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 Full contact golf Europeans liken atmosphere of Ryder Cup to Super Bowl
Posted: Monday September 27, 1999 09:43 PM
BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) -- Jesper Parnevik likened the Ryder Cup to playing golf in the middle of the Super Bowl. The only thing missing were goal posts for the Americans to tear down after their inspired, improbable victory. In an event that has become the biggest in golf, equal in intensity and pressure to any other sports event, cheering and clapping doesn't cut it anymore. Instead, players, wives and caddies climbed over and piled on Justin Leonard as if he had just cracked the end zone, his astounding putt going from one end of the 17th green to the other and disappearing into the hole. It proved the final point the Americans needed to complete the greatest comeback in the 72-year history of the biennial matches. Trailing 10-6, they won 8 1/2 points from the 12 singles matches Sunday against Europe to win the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1973. "Darned if we didn't pull it off," captain Ben Crenshaw said. "It's unbelievable." So, too, was the celebration that followed Leonard's putt at The Country Club. Jose Maria Olazabal was lining up his putt when the Americans stormed the green. Once order was restored -- no small task -- the Spaniard missed from 25 feet and the Ryder Cup was official property of the United States. The controversy may drag on for months, and surely will be remembered in two years when Europe gets home advantage at The Belfry in England. "That kind of behavior is not the one anybody expects," Olazabal said. "It was very sad to see. It was an ugly picture to see." Leonard took the blame, saying he should have kept his cool the way Corey Pavin did in 1995 after chipping in on the 18th hole at Oak Hill -- although that was on Saturday afternoon, a crucial point but not the decisive blow. Crenshaw apologized. So did Tom Lehman, although his came with an asterisk. "We probably wish we all have jumped up and down in place instead of running down the side of the green," he said. "But I'm not going to apologize for being excited. It was a great day for the American team, and I guess memories are somewhat short. Valderrama wasn't exactly a cake walk for us." Lost in the clash over celebrations was a rare occurrence in the Ryder Cup -- it finally will be remembered for a make instead of a miss. The image that best symbolizes the gut-wrenching struggle of winning a 17-inch gold chalice is Bernhard Langer missing a 6-foot par putt at Kiawah Island in 1991. Two years later, it was Costantino Rocca missing a 3-foot putt on the 17th that turned the tide in his pivotal match against Davis Love III. At Oak Hill, Curtis Strange was vilified for missing par putts on the final three holes, any of which would have secured the cup for the Americans. Leonard's putt was about 45 feet, not much longer than the one he made two holes earlier to complete the comeback within the comeback - he won four straight holes to even the match at the 15th and revive American hopes. Leonard knew the score on the 17th. He was all square with Olazabal, needing only to stay that way for the cup to stay in America. "I was trying to make it, but I was also trying to get the ball close. That was probably my first goal," he said. "It's a putt we had all as a team hit during practice rounds. Everybody knew it went right up the top of the hill. It was just one of those things. I think the ball was destined to go in." Indeed, destiny played a huge role in the U.S. victory. The Country Club has been kind to Americans over the years. Francis Ouimet, the 19-year-old caddie who lived across the street from the 17th hole, made golf popular in the United States by winning the U.S. Open in 1913 over British legends Ted Ray and Harry Vardon. Ouimet made two pivotal putts on the 17th, in the final round and again in the playoff. Strange also conquered the British in 1988 by winning the U.S. Open over Nick Faldo. "Now, if you don't believe in fate ... I do," Crenshaw said. "I could feel it." Critical to the American chances were for them to see it. Crenshaw knew Phil Mickelson and the rest of his players could start making putts if they could just start seeing the ball go in the hole. And he knew the Americans could pull off an unlikely comeback if they could see the momentum swing strongly in their favor from the first six matches Sunday. Lehman, Hal Sutton, Mickelson, Love, Tiger Woods and David Duval all closed their matches before the 17th hole. "They came out screeching," European captain Mark James said. "That's what you've got to do in this game, ride the streak. And they rode the streak tremendously well." Only five teams in the 72-year history of the matches had trailed going into the final day and won, but none faced a deficit larger than two points. The Americans set a standard Sunday, in comebacks and in celebrations. Olazabal, as gracious in defeat as he was in victory at the Masters in April, made it clear that Leonard's rally and the Americans' play was worthy of winning the Ryder Cup. He also held out hope the Ryder Cup could become a Super Bowl only in spirit. "We congratulate the American team," he said. "And the next time, I think it will benefit the game of golf if we manage to behave just a little better. Every one of us."
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