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3. THE GREAT AMERICAN COMEBACK (1999)
The 1999 Ryder Cup began with a flap over whether the American players should have any stake in the millions of dollars the PGA of America made off the event. None of them looked to be worth a dime against Europe at The Country Club, where 19-year-old Sergio Garcia made a dynamic debut and every move made by U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw turned out to be the wrong one.
European captain Mark James didn't bother playing three players until Sunday singles, and seven of his players never sat out. It appeared to work just fine with a 10-6 lead after two days. Before heading off to the team room, Crenshaw wagged his finger at the camera and said, "I'm a big believer in fate. I have a good feeling about this." And with that, he walked out of the room.
Crenshaw loaded the front of his singles lineup, and the Americans won the first seven matches, none of them even reaching the 18th hole. Players whipped up the crowd into a flag-waving frenzy, and the emotions spilled over the top at the end. Justin Leonard rallied from 4 down against Jose Maria Olazabal, and they were all square playing the 17th hole. A halve would be enough to complete the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history.
Leonard's 45-foot birdie putt rammed into the back of the cup, and his teammates (and wives) stormed across the green -- even though Olazabal still had a 25-foot birdie putt to halve the hole. When order was restored, Olazabal missed and the Americans had won the cup.
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2. BEAR'S TRAP -- CAPTAIN JACK LOSING IN HIS OWN LAIR (1987)
Europe had finally ended a losing streak that had lasted 13 matches dating to 1957 when it won at The Belfry in 1985. But it still had never won the Ryder Cup on American soil, and this looked to be a daunting task. The European team was in the midst of internal turmoil, and it faced a U.S. squad with Jack Nicklaus as the captain, playing on the Muirfield Village course that Nicklaus built.
And it was no contest.
The European players and administrators cleared the air over drinks on the eve of the Ryder Cup, and they took it to the Americans like never before, particularly in the clutch. Fourteen of the 28 matches went to the final hole. Europe won seven of them and halved four others.
A newcomer to the European team was a young Spaniard named Jose Maria Olazabal, and thus began the fabled "Spanish Armada." They won three of their four matches as Europe built a 10 1/2-5 1/2 lead, and the Americans never caught up. The height of their frustration came from "Gentle" Ben Crenshaw, who snapped his putter after six holes of his singles match with Eamonn Darcy and had to use a 1-iron or the blade of his sand wedge to putt the rest of the round. Darcy won, 1 up.
The lasting image is the European team celebrating from the balcony of the clubhouse that Nicklaus had built. It was an overthrow in so many ways.
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1. THE WAR ON THE SHORE (1991)
This was the first Ryder Cup when one could argue the Americans really cared.
They had lost the Ryder Cup before, but not three successive times. The bad memory of these matches at Kiawah Island is that they lost the spirit under which they were meant to be played, starting with the moniker this Ryder Cup was given -- "The War on the Shore." That was bound to happen. But this brought so many elements of what makes the Ryder Cup special. Great shots early on as both teams entered the final day tied at 8, and some shocking collapses coming down the stretch.
It came down to the final hole of the final match between Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin. The Americans led 14-13. The match was all square. If Langer won the hole, the Ryder Cup would end in a tie and Europe would keep the cup. Irwin's approach hit a spectator, he chipped weakly and made bogey. Langer's 45-foot birdie attempt went some 6 feet past the hole. He settled in over his par putt, and leaned his head back and yelled when it narrowly missed.
It was gut-wrenching on both sides. It also was the first full network coverage in America. Since then, the Ryder Cup has become one of the toughest tickets in sport.
[Associated
Press;
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