THE MOST HATEFUL RYDER CUP OF ALL
War by the Shore shamed golf and left Langer in tears
Twenty-five years on and the events of an epic week at Kiawah island remain clear in the mind’s eye. the war by the Shore they called it, and for once the horrendous use of a military metaphor to describe any sporting conflict wasn’t entirely inappropriate.
this was the Ryder Cup at its most hateful and histrionic. Amidst some heroic performances and a drama on the last day that set new standards for pulse-racing, we had the backdrop of players and officials at each other’s throats, with claim and counter-claim of gamesmanship and skulduggery.
even now, all these years on, the main protagonists can barely recall the controversies without partisanship and old enmities being played out.
this weekend there are echoes of Kiawah in the fact it’s four Ryder Cups since America last won — as it was in 1991 — and the host nation are desperate to change the narrative.
But, even before the passing of Arnold Palmer, it was hard to imagine we would see Kiawah- style antics this weekend and even harder to envisage now in the sad aftermath of his death. At least we hope not, anyway.
the tone was set back then on the gorgeous South Carolina coastline from the moment Paul Azinger and Corey Pavin got up the noses of the europeans when they turned up for practice wearing US military caps.
the first Gulf war had ended just months earlier and America was awash with patriotism. Pavin and Azinger, whose father served in the US Air force, claimed they were merely honouring the nation’s troops, but the visitors thought the gesture disrespectful to all the european soldiers who had served on the same side in iraq.
So it continued at the gala dinner, where there was uproar when someone stood up and said: ‘Let’s pray for American birdies.’ european tour executive director Ken Schofield was all for leading a walk- out when a video was shown of past Ryder Cups and the only ones that got a look-in were those won by America.
On the radio, a local disc jockey, known appropriately as Mad Mike, started a ‘ wake the enemy’ campaign, with the europeans receiving calls to their rooms in the middle of the night. And then a ball was struck and the atmosphere turned really sour. At the centre of it on that rancid friday morning were Azinger and Seve Ballesteros — two combustible characters if ever there were — whose foursomes partners were Chip Beck and Jose Maria Olazabal respectively.
Halfway through their match, Olazabal discovered the Americans were violating a rule agreed by the captainss stating they should d only play one type e of ball (the Ameri- cans were using a ball with one compression when Azinger teed off and another when it was Beck’s turn).
Azinger, who claimed the violation was an innocent mistake, started ranting about two earlier free drops the Spaniards received.
‘He calmed down when he realised there was no penalty once a hole had been completed,’ recalled Billy foster,foster who caddied for Seve Seve. ‘As he went past me he smirked and said: “nice try.” i’ll never forget the look on Seve’s face when i told him. i remember thinking the Americans were in for it now.’
even though they were three up, they were playing Batman and Robin. Seve was unbelievable from that point on. when he holed this 40-footer to win the match on the 17th17 the message was clear: ‘Don’t‘D **** with Seve and Ollie.’Ol Azinger and Beck could hardlyha believe their bad luck when they drew the deadly duo again in the afternoon fo fourballs. the greatest partnership the Ryder Cup has ever seen finished their fo four matches together that w week with 3.5 points. it was fa far from plain sailing for europe, however. nick faldo and ian woosnam, t two heavy hitters on whom ca captain Bernard Gallacher w was relying, lost both their matches on the opening day. faldo would go out the next day with rookie David Gilford and barely utter a word of encouragement in a 7&6 pummelling. Still, it looked good for europe when the draw for the singles was released. the scores were tied 8-8 but Gallacher had second-guessed opposite number, Dave Stockton.
Gilford, desperate to make amends, had come out against the out- of- sorts wayne Levi. what a bonus for the visitors. well, until they arrived at the course.
American Steve Pate, who had got a few bumps and bruises in a car crash on wednesday but had been fit to play on Saturday, was declared unfit to play on Sunday.
the europeans were aghast. ‘How can you be fit to play one day but not the next?’ asked Colin Montgomerie. Under the rules of the competition each side has to stick one name in an envelope, in case a member of the opposition falls sick or injured. it was a distraught Gilford who sat the singles out, with each side awarded a half point.
Ballesteros, head and shoulders above any other player on either side, moved up in the order where he now faced Levi, the worst.
the Americans were adamant in the face of europe’s protests that Pate wasn’t fit to play. it’s one of those controversies that will divide opinion for ever, and particularly given the outcome came down to the final putt in the final match.
europe were given the perfect start with wins for faldo and David feherty, while Montgomerie came back from four down with four to play to halve with Mark Calcavecchia. Rookie Paul Broadhurst beat Mark O’Meara and Seve duly won his gimme match. But the losses mounted up and eventually it became clear this would come down to Bernhard Langer, who had to win against three-time US Open champion Hale irwin. Only trouble was, he was two down with four to play.
But the German holed gutsy putts to win the 15th and the 17th to send the match down the last all square, where he struck a nerveless and perfect drive.
irwin, who admitted afterwards he was struggling to breathe at this point, snap-hooked his tee shot. it seemed the trophy was heading over the water but this Ryder Cup had one more controversy to reveal.
When Irwin got to his ball it was 30 yards right of where it should have been and sitting up so nicely he could strike a three wood.
He duly hit it to near the green but then, in a demonstration he was finding the situation intolerable, flunked the chip. Langer, on the front of the green in two, saw his lag putt drift 6ft past the hole. When Irwin putted up and had his bogey putt conceded Langer now had to hole to win the most contentious Ryder Cup of all.
Langer has described the circumstances in vivid detail over the years. Of how he knew the putt had a touch of break but was worried about hitting it on that line because there were a couple of spike marks in the way. So he hit it firm and straight — and it still broke. He had missed and America had won.
Never has a missed putt brought such joy. Calcavecchia and Irwin could hardly believe their agonies on the final day had not cost their nation a victory. Langer was fine until he reached the locker room and saw Seve crying. ‘No man in the history of the game could have holed that putt,’ said Seve, and that set off his team-mate, the first and only time Langer has shed a tear over golf.
By contrast, a wave of celebration washed over the American team as they danced in the Atlantic Ocean.
When I think back on that week my abiding memory remains not of the incredible drama but the ugly unpleasantness of it all. Was the Ryder Cup really worth such aggro? There would be one more similar occasion at Brookline in 1999 before everyone came to their senses.
The postponement of the 2001 match after 9/11 has brought a clearer sense of focus. A line was drawn that has never since been crossed. Kiawah stands, therefore, as the low point in Ryder Cup relations, a week when there was a lack of respect between the two teams.
A week the like of which we can only hope we never see again.