Strange biggest casualty of '95

"Jolly good show," proclaimed the headline in Rochester's Democratic and Chronicle. It was Monday, September 25th 1995 and in their customary fashion, the Americans were behaving like gracious losers. And contrary to the dire predictions a few days previously, the concept of a European Ryder Cup team had survived.

Indeed it survived so well that there has been an unusually keen battle for places in this year's team, which is to be finalised in Munich this weekend. Meanwhile, the Americans had to accept the role of challengers for the trophy, when announcing their line-up eight days ago after the USPGA Championship at Winged Foot.

Further down that front page of the Democrat's sports section was a story headlined "US against the world on back burner." And one suspected that the reporter, Gary Fallesen, was tucking into his own slice of a national humble pie, as he wrote: "Who needs Greg Norman, Nick Price and Ernie Els? Not Europe. There was a red, white and blue scare before this weekend's Ryder Cup."

He went on: "There was a fear that Europe was on the verge of going the way of Great Britain-Ireland and the hickory shaft. That the Them going against US needed to include everyone else in the civilised world to keep both sides on a par. Quiet please."

Quiet? There seems to have been a non-stop din on both sides of the Atlantic since those dramatic events at Oak Hill. And judging by the desperate scramble for places, especially over the last four months on the European Tour, aspirants have either forgotten or chosen to ignore a particularly grim aspect of the 1995 encounter.

It concerned Curtis Strange, who sat dejectedly, head bowed and with his left hand covering his face, as the US team graciously applauded Europe's triumph. In a colourful description of the climactic moments of a crucial singles clash with Nick Faldo, the Democrat's Scott Pitoniak wrote: "When the controversial pick of the United States captain, Lanny Wadkins, bogeyed 16, 17 and 18, Faldo could see blood in the water."

Elsewhere, the paper reported: "He was back at the scene of his crowning glory in golf (the 1989 US Open), the 18th green of Oak Hill Country Club, yet everything was wrong, so painfully wrong.

"The lush stage Curtis Strange once knew as his, was being unceremoniously yanked from beneath his feet yesterday afternoon, commandeered by a European Ryder Cup team that had just shocked the world's golfing community . . . Strange, staring blankly at the scene before him, staring at everything and also at nothing."

In a moment of greatest need, the American's swing had deserted him. And in the full knowledge that his loss to Faldo had effectively tipped the outcome in Europe's favour, Strange said afterwards: "I really didn't think they could win today. I honestly thought we were too good."

Then, racked by emotion as he contemplated a rapidly fading twilight to a sparkling career, he added: "It's a frightening thought what I'll face tomorrow."

There have been many tomorrows since that fateful afternoon and from a golfing standpoint, very few of them have contained any joy for Strange. Granted, he finished second to Vijay Singh in the Buick Open earlier this month. But there was almost an acceptance of a bleak competitive future on his nation's fairways when, earlier this year, he joined the ABC television network as a golfing pundit.

Meanwhile, in the way of competitive sportsmen, whatever the level, Ryder Cup aspirants on both sides of the Atlantic have preferred to remember a sharply contrasting image from Oak Hill '95. It was captured photographically on the same page of the Democrat, just below the haunting shot of Strange.

"Unexpected hero", said the caption to a photograph of a clearly ecstatic Philip Walton being hoisted off the ground by the arms of his captain, Bernard Gallacher. The story beside the picture reported: "Yesterday, Philip Walton emerged as the man who sealed a European victory, reclaiming the Ryder Cup."

It went on: "Philip Walton? Many people at the course, perhaps even most people at the course, did not recognise the 33-year-old Irish golfer. But there he was on the 18th green, winning his match against Jay Haas."

Another story described the climactic moments of the penultimate singles that would bring the trophy back to Europe for the first time since it was relinquished at Kiawah Island in 1991. It read: "As Jay Haas walked into the woods on the left side of the 18th fairway . . . he was fully aware that his singles match against Philip Walton was the one that was going to decide the 31st Ryder Cup.

"And he couldn't believe it. `I said to myself, this wasn't supposed to happen like this,' Haas recalled. `Our matches (his and Phil Mickelson's at number 12) were supposed to be the icing on the cake.' "

Ironically, the golfing fortunes of both Strange and Walton have declined since Oak Hill. Granted, the edge had already gone off the American's game before that weekend, largely because of indifferent putting, but Walton's regression is less easily explained.

From a position in the autumn of 1995 when his proven matchplay skills seemed to make him a strong candidate for all Ryder Cup encounters for the foreseeable future, Walton appeared to suffer a crisis of confidence. Instead of enhancing a growing reputation, he struggled to 92nd place in the Order of Merit at the end of last season, with a best performance of tied seventh in the Scandinavian Masters.

Entering this season, questions about his prospects for Valderrama were studiously avoided. There was a welcome improvement in his form, but not sufficiently to have him spoken of as a serious Ryder Cup contender. Sadly, memories of his Oak Hill exploits began to lose their sharpness, as fresh golfing heroes were sought.

We are also reminded of the decline in Peter Baker's fortunes since a splendid contribution of three points at The Belfry in 1993. And of the way Steven Richardson's career plummeted since 1991 at Kiawah Island, where he partnered Mark James to two four ball victories.

The Ryder Cup does strange things to players who may lack the maturity to handle its very special pressures or who may be unfortunate enough, like Strange, to finish on the wrong end of a pivotal battle.

From an American standpoint, however, the most upsetting aspect of Oak Hill was not so much that they lost, but that Europe outgunned them by 7 1/2 to 4 1/2 in the singles. It was a result that ran counter to form and to established US thinking.

Their 1985 skipper, Lee Trevino, acknowledged this change when he said: "I don't care if it was Nicklaus, me, Palmer, Watson, Johnny Miller. If you put Europe's best five against our best five, it was a toss-up. Where we killed them was at the bottom.

"They did not have the bottom seven that could compete with our bottom seven. Now their bottom seven is much tougher. That's what has made the Ryder Cup competitive."

In the aftermath of Rochester, it was pointed out that the US had introduced five newcomers to Ryder Cup combat there, whereas 10 of the 12 Europeans had seen action before. It led the Americans to believe that their long-in-the-tooth opponents would come up short on the scoreboard. Gallacher protested: "They think they're young guys; they don't think they're veterans at all." And Faldo claimed: "Veterans are over 40."

Which will make him a veteran if, as expected, he is named as a wildcard selection in the line-up of skipper Seve Ballesteros after events at the Golfclub Munchen NordEichenried next weekend. Should Costantino Rocca make it, he, too, will be in that category, as is Bernhard Langer, who will be 40 tomorrow. And the chronological milestone comes up for Ian Woosnam next March.

Meanwhile, Ballesteros will have no thoughts of defeat as he finalises his line-up. Nor will he contemplate the possibility of the sort of hatemail which caused Gallacher's wife Lesley to comment: "Some of the letters were so horrible that I tore them up and threw them in the wastepaper bin."

Similarly, the notion of failure will be anathema to newcomers such as Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood as they look towards the official announcement of the European side. Like Haas at Oak Hill, they will be thinking that all they want at Valderrama is to have the chance over the closing holes of winning their match.

"I figured I'd have the momentum - and I did," said Haas. "But I just hit a poor tee shot." Then he added ruefully: "I'll think about that one for quite a while."

No doubt there will be similar recriminations on both sides after Valderrama next month. But with the unshakeable optimism of the top-level sportsman, this weekend's aspirants will be thinking: "Sure, it will happen. But not to me."