A Major Month

Brilliant. So the trophy was shared. The tournament committee had been anxious to avoid any sort of tie-breaker, where the captains or their nominated deputies would face immense pressure in a sudden-death shoot-out. So the rules stated that (and I paraphrase), "In the first year, in the event of a tie, the trophy will be shared between the two teams. In subsequent competitions, in the event of a tie, the trophy would be retained by the previous winners". It strikes me there's a fatal flaw in that ruling! What happens when they tie next time?!

With the Ryder Cup now more than just on the horizon, allow me to continue my reminiscences of the competition over the last twenty five years. Following on from the thrills of Kiawah Island in 1991, the Americans brought a strong team to The Belfry in 1993, under the captaincy of Tom Watson. His picks were two battle-hardened warriors in Lanny Wadkins and Ray Floyd, at fifty-one the oldest man to play in the Ryder Cup. It was to be their last Ryder Cup, as it was for Tom Kite, another formidable opponent.

The Belfry had been carved out of flat potato fields. A not inconsiderable number of folk felt that it had served mankind better in its previous incarnation. It's since been extensively nipped and tucked and has matured into an interesting and testing challenge, but then it was pretty ordinary, save for two great match play holes; the 10th, a driveable par-4 to a tiny green well guarded by tall trees and water, and the par-4 18th, with both drive and second shots over water.

Both holes were potential game-changers and so it proved on many an occasion. Covering a relatively small acreage, echoing roars from all parts of the course produced tremendous excitement. But with autumn setting in, the competition took awhile to get going. The first morning the course was enveloped in a thick layer of fog. By the time it had cleared enough for play to start there must have been well over ten thousand people lining the first fairway in an eerie stillness. Rookie Davis Love III confessed he was too nervous to drive at the first. It was a particularly intimidating environment. Over two and a half days Europe built a lead and held it deep into the singles, but two rookies trembled at a crucial stage. Barry Lane and Costantino Rocca led their matches with a few holes to go, but both succumbed at the last. It turned the tide and it was left to the steely veteran Floyd to claim the winning point. It was to be the last time that America retained the cup, and the last time that they've won it on European soil. Tom Watson, of course, has been recalled to the colours to try and rectify that situation at Gleneagles this September. It should be worth watching …