to move up and down
Martin Kaymer is mobbed by the European team after he holed the decisive putt on the 18th green during the Ryder Cup.
Europe produced one of the most astonishing last-day comebacks at the Ryder Cup to retain the trophy at Medinah Country Club on Sunday after a sizzling display in the singles matches.
With one singles match still to be completed, the Europeans ensured they could not be beaten when Kaymer defeated Steve Stricker one up to give the visitors a 14-13 lead.
As holders, Europe only needed to tie the match to retain the Cup they won in Wales two years ago.
Trailing 10-6 after Saturday’s fourball matches, Kaymer claimed the decisive point when he sank a five-foot par putt at the last hole.
Not to pile on Rory McIlroy … but this is the best story of all time (at least today):
He arrived at Medinah by police escort barely 10 minutes before the tee time for his Ryder Cup singles match due to a mix-up over his starting time on Sunday.
The Northern Irishman told reporters he was confused by listings that showed his match against American Keegan Bradley was to start at 12:25 Eastern time, but McIlroy was unaware that the Chicago area is on Central time which is one hour earlier.
Europe’s Rory McIlroy reacts after missing a putt on the seventh hole during a foursomes match at the Ryder Cup.
The U.S. team is poised to wrest the Ryder Cup back from Europe in a walk — leading 10-6 heading into Sunday’s 12 singles matches; a pair of 2-2 ties in the first and last team matches the closest the Euros have come to being competitive in any session — and he didn’t even have to play his best lineup Saturday afternoon.
Hats off to Team Europe’s fans: The Ryder Cup’s opening session provided its usual dollop of heroes, goats, blown leads and near miracles Friday — and at the end of a morning that was trending all European blue for a while, it was the visitors who had to hang on tight to get to the lunch room with a 2-2 draw against Team USA.
With Tiger Woods hitting it sideways, and Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell nearly blowing a 3-up lead with six holes to play … with Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley strafing Europe’s two best alternate-shot masters, Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia … it took a clutch 12-foot par-saving putt at the 16th hole by Ian Poulter to nail down the second point for Europe at the expense of Woods and his partner, Steve Stricker.
U.S. vs. The World: Team Europe’s latest strategy at the the Ryder Cup is to blind their opponents. Good work, everyone.
Leaping on a careless word, which is what the British tabloids do best, reporters were all excited about a quote from Englishman Ian Poulter, who stepped in it while trying to describe the emotions the Ryder Cup inspires.
“I hate to say we don’t get on for three days, but there is that divide, and it’s not that we don’t like each other,” Poulter said. “We are all good friends, both sides of the pond. But there’s something about Ryder Cup which kind of intrigues me how you can be great mates with somebody, but, boy, do you want to kill them in Ryder Cup.” Love took his comments with a grain of salt. “It’s not a war, it’s a party. It’s a golf match … Things will get testy — chippy as they say in hockey — because it’s intense. But we’ll be friends at the end of it.”
Artin Elmayan Elmayan, who emigrated to Argentina from Europe when it was on the verge of war in 1938 at the age of 21, said he took up tennis as a hobby and has never looked back. Now, aged 95, he is the world’s oldest-ranked player.
Spain has taken its place among football’s all-time great sides by becoming the first team to defend its European Championship after winning the World Cup. The task, now, is to be remembered as the greatest.
The team will now look ahead to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil to retain its title from two years ago in South Africa. If the Spaniards can do that, it will be virtually impossible to deny them the moniker of best team ever.
Photos: Andres Kudacki/The Associated Press, Susana Vera/Reuters, Javier Barbancho/Reuters
What? A creepy eagle mascot wouldn’t make you feel better after losing one of the biggest matches of the year? Tasa the Eagle, the mascot of the 2012 EHF European Men’s Handball Championship, watches as Germany’s Uwe Gensheimer reacts after being defeated by Poland. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
Slovenian players block a ball during the men’s Volleyball European Championship play-off match against Finland at Stadthalle in Vienna September 14, 2011. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
