Woods has no answer to rub of the green

Victory was just the medicine Caroline Harrington needed. Better than being reduced to wearing flip-flops for aching feet, and better than applying tubes of soothing antiseptic cream to blisters caused from walking inside the ropes for a fourth time as hubby Padraig and his buddy Paul McGinley not only stared Tiger Woods in the eye, but mauled him and partner Davis Love in Saturday's foursomes.

You know, this was special. It wasn't just that McGinley was finally winning a match in the Ryder Cup - remember, he'd halved three of his four previous matches - or that Harrington was, again, confirming his status as a genuine world-class player, it was the electric fusion generated by the two Irishmen.

It was the way they came back from two-down after two holes. It was the way the reduced Woods and Love to hangdog looks. It was the way the Irish supporters reacted when the 4 and 3 win was confirmed and they way they broke into raucous renditions of "Olé, Olé, Olé", with the two players in the midst of it all.

And, later, a good two hours later, it was the somewhat bizarre breaking of the silence at Oakland Hills as The Fields of Athenry wafted across the course from the North Course - on the other side of a four-lane highway - to reaffirm European joy at what was unfolding.

So, back to Saturday afternoon, another wonderfully crazy day for the Irish pair, although it didn't start out that way. Early on, it was the stuff of nightmares. As Harrington and McGinley walked from the second green to the third tee, a mini-conference was conducted.

"You know," said McGinley, "let's play the golf course, let's stop playing the two guys. Let's concentrate on our own ball like it's a US Open and try to shoot under par."

Later, Harrington was to observe, laughing, that "it was the first time in my life I've listened to him, and I've known him for 20 years."

If a bit tongue-in-cheek, Harrington's words emphasised the chemistry that exists between the two. Back in 1997, they'd conquered the world's best to win the World Cup. This time, though, in the white heat of the Ryder Cup, their effort was, if anything, even more impressive.

Pitched against the world's number-two ranked player and the world's number-six ranked player, Harrington - ranked eighth - and McGinley - ranked 67th - combined to produce a performance that mixed true grit with some sublime golf shots.

The turning point? The real problems for the Americans set in at the eighth and ninth holes when Love left Woods with non-too-easy par putts from six feet and eight feet. Woods missed both, leaving the Irish pair one up at the turn. The miss on the ninth left Woods so disgusted he slammed his putter into the ground next to the cup.

But that was only the start of the bad times for the Americans. The real turning point materialised on the 10th hole, a par four of 453 yards.

On the 10th, where it looked as if the Americans would square the match after Woods hit an approach to within birdie range, McGinley played probably the best shot of the match. From an awful spot of greenside rough, and needing to clear a bunker, McGinley nearly holed out his pitch. Love missed his birdie putt, and darkness seemed to descend on them and their shot-making and decision-making became even worse.

It all ended on the 15th green, far away from the clubhouse. Love hit a solid approach to the right-front of the green and Harrington followed with an even better shot. Woods missed his putt, and McGinley made his. Game over, and Woods looked an isolated figure as he walked off, not even waiting for a buggy, alone until his fiancée Elin Nordegren ran after him and attempt to offer some consolation.

Afterwards, McGinley offered his opinions on why Woods's Ryder Cup record is so poor.

"I've got a small view on it," said McGinley. "Over 18 holes, at this level of golf, it's like a sprint and anyone can be beaten. I think if every game was over four holes, certainly Tiger, being number two in the world, would have a distinct advantage. Tiger doesn't play badly, but other players raise their games playing Tiger and in a sprint anything can happen."

Whatever about Tiger's plight, and the absence of chemistry with Love, a partnership that had won two from two at The Belfry two years ago, there was nothing but real team work from Harrington and McGinley.

The putt on the 15th may not have been as important as the one that he made on the 18th at The Belfry in 2002, but, for McGinley, it was further confirmation of his ability to hit above his weight. It was a knockout punch to two of the biggest names in golf.

And, boy, did he - and Harrington - enjoy it.

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