Instinct to attack pins key to victory

Like most people, the first time I heard about Kiawah Island was when the Ryder Cup was played there in 1991, though I didn't see much of it on the TV. As far as I can remember, I was playing in a scratch cup that weekend - probably Carlow.

But I tuned into the radio commentary as I drove home that evening. And I got into the house just in time to see Bernhard Langer on the last hole, missing that putt. Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that some six years later, I would have that same putt for a par in the second round of the World Cup.

Of course, I heard all the horror stories, especially the one about Monty (Colin Montgomerie) shooting 81 and still halving his match with (Mark) Calcavecchia, who hit his tee-shot into the middle of the water at 17.

Still, it was logical to expect a really difficult course when I got there, which was on the Thursday, a full week before the tournament was due to start. After the Sarazen Tournament in which I didn't play well, I stopped off at the Maxfli plant in Atlanta to test a new golf ball.

It happened to be more durable, but that didn't really interest me insofar as I invariably use nine balls per round, whatever the circumstances. But I was interested in this ball because it delivered a higher trajectory and extra spin, which would be useful on the firm greens that I expected at Kiawah.

I wanted the course to be tough, just like the Ryder Cup. I love playing ridiculously tough golf courses. The tougher the better. And I wanted the wind to blow. That way I was sure Paul and I would have a great chance. Call it crazy, but that's the way I am.

I resisted the temptation to go near the course until the Sunday evening and then it was only for an hour on the practice ground. Then I went to the putting green, which was disappointingly soft and slow.

At about 2.0 on the Monday afternoon, Paul and I played the course for the first time: a quick 18 holes. Paul's caddie hadn't turned up, but he still shot 70 and I shot 72. Out on the course, I felt much happier about my game than I had done in practice. I was surprised to see how generous the fairways were. It was a lot shorter than I thought and very playable.

But the thing I remember most about that opening afternoon was how well Paul was playing: really solid. Then and there, I realised we had a great chance of winning. It would be a two-man job with both of us having to play really well. But Paul gave me the inspiration I needed to lift my game.

Day One

We decided on Tuesday that Paul would hit first off every tee, because he's solid and straight, but it didn't work out that way. When setting off in the pro-am on the Wednesday, he wasn't ready to hit, so I did. And like a good four-ball combination, we kept the order for the next five days.

The greens were superb, nothing like I anticipated after that practice session on Sunday: medium-paced and very true. Still, I had a real battle to keep my game together and I was really thrilled that Paul shot 66 to my 71.

Though we were seven strokes behind Sweden at that stage, I preferred to think that we were seven under on our own cards. Then I thought about the Swedes and how unpredictable they are as a group of golfers.

They're so focused on playing well that they don't seem to have the ability to grind it out when the ball isn't running for them. Joakim Haeggman won a tournament this year, but he must have missed 10 cuts. Look at Johansson: he won twice this year yet was behind me in 11th position in the final Order of Merit. He would have missed eight cuts, whereas I missed only two.

But they're to be feared when their tails are up - like when they shoot 14 under. So, at the end of the first day, I was scared of Per-Ulrik in particular, so it was obviously very unfortunate for the team that he got sick and was eventually forced to withdraw.

Day Two

My feeling going to the course on the second morning was that four, seven-under-par aggregates would do us nicely. And as things turned out, it would have been sufficient to win. And then I reminded myself of how Paul had described it as a marathon not a sprint. There were six rounds to go.

I hadn't felt as comfortable on the greens since my win in the Spanish Open, more than 18 months previously.

As it happened, I shot 67, which was really important. Apart from lifting my confidence, I felt it lessened the pressure on Paul who would have been challenging for the individual lead had he shot a comparable score, rather than a 70. We had become the balanced partnership that everyone had been predicting.

Still, we continued to play as individuals and I was determined to be more aggressive. I had counted exactly 32 players ahead of me after the opening day and that simply wasn't good enough. It wasn't that I should have been leading the tournament, but I knew I could do better than that. The answer was to attack.

So I began to go for the pins in earnest, rather than playing for the middle of the green. The result was that it became my low putting round of the tournament - 27 putts. Now I was playing to my strength and it felt good.

I finished the round by holing a six-footer for a par on the last. Standing over the ball, I realised it was the same putt that Langer had missed. We ended the day tied second behind Scotland. Now we were in the hunt in earnest.

