Paul McGinley carved himself a place in Irish sporting folklore with his putt on the 18th hole at the Belfry yesterday. It was a putt that won the coveted Ryder Cup for a European team rated as outsiders against the might of the United States.
The fantastic scenes of joy that erupted around the final green were all the more memorable for Irish sports lovers because of the excellent contributions to the European success not just of McGinley but also of his Irish team mates, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke.
Going into the event, McGinley was very much the unsung hero of the Irish trio but he showed ice cold nerves and gritty resilience over the three days of competition, coming from behind in vital matches on Saturday and Sunday to secure critical half points and half points for the Europeans.
By sinking the putt that won the trophy, the Dublin-born McGinley continued a remarkable sequence of Irish players who have won the Ryder Cup for Europe on the final hole in the last 15 years. He emulated the achievements of fellow Irish players Eamon Darcy, Christy O'Connor junior and Philip Walton who all secured victory for Europe in similar circumstances in 1987, 1989 and 1995.
Europe's success in the biggest team event in golf was sweet revenge for the defeat suffered at Brookline in the US three years ago when the American victory was marred by the behaviour of the US players and some of their supporters. Although both teams were at pains on this occasion to play down the Brookline memories, it seems certain they had a galvanising effect on the European side.
Tactically, European team captain Sam Torrance outwitted his US counterpart Curtis Stange and also forged a much greater team spirit despite the players' disparate nationalities. Achieving that level of unity and camaraderie in a sport dominated by highly-paid and much-pampered stars is a tribute to Torrance's self-deprecation style of management. It was typical of him yesterday to downplay his own achievement: I just brought the players to the water and let them drink, he said.
When the Ryder Cup returns to Europe in 2006, it will be Ireland's turn to stage an event that is now enormous in scale. Logistically, the challenge facing all the authorities in organising one of world sport's great events is immense. But it also presents an unrivalled opportunity to showcase the country to a massive worldwide TV audience as well as the tens of thousands who will attend the tournament from overseas. It is to be hoped that the inspiring achievements of McGinley, Harrington and Clarke over the last three days can be matched off the course as well.