Europe now has won seven of the last nine Ryder Cups but if they are to continue their run at Gleneagles in 2014, it will be without Olazábal at the helm. He has already announced that this first campaign will also be his last. His final duty is to take the Cup to Ballesteros’ place of rest in Pedrena, Spain as a show of respect to the great man.
Love became the first American captain to sit out every player at least once before Sunday, wanting them to be fresh for the final day. The strategy raised some eyebrows especially given the hot form some of his players had demonstrated in the team matches. Bradley and Mickelson, for example, sitting on the sidelines on Saturday afternoon was hard to fathom, after the pair had hammered Donald and Westwood 7 and 6 in the morning foursomes and were a combined 3-0 to that point.
"The plan worked the first two days," Love said. "It just didn't work today."
Whether or not Love, one of the most amiable pros you could ever wish to meet, will take some solace from the fact that his team were a part of one of the most enthralling spectacles the game has ever witnessed remains unknown. One hopes he did. That old cliché about it being a shame that someone had to lose has never been more apt.
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