The Ryder Cup ethos makes foes into friends

Isn’t it ironic that golf, played in the professional ranks as an individual sport, can produce such an excellent camaraderie between familiar foes when it comes to events like the Ryder Cup.

Week after week these guys go toe-to-toe over four rounds of 18 holes, not giving an inch in their common desire to win trophies and money.

But for one weekend every two years, the top dogs from the US and Europe put their differences aside, wear the same shirt every day, high five and fist pump, cheer each other on around the greens and, together, either celebrate the win or drown their sorrows, like a band of brothers after three gruelling days.

“We are one of the closest-knit teams in international sport. It’s amazing how we play for each other,” said Colin Montgomerie after securing the win for Europe by beating David Toms 1up at Oakland Hills Country Club in 2004.

And just the thought of Montgomerie getting along with more casual folk, like Lee Westwood and Darren Clarke, already tells you how contagious the Ryder Cup team spirit is, as the grumpy Scotsman, who constantly seems to be smelling dog poo underneath his shoe, doesn’t strike you as the most popular oke in the clubhouse.

Although there’s no doubt about the talent on display, as the two teams normally feature a large number of the world’s top 30, it’s raw emotion that sometimes gets them to pull together.

The great Arnold Palmer died days before the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. The focused Americans never trailed and recorded a comprehensive 17-11 victory, which captain Davis Love dedicated to Palmer.

In 2012, emotions reached fever pitch when the Europeans pulled off a remarkable comeback at Medinah, with captain Jose Maria Olazabal breaking into tears. Just the year before, fellow Spaniard and great mate Seve Ballesteros died and Olazabal wanted nothing more than to dedicate a European win to him.

Ballesteros and Olazabal made up the ultimate Ryder Cup pairing and still hold the record for the most successful duo.

The Spaniards secured 12 points from 15 matches from 1989 to 1993.

Those pairs coming closest to them, Clarke and Westwood and Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, could only get to six points.

But successful pairings – or individuals, for that matter – don’t always secure overall success.

Despite their unflappable success rate, Europe only won one of three tournaments during Ballesteros and Olazabal’s reign.

Last time around, in 2016, Thomas Pieters became the first European rookie to score four points, but it could not help his team avoid a 17-11 thrashing.

And records mean absolutely when a player lines up a putt for a crucial singles point on the Sunday.

Few will remember that Irishman Paul McGinley actually had a crappy record at the Belfry in 2002, scoring only one point in three matches, but everyone can remember his clutch putt to halve with Jim Furyk and secure Europe’s win on the 18th.

The scenes of McGinley jumping in the greenside water hazard, followed by ecstatic team-mates, is one of golf’s – let alone the Ryder Cup’s – most iconic moments.

And there wasn’t even a green jacket, a Claret Jug or a Wanamaker Trophy on offer.