Lenny Boyle
The Miracle At Medinah
30/09/2012
We’ll tell our grandkids about 2012. A list of the great sporting successes of 2012 would fill this page. The Olympics, Andy Murray’s first major, among others. The success of the 2012 European Ryder Cup team match anything else we’ve seen this year. Europe came back from 10-6 down to retain, and win, the Ryder Cup away from home. They achieved the seemingly impossible.
Europe looked finished on Saturday. But the guts, determination and fierce will to win of Ian Poulter pulled Europe out of the fire. Over the course of the weekend he won four from four points. A large proportion of Europe's total in their 14½ point to 13½ victory.
He galvanised Europe with a passion that Seve Ballesteros would have been proud of. At 10-6, so convinced were the Americans that they would win the 2012 Ryder Cup an ESPN columnist penned the following list of conditions for a European comeback:
“For those who think this Ryder Cup is finished, think again. Team Europe can still win if the following five things happen Sunday:
-- Keegan Bradley is abducted.
-- Team USA captain Davis Love III inserts Cup spectators Michael Jordan, President George W. Bush, Amy Mickelson and the Rev. Jesse Jackson into the singles lineup.
-- Lee Westwood: U.S. citizen.
-- Marty McFly shows Team Europe captain José María Olazábal how to go back in time. Last Friday morning will do.
-- Team Europe wins eight of the remaining 12 matches to retain the cup.
Never mind. It's over. Olazabal can click off the walkie-talkie and take the IFB out of his ear. Time for the Europeans to fire up the private jets and head back home to Florida.”
Pretty funny.
Not since 1927 had a US team lost more than a two-point lead on the final day of the Ryder Cup. So Marty McFly couldn’t have taken the American team back in time to a worst Ryder Cup defeat. This was it. The worst ever.
In a great year of sport José María Olazábal and Ian Poulter engineered the miracle at Medinah.
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