The Ryder Cup frequently finds its essence in the fervor of the local public and the familiarity of the course. However, it is the victories achieved in hostile territory, across the Atlantic, that usually leave an indelible mark.This year, Luke Donald returns as captain with a European team that many consider one of the strongest in history, seeking a momentous victory on American soil. History predicts a tough challenge at Bethpage Black; the European team, despite its recent successes at home, has only achieved four victories on U.S. territory against the U.S. team.Each of those victories had its own drama, its heroes, and its lasting impact.
El equipo europeo rompió su racha en EE. UU. en 1987, con Seve Ballesteros como estrella en Muirfield Village.In 1987, at the Ryder Cup held at Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village, few outside the European camp believed in a visitor victory. The U.S. had an undefeated home record of 13-0 over six decades and, despite the European victory at The Belfry in 1985, many still saw the hosts as the dominant force. Muirfield, Nicklaus’ pride, was meant to underscore that superiority.But Tony Jacklin’s team had other ideas. Led by the fire and talent of Seve Ballesteros and the icy precision of Nick Faldo, Europe took a 6-2 lead on the first day, winning all four afternoon fourball matches, and then increased that lead to 10½-5½ after Saturday. They were on the verge of history.Sunday’s singles brought the inevitable pressure and a valiant comeback from the U.S., but the Europeans held firm. Eamonn Darcy’s victory over Ben Crenshaw, whose broken putter became a symbol of American frustration (he played with his 1-iron after the sixth hole), was one of several brave victories that sealed the 15-13 triumph. Ballesteros, who scored the most points with four points, was the man with the decisive putt in a 2&1 victory over Curtis Strange.Europe had shown that it could travel, compete, and conquer.
1995 – Oak Hill Country Club, New York
Philip Walton embocó el putt ganador para Europa en 1995 en Rochester.In 1995, the Ryder Cup was no longer a one-sided American affair, but victories in the U.S. were still rare and revered.Europe arrived in Rochester under the experienced gaze of Bernard Gallacher, captaining the team for the third and final time after narrow defeats at Kiawah Island and The Belfry. The opposition was inexperienced, but ambitious. Promising rookies like Tom Lehmann and Phil Mickelson complemented major winners Corey Pavin, Ben Crenshaw, Curtis Strange and Fred Couples, while Europe had at its disposal three of the six best golfers in the world: Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Colin Montgomerie.But when the U.S. led 9-7 before Sunday singles, which they had won in the last four Ryder Cups, few imagined they could be caught.What followed was one of the most precise Sundays of the Ryder Cup. The visitors claimed 7½ of the 12 individual points on offer to win the contest 14½-13½. Despite Europe’s might, it was the modest Irish rookie Philip Walton who kept his cool to win 1-up against Jay Haas and secure the vital point.Europeans delivered when it mattered most.
2004 – Oakland Hills Country Club, Michigan
Europa dominó a EE. UU. en 2004 con una puntuación récord.If there was ever a Ryder Cup where the final result never seemed in doubt, it was at Oakland Hills in 2004. From the first session, Langer’s Europe seemed more precise than their American counterparts. The score of 18½-9½, a record at the time for a European team (they would repeat the result two years later), barely told the full story of how complete this victory was.Europe dominated in all but one session. The score was 6½-1½ at the end of Friday, when the much-heralded Mickelson-Tiger Woods partnership was defeated, and 11-5 after two days.Faced with a mountain to climb, the U.S. only won four singles matches on Sunday. It was a thrashing.
Every European player contributed to the scoreboard, a rare and powerful symbol of unity. Stars like Sergio García and Lee Westwood were outstanding, but it was the collective effort that overwhelmed the U.S. “The best team I’ve ever been a part of,” Montgomerie would later say.
Oakland Hills not only felt like a victory, it felt like a declaration.
2012 – Medinah Country Club, Illinois
Ian Poulter fue un hombre poseído el sábado y lideró a Europa de regreso a la contienda, antes de un milagroso último día.
Few sporting comebacks rival what Europe achieved in Medinah. Losing 10-6 entering the final day, and facing an in-form American team playing in front of a roaring Chicago crowd, José María Olazábal’s team seemed defeated. Then, a seismic shift.
The spark came on Saturday afternoon, when Ian Poulter, a man possessed, birdied the last five holes of his fourball match with Rory McIlroy to give Europe a lifeline. Then, on Sunday, the European players, one by one, began to turn the matches.Donald set the tone. McIlroy arrived late but delivered. Justin Rose’s birdie-birdie finish, with a 40-foot putt on the 17th, was impressive. And Martin Kaymer, facing enormous pressure, holed a nerveless putt on the 18th to retain the cup. When Woods missed a four-foot putt to tie the last match with Francesco Molinari, it was all over.They won 8½ of the 12 individual points, surprising the U.S. and sealing a 14½-13½ victory. Olazábal, captaining with Ballesteros’ silhouette embroidered on his chest, dedicated the victory to his late friend, who had passed away a year earlier. Emotion welled up from every European player.The Miracle of Medinah, the greatest comebacks in the Ryder Cup, was completed.
