Jose Maria Olazabal knows a thing or two about the Ryder Cup, but his verdict on the events of the final day at Bethpage Black last week has caused a stir among golf fans on social media.
Olazabal was one of Luke Donald’s assistant captains in New York, and the Spanish legend has lifted the lid on the intense levels of tension and stress felt by everyone in the European squad on the final day.
Europe dominated the first four sessions and went into Sunday’s singles with a seemingly-insurmountable seven-point lead, and they looked likely to reach their victory target with ease after a bright start as they led in the top five matches.
But the USA launched an incredible fightback and took the contest to the wire, and Olazabal admitted his stress levels were going through the roof.
Ultimately, Shane Lowry birdied three of the last four holes against Russell Henley to snatch the half-point that ensured Europe would retain the trophy at worst.
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With the bottom four matches all in the balance, Lowry holed from six feet on the 18th green to prompt wild celebrations from all in the European camp, the euphoria mixed with relief at surviving the home side’s onslaught.
Olazabal, who played in the Ryder Cup seven times and captained Europe to victory in the Miracle at Medinah in 2012, admitted he never thought the winning moment would take so long as he expressed the depths of his despair over the final hours of the contest in New York.
“If Shane [Lowry] didn’t make that putt on [No.] 18, I think Team USA would have won the Ryder Cup.”@RyderCupEurope vice-captain José María Olazábal knew how important the clinching putt was at Bethpage. pic.twitter.com/1K82W3XZu0
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) October 1, 2025
And, although Europe eventually ran out 15-13 winners, the two-time Masters champion claimed that the USA would have reclaimed the trophy had Lowry not made that priceless putt at the last.
“To be honest, I didn’t think it was going to be that close,” he said in an interview posted on the PGA Tour Champions account on X. “At least it shouldn’t have been that close, but all credit to the US team. It was amazing how they fought, they almost turned things around.
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“And if Shane didn’t make that putt on 18, most probably Team USA would have won the Ryder Cup.
“The two-and-a-half hours before that moment were probably the toughest I’ve ever experienced in my golfing career. With that cushion, we should have closed the deal before that.
“So that moment was crucial, and that’s why it all came out, all the emotions, all the tension, all the stress and we were very conscious of it. Shane was also very conscious of it, and that’s why you saw the reactions we had.”
But some fans felt Olazabal’s claim was harsh on Ludvig Aberg, Europe’s only winner in the singles, while some said that Tyrrell Hatton and Bob MacIntyre should also have been given more credit for halving their matches to ensure outright victory.
Jose Maria Olazabal
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“If Aberg hadn’t won his match, Shane’s putt might have been irrelevant. Not nearly enough credit given to Aberg,” wrote one fan.
Another wrote: “Aberg was the man who got the only massive point, no one has mentioned how big that was.”
“Aberg was the man who got the only massive point, no one has mentioned how big that was,” added one observer.
“At that time the US needed every possible point from the 4 matches still in progress, including flipping the one in which they didn’t have a lead,” said another. “So I like to think Hatton and MacIntyre are watching this and thinking “what he say f*** me for?”
Others pointed out that Henley leaving two 12-foot putts short on the final two greens was a bigger factor, although another summed it up when he wrote: “Yeah, there’s always a world of ‘ifs’ out there.”
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