GOLF RYDER CUP 2010 Europe14½ USA13½:ABSENCE, APPARENTLY, makes the heart grow fonder. Which just might explain the outpouring of emotions evidenced at Celtic Manor yesterday, where Europe - who had relinquished the prized gold trophy in Valhalla two years ago - experienced a white-knuckle ride to deliverance and reclaimed the Ryder Cup by the narrowest of margins, 14½ to 13½, in barely withstanding a remarkable final day's fight-back from the United States.
Oh, this was golf at its rawest; a mano-a-mano confrontation that twisted and turned and finally settled in Europe's favour. If Graeme McDowell, a man with ice flowing through his veins, manfully delivered the winning point in out-duelling Hunter Mahan to drag Europe over the line, there were others, too, who showed fortitude. Like Rory McIlroy up-and-downing from an 18th greenside bunker for a halved match. Like Ian Poulter and Luke Donald. Like Miguel Angel Jimenez. Like them all, in fact.
On a day when a dank fog descended into the Usk Valley before lifting as the sun - a rare sighting during this biennial encounter - broke through the cover, Europe entered the fray with a three-point advantage, 9½ to 6½, that was to prove fragile.
The USA, without a win on this side of the Atlantic since 1993, almost managed to produce the greatest recovery in the event's long history. They came up just short, but it wasn't for the want of trying.
Indeed, Tiger Woods, so often maligned in this particular competition, demonstrated the USA's will to win with a performance of true substance in the singles where he hit Francesco Molinari with seven birdies and an eagle. It meant that Woods, for the second successive time (The K Club-2006; Celtic Manor-2010), having missed out on the victory at Valhalla two years ago, was his side's leading points scorer, along with Steve Stricker.
In triumphing, with Colin Montgomerie, an eight-time winner of the European Tour Order of Merit, describing it as "the greatest moment of my golf career", Europe did what no other team has ever done: they recovered from losing the opening session of play to go on and win. Of course, much of the recovery work had been performed in the third session, which Europe dominated to carry a three-point lead into the final day. It proved to be just about a sufficient cushion to see them home.
"The third session was our demise, we just took half a point from six," admitted Jim Furyk.
All through the match, Europe's players had left the team locker-room with a dramatic photograph of Jose Maria Olazabal jumping atop the shoulders of Seve Ballesteros - and that inspiring image was one which they carried out onto the course, and it was a motivational image which Montgomerie sought to inject into each and every one of his team.
When it came to it, Monty's men had enough points to get the job done. And, while Stewart Cink remarked of the two players cast in the anchor role that, "it's the toughest spot in the game of golf. Not many players would want to put themselves in that position", it was Graeme McDowell's win over Mahan which saw Europe get home.
Why McDowell in the anchor role? Montgomerie, a man who has lived and breathed his best moments in golf in this very competition as a player, liaised with his back-room men - Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke, Sergio Garcia, Thomas Bjorn and new recruit Jose Maria Olazabal - and all decided that the Ulsterman was the one to see them home.
As Monty put it, "Graeme was put at number 12 for a very good reason, and the reason came up trumps at number 16 when he birdied that hole when he most needed it".
For Pádraig Harrington, who left with two points from four, the win was important on a number of fronts. One of them was in rewarding Montgomerie, who he described as a terrific captain.
"He has done so well as a player, it was fitting he should win as a captain. This was the one opportunity he would get to cap off an unbelievable Ryder Cup career and we didn't want to let him down. Life doesn't guarantee you these things, but as a team we wanted to ensure we delivered it," said Harrington.
For the Americans, it was another journey home without the trophy. The US have to go back to 1993 for the last time they won on European soil.
Mahan, involved in the decisive singles with McDowell, was so distraught afterwards he could barely speak. Perhaps that is a sign, more than anything else, that the Americans badly wanted to win this.
His captain, Corey Pavin, was not for placing the blame anywhere. "Each and every one of my players played their hearts out. They tried on every shot, and they gave it their best shot. There's nothing that any of them have to hold their heads down about," said a gracious Pavin.
Montgomerie confirmed last night that he will be stepping down as Ryder Cup captain. "This is a one-hit time - I will not be doing this again," he said. "I think it's only right that it should be shared around."
