Ryder Cup Round Up: Ledes Edition
/Here's how some of the best of the dying business captured a golf event for the ages...
Europe buried the memory of that American comeback at Brookline in 1999 with one that was even better.
Mark Lamport-Stokes for Reuters:
Inspired by the spirit of Seve Ballesteros, Europe's big guns all delivered as Jose Maria Olazabal's players produced one of the greatest comebacks on a golf course to win the Ryder Cup by 14-1/2 points to 13-1/2 on Sunday.
Europe staged one of the greatest golfing comebacks of all time in the "miracle of Medinah" to win the Ryder Cup after recovering from 10-6 down at the start of Sunday's play to defeat all the odds and the United States by 14½ points to 13½.
Europe captain Jose Maria Olazabal's message to his despondent Ryder Cup squad on Saturday night was simple: Believe.
Facing a daunting 10-6 deficit on foreign soil after being whipped the first two days of this biennial tussle with the USA, Olazabal latched onto a glimmer of hope and called upon his troops to channel the spirit of the late Seve Ballesteros and refuse to surrender.
Dressed in navy blue slacks and white tops, the color scheme Ballesteros favored on Sunday, and with his iconic silhouette on their left sleeves and on their golf bags, Europe pulled off the improbable comeback by winning 8½ of the possible 12 points in singles to stun the USA 14½-13½ Sunday at Medinah Country Club.
James Corrigan in the Telegraph.
Europe pulled off the greatest comeback of the Ryder Cup's history on a final day which emphatically and thrillingly confirmed the Cup’s propensity for the rawest of drama.
Kevin Garside in the Independent.
Unbelievable theatre, unimaginable tension, barely credible outcome. From the outer limits of probability Europe conjured the magic number 14 to retain the Ryder Cup. The impulse is to write that twice to make doubly sure.
What looked like a potential runaway for the Americans turned into a thriller as Europe, playing in memory of Seve Ballesteros, dominated the Sunday singles and won the 39th Ryder Cup at Medinah, 14 ½-13 ½.
Derek Lawrenson in the Daily Mail:
Europe completed the most amazing comeback in Ryder Cup history on Sunday night to win the trophy and spark incredible scenes of delirium.
Dressed in Seve blue, they did justice to the great man’s memory with a performance that almost defied belief. Everywhere you looked there were displays that took the breath away.
Martin Dempster for The Scotsman:
THEY did it. Against all the odds, Europe retained the Ryder Cup. Trailing 10-6 heading into the singles, they did Seve Ballesteros proud on a dramatic last day on the outskirts of Chicago.
Christopher Clarey for the New York Times.
The United States Ryder Cup team had a big lead and a big home crowd in its favor Sunday. One of the European team’s stars — Rory McIlroy — nearly missed the start of his match altogether, requiring a police escort to make it to the first tee in time.
But the Ryder Cup remains one of the most unpredictable and irresistible of sporting events. By the time the final putts had been made, missed or conceded in the fading light at Medinah Country Club, the Europeans were the ones exchanging bear hugs and swigs of Champagne as they wore their national flags as capes and celebrated their improbable 14 ½-13 ½ victory.
And it's not a game story, and half the world wouldn't know what he's talking about, but who cares. Bob Verdi at PGATour.com:
I went to the 2012 Ryder Cup, and the 1969 Cubs broke out.
