we refer to the said gesturing as 'Doing a Bradley.'

sorry- wrong poster- it was WCIHIS, not BMG

@84 - this time the system worked well for us but if we had more picks in the future it could only be beneficial. It was only 2 years ago we were having to leave out players in the top 10 of the world.

@ Ross....Petterson plays full time on the PGA tour and therefore cannot qualify on "European" tour grounds. He is also a naturalised US citizen. So if he were to play for anyone it would be for the US - though I'm not sure if he qualifies because of not being born there ? He hasn't finished high enough in the rankings so that bridge hasn't been crossed yet.
The captain specifies the no. of wildcards and some may want 2, 3 or 4 or if they're brave enough 1 (or 12 ??)

Ref Closing ceremony. US team full of the usual plaudits whilst keeping a stiff upper lip in the face of defeat. Europe not wanting to rub the oppositions noses in it. I thought it was a decent spectacle apart from that plonker Salmon !! Talk about freeloading.

Rose is a gentleman...pure and simple. I was very happy to see him win like he did. You can tell it meant a lot to him. This might be the belief he needs to go on and win a major.

Powerhitter Thats why the system was changed this time and it worked out fine, also remember Monty had 3 picks Ollie was happy with 2. The US 4 picks did not really work for them so leave well alone i say.

93- I'm well aware of the reason why Petterson can't play on the European team- my point was that a) the reasons are ridiculous b) my point to the Fridge and other s is he is the only 'European' golfer who I consider would have improved the European team in ameaningful way.

92- the qualifying process has changed since Celtic Manor to favour players who are high in the world rankings but don't necessarily play in Europe that much. Also, the reason why Justin Rose/Paul casey missed out on Celtic Manor was BECAUSE we had three wild cards- one or the other would have qualified automatically had we had ten automatic spots, not nine. As it was, they both missed out in favour of Monty's old mucker, the largely ineffective Harrington.

@jamesmathew Westwood played a man in Kuchar who was actually on good form and had won both his previous matches in RC 2012 and outplayed him down the stretch showing his mettle and plenty of bottle to hole a succession of difficult putts over the closing holes, contrary to one of your favourite criticisms of him. Your arguments, as usual, are without merit and actually rather childish, posting about little else other than how "useless" Westwood is. Try being a little creative, you might find you then make a meaningful contribution to the debate!

What we need is BMG to repeate a few p[osts and then we will be on page 3

What we need is BMG to repeate a few p[osts and then we will be on page 2

Ross - in a way you're actually arguing aginst yourself here. If Europe had a third Captain's pick then Petterson could be selected (in theory obviously, if he was a Euro Tour member) and the out of form Kaymer would have been left out. In those circumstances having the extra pick would surely have been seen as very beneficial.