SEVE-TAMER NELSON CAN INSPIRE USA

IF America are to topple Europe this weekend then someone may need to produce the kind of extraordinary performance that Larry Nelson mustered 35 years ago. It was 1979 when the Vietnam war veteran and eventual three-time major winner won all five points in a Ryder Cup match, a feat that no other man in history, not even Ian Poulter, has been able to emulate. Nelson was a rookie and had never even experienced matchplay golf before that match at the Greenbrier in West Virginia, where he took down Seve Ballesteros four times in three days with the Spaniard at his peak. Speaking yesterday from California’s Pebble Beach, Nelson, now 67, talked of his admiration for Poulter and how he believes the relatively humble beginnings they share is connected with them achieving great things in the team competition. ‘It’s probably not coincidence that we come from similar backgrounds,’ said Nelson. ‘He’s more outgoing than I was but we are sort of bluecollar players who came through late, which maybe makes you appreciate and want it more.’ While Poulter’s rise from the pro shop has been remarkable he has nothing on the story of Nelson, who only took up the game at 21 once he had come back from serving as an infantryman in Vietnam. Before winning two USPGAs and a US Open, Nelson (right) made his name at the 1979 Ryder Cup, where he and Lanny Wadkins beat Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido three times in four-man competition before he beat the Spaniard again in the Sunday singles. ‘Because I didn’t go to college, matchplay was new to me, but my military background helped,’ he said. ‘I was a squadron leader in Vietnam and the teamwork and camaraderie aspect came very naturally. That also put the pressure of sport into perspective. After being in the army I was always just happy to see the sun rise in the morning.’ There was no other magic secret to his performance for the 5-0 whitewash, which he followed up with a 4-0 in the event two years later. ‘It was almost like playing the 18th hole of a major on every hole and that helped my concentration I guess. I had a great partner in Lanny Wadkins, who took me under his wing. ‘I kept getting drawn against Seve, who was about the world’s best at that time. Some people were intimidated by him but that was not a problem, I was not even intimidated by (Jack) Nicklaus. ‘I heard things like Seve might try and psych me out or put me off but there was no animosity. We actually became quite close after the four matches.’ Nelson has continued to play on the PGA Seniors Tour and will be competing this week. But he added: ‘I will be watching, I still love the Ryder Cup.