Irish duo deliver for Europe

FROM THE ARCHIVES RYDER CUP Monday, September 25th 1989:AMID THE tears, cheers and general bedlam around the 18th green at The Belfry yesterday, a third successive European victory in the Ryder Cup was being hailed as little more than a formality. The formidable four-man tail of a powerful American team, however, denied the holders the elusive halved-match that would have secured such a triumph and at the finish Europe retained the trophy by sharing the points at 14-14.

It was, in some respects, an anticlimactic finale to a day of torrid singles combat in delightfully, sunny weather. There was much glory in the encounter from an Irish viewpoint, however, as Ronan Rafferty and Christy OConnor Jnr. displayed remarkable skill and courage in winning their matches on the 18th.

They were, in fact, two of only five European winners on the day and became the first Irish duo to win Ryder Cup singles matches in the same event since Harry Bradshaw and Fred Daly triumphed against the Americans at Wentworth in 1953.

Though the failure of Gordon Brand Jnr, Ian Woosnam or Nick Faldo, to secure the crucial half point needed for an overall victory was clearly a disappointment, realistic Europeans would gladly have settled for retention of the trophy earlier in the day.

At that stage, the Americans, two points down overnight, had produced one of their legendary charges to the extent that the visiting team actually led in nine of the 12 matches at one stage.

When analysts come to reflect on what was unquestionably a battle of fierce tensions and spectacular failures, it is perhaps inevitable that the illustrious name of Severiano Ballesteros will loom large in their thoughts.

Remarkably, the Spaniard failed to accept an apparent gift of a halved match from his tenacious challenger at the top of the singles order, Paul Azinger.

Given the superb climax to Saturday’s matches in which the Yorkshire partnership of Howard Clark and Mark James won an astonishing fourball victory over Payne Stewart and Curtis Strange, it was not surprising European skipper Tony Jacklin decided to build on a two-point lead by placing Ballesteros at the top.

It was felt a win from the Spaniard would provide an invaluable lift to his colleagues further down the order. But it was not to be. Despite taking an early two-hole lead, Ballesteros was generally at odds with his putter and eventually came to the 18th one down against Azinger.

Then, in a moment of high drama, the American, with the honour on the 18th tee, sent his drive into the water. Surely now, Ballesteros could not fail to win the hole and halve the match, particularly when his tee shot finished safe, albeit in the right rough.

Making an uncharacteristically flawed swing, however, Ballesteros hit his three iron approach shot into the water short of the green and though he eventually sank a superb 20-foot downhill putt for a five, it was sufficient only to share the hole with the American who played an incredible four iron third shot into a greenside bunker.

After that setback, Europe were clearly under tremendous pressure. “He gave me a gift with his tee-shot and I gave him a gift back,” said the Spaniard. Azinger could hardly believe his good fortune – “Seve is the best player in the world and it means an awful lot to me that I beat him,” he said.

As it happened, Chip Beck won the Americans’ second point to square the match overall, at 9-9, while Ballesteros was displaying rare fallibility on the 18th. Tom Kite had already recorded the first victory of the day, an eight and seven thrashing of Clark in which the American carded six threes for the eleven holes, five of them birdies.

Azinger made the score 10-9 before James, with splendid figures of five birdies and no bogeys, brought Europe level by beating Mark O’Meara three and two. Then the hugely gifted Jose-Maria Olazabal edged Europe in front at 11-10 when American nerve cracked once more on the notorious 18th.

This time the victim was no less a figure than reigning USPGA champion, Payne Stewart. A birdie by Olazabal on the long 17th brought them to the final hole all square and the Spaniard made no mistake off the tee. For the hapless Stewart, however, it was the beginning of a nightmare.

Not only did he hit his drive into the water, he failed twice in comically hopeless attempts at playing the ball out after donning waterproof gear.

Against that background, the exemplary manner in which Rafferty and O’Connor played this hole cannot be overstated.

Rafferty, leader of the European Ryder Cup table, went to the fateful 18th tee all square with Mark Calcavecchia, current British Open champion and leader of the US Ryder Cup table. Up to that point it had been a tight, relentless battle in which Rafferty birdied three of the first four holes to take a two-hole lead.

The only serious error he made on the front nine was to pull a long iron tee shot into water at the par four sixth where Calcavecchia drew level with a winning par. But the Ulsterman had a winning birdie on the ninth to reach the turn in 33 with a one-hole lead.

