Unlikely hero claims Ryder Cup for Europe

Well, you have to hand it to Mark James. Interviewed on Friday morning just before the opening blows were hit he stuck out his neck. “Europe has too strong a side for the Americans. They will win by four”. Yes they probably had the better team on paper but the Ryder Cup has a knack of bringing the best out of players such that world rankings and how much money is sitting in one’s Cayman Islands bank account means little.

But ever since the contest became one between the USA and Europe it is the unsung European’s who have seemingly been inspired by the event rather than their American counterparts. To a list that might contain the names of Philip Walton, Philip Price and Christie O’Connor Jnr can now be added Jamie Donaldson at 39 playing the golf of his life. For the last three days he has been in inspirational form claiming three points from four outings and hitting one of the great iron shots at the 15th hole to ensure a singles win against the permanently restless Keegan Bradley and with it victory for Europe.

Up until that point it had been yet another nervous afternoon with the outcome of many games still uncertain and rather a lot of red ink still on the screen. But in reality it was not as close as it appeared with Europe eventually running out as comfortable victors. Of today’s events Graeme McDowell turning around his opening game against Jordan Speith was crucial as was Justin Rose coming back from four down to halve his game v Hunter Mahan. Rory McIlroy was imperious in destroying the unfortunate Ricky Fowler who caught the Irishman at the top of his game. McIlroy must savour 2014 for rarely will future ones match what he has achieved since May.

So a contest which began with apparent friction in the European Camp courtesy of the McIlroy v McDowell law suit seemed to end with greater disquiet within the American camp. Tom Watson, for all his class as a golfer, seemed not to grasp the requirements of managing a team of disparate characters ranging from the undemonstrative Jim Furyk to the up and at ‘em Patrick Reed. Furthermore he made crucial tactical errors the first being his failure to put Reed and Speith out again for the afternoon foursomes on Friday following their morning four ball victory. He then compounded the error by putting Phil Mickelson out twice on the Friday and not at all on the Saturday. Then again you could argue that whatever he had done it wouldn’t have made a jot of difference.

Mark James was right. At the moment Europe just has the better golfers.

CA