The script may be a little dog-eared at this stage but none of the 35,000 spectators who thronged the Belfry yesterday cared one whit. To scenes of great euphoria, 35-year-old Dublin-born Paul McGinley became the third Irishman, following in the footsteps of Eamonn Darcy and Philip Walton, to hole a putt to win the Ryder Cup, writes John O'Sullivan, from The Belfry.
McGinley's 11-foot putt on the 18th green guaranteed the vital half point the European team needed to reach the magic 14S points required for victory and sweet revenge for defeat at Brookline three years ago.
The match, which pits Europe against the US in a biannual contest, was postponed a year ago because of September 11th. The Americans were strongly fancied against a European team which included four Ryder Cup rookies, including McGinley, especially entering the final-day singles with the teams tied at 8-8.
Traditionally strong in this facet of the competition, the Americans were almost unbackable yesterday. However, willed on by a 35,000-strong crowd who generated a wonderfully vibrant, noisy, yet impeccable behaved backdrop to the affair - a marked contrast to the previous clash - Europe defied the odds.
European captain Sam Torrance gambled on putting his strongest players at the top of the order, including Irish duo Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington, hoping to generate momentum and instil confidence and belief in those behind. Those players did not disappoint but it was rookies such as Philip Price, Niclas Fasth, Pierre Fulke and McGinley who did not buckle.