RYDER CUP: Tom Humphries saw the ghosts of Brookline consigned to history as the Ryder Cup was played in the fashion that it was initially designed for

Curtis Strange didn't know what to make of it.

On Saturday, after the singles line-ups emerged, he was asked if he didn't think that perhaps the game between Jesper Parnevik and Tiger Woods mightn't be a dead rubber.

He was unfamiliar with the term and perhaps thought it was some unsavoury allusion to the recent transfer of Jesper's au pair girl to Tiger's arms.

When it was all explained, he was adamant that it wouldn't arise. "All on the line you want the greatest golfer in the world going in for you," said Strange. The worst that could happen was that it would come down to Davis Love or Jim Furyk or Phil Mickelson.

Twenty four hours later, out- thought, out-played and out of his job, he was graciousness itself. His good friend Sam Torrance had administered a "European style butt whipping". He led with his chin inviting hits. NO complaints.

An American question first. As the best players in the world how come you don't win? "I think sometimes we don't give Sam's team enough credit because they can really play. Most of them play regularly in the States. Others play in the European Tour and that's not a knock. It's where they play and it doesn't mean they can't play.

"Second these Ryder Cup matches are close because they bring out the best , the excitement of matchplay is like that. Get going and you can beat any player in the world. You have to keep going for four hours. You play in front of a crowd like they had today it inspires you. My sense is that the second half of the roster was purely inspired by the crowd. They played well. We lost. It was a hell of an atmosphere to be a part of."

One hell of an atmosphere. Being part of it won't cut the mustard back home. There was a lot riding on this for the Americans, a lot of stored emotions and a lot of pride. Curtis Strange had a long time to plan for this day and he was taking its ending beautifully. You could tell though it would trouble him for some time to come. Conventions had come tumbling down. He'd expected everything except the unexpected.

"Sam did one remarkable job today. I thought he took a hell of a gamble frontloading his team like he did. If they didn't do well , in my mind it was all over. They got blue on the board in the first four matches early and the crowd got into it and I think that was exactly what they wanted. It inspired the rest of the team. They got a couple of upsets. They won the match. Hell of gamble. Turned out smart now. I never seen that, never seen somebody frontload like that and play on home field advantage. Looks pretty good now."

It does, indeed. Had it backfired, the title for Sam Torrance had already been fitted out in the tabloids. Captain Cock-Up. By late afternoon history and headlines were being re-written hastily.

"Just to explain what we did," said Curtis Strange as if he feared the question mightn't get asked. "I had full confidence in everyone but when you talk about Love Mickelson and Woods at the end, well when I saw that they had toploaded and said to myself 'what if they do well', I liked what I had at the end. One player you want finishing last with the complete match riding on it, you want Tiger Woods."

How frustrating was it for you Tiger? ( Does anyone think that as he gets older Master Woods needs to get a more adult sounding name than Tiger?)

"Going down the first hole Jesper asked me what did I think of the board. I said I think it'll probably come down to our match.

"Enjoy it have some fun, play hard. See what happens. I wish it would have come down to our match.

"I realised after my tee shot on 17. I walked to the fairway and I think that's when they clinched the Cup. I understood the strategy though."

You felt for Phil Mickelson. number two in the world but still when he travels in this company he must feel that the others are talking about him behind his back.

He has eggshell frailty on the big days. Yesterday, drawn second last, he had Philip Price for company. Before this week Mickelson couldn't have picked Price out of police line-up. Now he won't be able to evict him from his nightmares.

"I knew that my match would be a critical point as we were losing many of our first matches. That seemed to put a little bit more pressure on the last few guys to get off to a good start. When I didn't it made it very difficult to get it back." He shakes his head and shrugs. If he was to beat himself every time something like this happened on a Sunday, he'd earn more from victim support than he does from golf.

The Americans including the likeable Mickelson were generally sweet about every thing. There was more humility and friendship about this week than at any recent Ryder Cup.

Mark Calcavecchia on his game with Padraig Harrington: "Padraig beat me 5 and 4 what more do you need to know!"

David Duval on playing Darren Clarke: "I was never ahead. That was a problem. If there was ever a match that should have been halved that was it."

Jim Furyk on Paul McGinley: " He is a wonderful gentleman, a wonderful man. I told him later I made a friend this week."

Best value was Scott Hoch on Monty: " My hat's off to him. I told him I don't want any part of him over here but come back to the States and we might play another match.

"He's got my number. I was actually happy that I was going to play him first. I feel mostly I'm a pretty good matchplayer but he dusted me off today.

"Me and my partners. I was ready for him I thought. Looks like he was more ready for me than I was for him."

And that just about summed up the American experience. The Europeans were more ready. Philip Price knew for instance all year that he'd be playing with Pierre Fulke this week. He knew form the time of the team's first meeting at the Benson and Hedges in May. Such readiness and a willing to gamble took the Americans by surprise.

Something else ambushed them too, even Tiger Woods whose scepticism about this competition is legendary.

"This Ryder Cup was played in the fashion that it was initially designed for." he said "It was a beautiful week. The best thing for golf was to have it played the way it was this week. Respectful and fair."

Brookline belongs in another century.