Day Three

Though I thought of us as favourites, I also knew that all the leading teams were going to move forward in the third round. But we made a cardinal error. We spent the first nine holes watching our playing partners, the Americans.

Our thinking was that if we managed to keep with Justin Leonard and Davis Love, we had to finish the day in a strong position. After all, they were acknowledged as the team to beat.

At the turn, we didn't discuss the situation; we didn't have to. We had let teams like Germany and England get into the frame and Paul and I knew instinctively that our strategy was wrong. We were defending when we should have been attacking.

So it was that our mood changed on the homeward journey, particularly on the scoring stretch from the 10th to the 13th, before we turned back into the wind. I got two birdies on those holes and Paul got one. We were back on track and by the end of play, both of us had shot 68.

More importantly, we had moved to 22 under par to be in second position on our own, two strokes behind Germany and two ahead of Scotland.

Day Four

I didn't want to think about winning because I know that's tempting fate. I was nervous when I woke up. How would the Germans go? Would the Scots make a charge? What would be our best strategy? Suddenly I reminded myself that I had no control over other people. But I couldn't blank my mind. Eventually, I decided to try and make up the four strokes that separated me from Ignacio Garrido in the individual event.

In the car on the way to the course, I told Paul about how I coped with my nervousness and I realised I now had a positive focus on the day's challenge. I would try and shoot at least 68 to catch Garrido.

Meanwhile, I knew I could rely on my caddie, John O'Reilly, to keep us going with his stories and general chat. People look at John and they wonder why I have him on the bag, but I know from the Kiawah experience that even Paul was surprised at just how good a caddie he is. He had a very positive influence on both of us.

And he called some very good clubs. For instance, I was about to hit a seven iron third shot to the long 11th, but he advised me to hit an eight. Which I did - and left the ball stone dead for my second successive birdie and my last of the tournament.

I've no doubt he had a lot to do with the relaxed image that we projected. And those stories. Like the famous mosquito bite I've been told was mentioned on the television on Sunday. That had to do with a remark Sky commentator Ewen Murray made during the Dunhill Cup last month. On seeing "Irish" John limping, he said it had to do with a mosquito bite and that the unfortunate bug was being treated in the Betty Ford Clinic.

Some of the lads in Tallaght slagged John about that and he pretended to be offended, threatening to sue. Then, joining in the fun, he agreed to back off if the TV commentators would announce that the mosquito had since been released from the clinic and that all was well. And as for being fond of a jar, he pointed out that one of the commentators was known as Lebanon, he was bombed so often.

Anyway, after three holes on Sunday, we had taken the lead for the first time. But the leader-board told me we couldn't relax, what with the Scots and Americans in challenging positions, quite apart from the Germans. Then came the leader-board at the ninth, where we discovered that the Scots had committed suicide. That was a terrific boost, in view of the threat Monty could have presented.

With the last five holes playing downwind, I figured there was going to be a last ditch charge from our opponents, so we needed to make a few more birdies. And the way Paul and I were playing, I was confident we could get them. So, the holes slipped past and I wasn't a bit bothered that it happened to be Paul who got our next three birdies at the 15th, 16th and 17th.

At the 17th, which was always going to be a dangerous hole, I aimed for the B in the middle of the CBS sign at the back of the green; hit a really nice six-iron exactly as I wanted to. Then I relaxed. When Paul chipped in for a birdie at the 17th, it was a tremendous bonus. A few minutes later, we had got our drives away on the 18th and I then knew the job was effectively done.

In winning the World Cup, I'm pleased for the Irish companies which have supported me. MMI, who committed to sponsoring me even before I got through the Qualifying School, and Kartel, who manufacture my shirts, notably the grey/black model which I wore on the Sunday. That's now my lucky shirt.

Of course Tiger Woods wasn't there. Nor was Greg Norman nor Nick Faldo. But the fact is that a country can enter only two players and I honestly believe we would have won, irrespective of who was put in against us.

In the meantime, there is much to celebrate. I knew about Christy and The Brad in the Canada Cup in 1958. And I knew that this tournament had also been won by legendary players such as Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead. No wonder our win has meant so much to everybody.

All of this is going to be very special to me in the years ahead. Much to celebrate. And I'm getting married to Caroline next Saturday.