Deciding to lay up at the 10th, where the American hit for and made the green, Rafferty lost it to a birdie and went one down for the first time in the match when he missed the green with a five wood at the short 12th. From there, he produced a series of impeccable iron shots and levelled with a sandwedge to eight feet for a winning birdie on the 13th.

This was a critical win for Rafferty against an opponent who thrives as a front-runner. Still, when they reached the 18th all square, a victory for the Irishman seemed an extravagant thought.

With the calm assurance of a battle-hardened veteran, Rafferty hit a beautiful drive, which carried 250 yards over trees and water before settling in the middle of the fairway. Then, incredibly, Calcavecchia followed the way of Azinger and Stewart by ballooning his drive into the hazard. And having dropped back under penalty, the American compounded his problems by sending a three wood into the water again, this time short of the green.

Rafferty did not even have to hit his approach shot for victory.

Then came O’Connor. He, too, was engaged in a tight battle with Fred Couples, a 29-year-old with career earnings of $2.5 million and currently 11th in the US money list with season’s earnings of $502,844. O’Connor had been two up after four but was level at the turn which he reached in 34 – two under par.

Couples took the lead at the fascinating, par four 10th, however, where O’Connor hit for the green but had a horrid lie in a bunker. But the Irishman squared the match with a wedge to four feet for a winning birdie on the 16th.

Characteristic of his superb captaincy, Jacklin joined O’Connor on the 17th, offering calming, encouraging words. And when the Irishman hit a beautiful drive at the 18th, Jacklin turned to him and said: “Put the pressure on him Christy and he’ll crack.”

As it happened, Couples, a noted long-hitter, smashed a huge drive to get within nine iron distance of the green. But it was O’Connor’s approach shot which sealed the match. A two-iron of 229 yards sailed arrow-straight and came to rest five feet below the pin.

The manner in which Couples executed his approach proved Jacklin to be absolutely correct. The American pushed it onto the bank to the right of the green, left his sandwedge chip six feet short of the hole, failed to sink the putt and the match was O’Connor’s.

Canizares then brought Europe the crucial 14th point by winning the 18th in his match with Ken Green.

Sadly, Brand Jnr failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker when losing to Mark McCumber; Faldo, level on the 18th tee with Lanny Wadkins, drove into the water and Europe’s last hope of a half point disappeared when Woosnam lost the 17th to a birdie from Strange and then failed to match the American’s birdie at the last.

Results at a glance

• Complete results in the Ryder Cup match between Europe and the United States at The Belfry (European names first):

FRIDAY

Foursomes: N Faldo and I Woosnam halved with T Kite and C Strange; M James and H Clark lost to L Wadkins and P Stewart 1 hole; B Langer and R Rafferty lost to M Calcavecchia and K Green 2 and 1; S Ballesteros and J-M Olazabal halved with T Watson and C Beck.

Match position:Europe 1, USA 3.

Fourballs: Ballesteros and Olazabal bt Watson and M O’Meara 6 and 5; Clark and James bt Wadkins and F Couples 3 and 2; G Brand Jnr and S Torrance bt P Azinger and Strange 1 hole; Faldo and Woosnam bt M McCumber and Calcavecchia 2 up.

Match position:Europe 5, USA 3.

SATURDAY

Foursomes: Woosnam and Faldo bt Wadkins and Stewart 3 and 2; Brand and Torrance lost to Beck and Azinger 4 and 3; C O’Connor Jnr and Rafferty lost to Calcavecchia and Green 3 and 2; Ballesteros and Olazabal bt Kite and Strange 1 hole.

Match Position:Europe 7. USA 5.

Fourballs: Woosnam and Faldo lost to Beck and Azinger 2 and 1; Langer and J-M Canizares lost to Kite and M McCumber 2 and V Clark and James bt Stewart and Strange 1 hole; Ballesteros and Olzaabal bt Calcavecchia and Green 4 and 2; MatchPosition: European 9; USA 7.

YESTERDAY

Singles: Ballesteros lost to Azinger 1 hole; Langer lost to Beck 3 and 1; Olazabal bt Stewart 1 hole; Rafferty bt Calcavecchia 1 hole; Clark lost to Kite B and 7; James bt O’Meara 3 and 2; O’Connor bt Couples 1 hole; Canizares bt Green 1 hole; Brand lost to McCumber 1 hole; Torrance lost to Watson 3 and 1; Faldo lost to Wadkins 1 hole; Woosnam lost to Strange 2 holes. Singles Result: Europe 5, USA 7.

Match Result:Europe 14, USA 14.