It was a miracle then and it’s still a miracle now. Just Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose survive from that famous Sunday night in Chicago thirteen years ago as they look to help lead Europe into a dawn of a new Ryder Cup era in New York.
Medinah was Europe’s fourth triumph on American soil, which is actually double of what USA have managed on away turf since the Ryder Cup saw Great Britain and Ireland strengthened by the inclusion of European players in 1979.
37 European players have won on US soil in Ryder Cups including seven Irishmen which is another testament to how we punch above our weight in the world of golf.
Shane Lowry will hope to make it eight on Sunday night in Bethpage Black.
Home advantage has dominated the Ryder Cup but before 1985, USA had a complete strangehold on the competition. You’d dare say split the 50 states in two…
A run of twelve wins and one draw, including three successive victories in the USA v Europe era, was where things stood heading into 1985.
Europe were licking their wounds after a narrow one point defeat in Florida but bullish with the belief that they could now take down the stars and stripes.
Much like the competition needs an away win now, it needed a European triumph then. The home victory in 1985 paved the way for a famous landmark away win two years later in Ohio.
15-13 to Europe who included Ireland’s own Eamonn Darcy.
Darcy, in his fourth appearance for GB&I and Europe, beat Ben Crenshaw to earn Europe’s 13th point, his performance proved indespensable as it ultimately determined an outright win. (Europe would win by the score 15–13.)
It would be the Wicklow man’s only ever individual point in Ryder Cup history. What a time to get it.
The celebration wasn’t bad either, the wife’s handbag and a quick slap on the bum from Sam Torrance. Iconic.
Europe wouldn’t win again until 1995 when they crossed the Atlantic to Oak Hill Country Club, New York. Going into the Sunday singles matches, Europe trailed by 2 points, 7 to 9. For the first time, they overcame a deficit entering the singles to win the Cup. T
he unheralded Irish rookie Philip Walton secured victory for Europe by defeating Jay Haas.
“Long time ago!” chuckles the Dubliner. “I see it so often on the TV, they keep showing it! Ah it was good times yeah.”
The three-time European Tour winner feels silencing the American crowd will be key and trying to make the atmosphere as loud as possible for Donald’s charges this week and he mentioned while the American fans can be loud, they aren’t fond of sticking around when things go against them.
“You have to be quite strong to get through that (American crowd). Playing in front of an American crowd is very hard. I couldn’t understand though that 10,000 people were in the stand behind the green and as soon as my match was finished, I was like ‘where’s everyone gone?’ They were all Americans who didn’t want to hang around for the celebrations.”
Then came 1999. Actually, let’s not go there. Ben Crenshaw had a good feeling.
2004 was Europe’s record breakers. 18.5 to 9.5 in Oakland Hills. The largest ever win for the continent. It was also the largest margin of defeat for the USA since the competition started in 1927.
Three Irishmen in Darren Clarke, Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley were part of Bernhard Langer’s side. But what is even more impressive is that Europe went to America with FIVE rookies and hammered them.
A heavy loss in 2008 was Graeme McDowell’s first innings in a Ryder Cup but in 2012 he and McIlroy were part of a European side who rallied miraculously from 10-6 down heading into the Sunday singles, winning eight and tying one of the 12 singles matches to win the cup outright.
“I was still part of the team and part of the magic, great Sunday night!” says McDowell. “I remember Saturday night when Ian Poulter had birdied the last five holes. We were bouncing off the walls in the locker room, and we were 10-6 down! We had no reason to be bouncing off the walls, but we were and that’s part of the magic that happened on Sunday.”
That was the last away win for any team in the Ryder Cup.
Since then it’s been one home bashing after another. Scorelines of 16.5-11.5, 17-11, 17.5-10.5, 19-9 and 16.5-11.5 have left the Ryder Cup in dire need of some juice
Where there’s been a European away win, there’s always been an Irish influence.
