The air begins to shudder and a buzz bubbles through the chatter of golf clubs around the world. We know it will be good, but we don’t know how great it could be. The Ryder Cup is less than three weeks away and the sporting world has decided to try out their paddles by giving them a taste of what will happen when they experience the best moments of the Ryder Cup; today with the USA.
1969, Jack Nicklaus dealership, Royal Birkdale
The esteemed Golden Bear has had his fair share of compulsory putts throughout his career, and while Tony Jacklin needed a botched holeshot that broke 6 feet on the final hole to reach the Ryder Cup, Jack Nicklaus knew how tense he was. To ease the pressure on Jacklin and avoid an American victory on an error, Nicklaus gave him the putt that led to the first-ever Ryder Cup tie. The United States was furious when the whole world applauded the great sportsmanship of the man who remains the greatest winner of all time.
1999: Putt by Justin Leonard, the country club
Far from the camaraderie of Nicklaus in 1969, we find golf that is simply excellent. Leonard stood on 17 with a 45-foot putt to hold against Olazabal and smashed the ball into the back of the cup. Forgetting that Olazabal still had a 22-foot putt to cut it in half and maintain his lead, the crowd and Leonard’s U.S. teammates exploded in ecstasy and went wild. Given the euphoric mood, it was no surprise that Olazabal missed half the point the United States needed to win the Ryder Cup. A clear example of the brilliance of match play and how quickly things can turn against you.
1981: The Untouchables, Walton Heath
Golf’s “golden generation” was known as the “untouchables” as they sought to exploit their promising and respected talent. Unlike the “golden generation” of English football, this American team, made up of such famous players as Nicklaus, Watson, Trevino, Floyd, Miller and Kite, defeated their opponents in unprecedented form. The 18 1/2 -9 1/2 victory over a European team that had won just two years earlier was memorable to say the least and was summed up perfectly by Larry Nelson, who completed his 100 percent record with 9 match wins.
1961-1975, Billy Casper
Perhaps the most underrated golfer ever considered one of the “big three” – Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer – has been celebrated for popularizing golf, and every appearance of Billy Casper at the Ryder Cup for the United States should be considered golf’s legacy. considered America’s finest times. Casper is a force in singles play with three major victories in golf’s best era and has surpassed that form in the Ryder Cup. A great player, he played eight matches and never lost. Additionally, he was the greatest putter of all time and cemented his place in Ryder Cup lore.
2008, Boo Weekley, Valhalla
There is near-consensus that Valhalla was the best Ryder Cup in history, at least on American soil. Paul Azinger was able to masterfully develop the American plan to finish Europe and achieve its first victory since 1999. But despite all the drama and technical moves, Boo Weekley’s driving style initially helped us remembering the pure joy that golf and the people involved can bring. While nine years of pain in the United States caused great tension on the ground, Boo dispelled the nervous atmosphere by jumping to the surface and mounting his rider like a pretend horse. This joyous act caused the local crowd to woo their local boy. It may have remained obscure, but Boo Weekley helped solidify and enshrine the 2008 Ryder Cup in our memories.
1991, Hale Irwin, Kiawah
No list of favorite moments would be complete without something weird and wonderful. The world may remember Bernhard Langer not-found the putt that lost Europe at the 1991 Ryder Cup, but no one remembers as much the accumulation of those 18 putts that ended the war on the shore. “With the match firmly in the balance, Hale Irwin appeared to give Europe the breathing space they needed to win the Ryder Cup for the first time on American soil, throwing his disc into the crowd on the left. Just as the United States appeared to seal their fate, the ball hit a spectator and returned perfectly to the center of the fairway. The rest, they say, is history until they realize that the person involved is none other than Ka.
