Europeans Stave Off U.S. Rally Ballesteros’ Dream Comes True With Narrow Ryder Cup Triumph

The furious American rally that nearly stole the Ryder Cup from Europe had just three problems: Tiger Woods, Justin Leonard and Davis Love III.

The United States may have had the better golfers. Europe had the better team.

Europe went into Sunday’s singles play with a seemingly insurmountable lead but had to hold on for a 14-1/2-13-1/2 victory in a wet and wild finish to a personal crusade by Seve Ballesteros.

The Europeans’ tears of joy that mixed with the driving rain over the final hole at Valderrama were almost tears of sorrow as the Americans nearly staged the greatest comeback in the Ryder Cup’s 70-year history.

“It’s a dream come true, not only because the Ryder Cup was played in Spain but because we won,” said Ballesteros, who fought to bring the Ryder Cup to his homeland and the European continent for the first time.

“We won,” he said, brushing aside tears with both hands.

The victory that seemed so certain when Europe started singles play leading 10-1/2-5-1/2 nearly slipped away when the Americans won seven singles matches and halved two others.

And the unthinkable could have happened, except that the U.S. team got only a half point from Woods, Leonard and Love - winners of the Masters, British Open and PGA this year.

“All the talk is about Tiger Woods and how great the players are in America,” said Bernhard Langer, who won the match that clinched the Cup, defeating Brad Faxon 2 and 1. “But we have great young players here and they showed it.”

Europe got at least one point from everyone and dominated the team matches - alternate-shot and better-ball.

Meanwhile, the United States got only 2-1/2 of a possible 13 points from Woods, Love and Leonard on the week. Love was the lone player on either team to be shut out.

“On paper, we looked like the underdogs,” Langer said. “But we knew we had the 12 best players in Europe on our side.”

And in Ballesteros, the Europeans had one of the most competitive people in sports. To the very end, he made it clear that this was his Ryder Cup.

Even though the European team was assured of retaining the Cup by virtue of a tie with three matches still on the course, the non-playing captain wanted the outright win.

As thousands of drenched fans swarmed onto the final fairway behind the last group, singing “Ole! Ole! Ole!” and making the lush grass look more like Times Square on New Year’s Eve, Ballesteros was nearly alone in refusing to say the Ryder Cup was over.

“Would I have been happy with a tie?” Ballesteros said. “No, to be very honest.”

Finally - and fittingly - it was Ballesteros who stepped onto the final green and told Colin Montgomerie to concede the putt that halved his match with Scott Hoch and gave Europe the outright victory.

Ultimately, it was the way the Europeans, who entered the match rocked by the removal of Miguel Angel Martin from the squad, came together as a team - and the way they putted - that won it.

In the true spirit of team play that makes the Ryder Cup so special, Europe built a huge lead in the alternate-shot and better-ball play, allowing the Americans only four wins in 16 matches.

Time and again, one European player would step in to bail out a teammate. Europe also got eight points from its five Ryder Cup rookies.

Tom Kite, the American captain, thought the key was the Europeans’ experience on Valderrama, a course he said requires as much local knowledge as Augusta National.

“From tee to green, we played better than the Europeans,” Kite said. “But they chipped better and putted significantly better.”