McDowell sinks 15-foot birdie as Europe clinch Ryder Cup

Graeme McDowell capped off an unforgettable year for himself and for Europe.

Graeme McDowell capped off an unforgettable year for himself and for Europe. In a Ryder Cup that came down to the very last match Monday,McDowell rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole,then closed out Hunter Mahan to give Europe the 14 1/2 points it needed to reclaim the precious gold trophy. It was the first time since 1991 that the Ryder Cup was decided by the final singles match,a thriller made possible by the Americans getting big wins from its best players and a stunning comeback by 21-year-old rookie Rickie Fowler.

McDowell turned back the American rally with a birdie putt that seemed to take forever to reach the hole until it tumbled into the cup and set off a ground-shaking roar at Celtic Manor.

That birdie on 16 was just quite unbelievable, said European captain Colin Montgomerie. So was the finish.

Story continues below this ad

Europe,ahead by three points going into the final round,took the early lead in eight of the nine matches and appeared on its way to another rout on home soil. It all turned so quickly.

Tiger Woods holed out from the fairway for eagle during a seven-hole stretch that he played in 7-under par. Steve Stricker won the opening match and Phil Mickelson built a big lead to win late. Then came Fowler,the first PGA Tour rookie to play in the Ryder Cup,winning the last three holes with 15-foot birdie putts to earn an improbable half-point against Edoardo Molinari.

That gave the Americans 13 1/2 points,and they only needed a halve in the last match to retain the cup. Just as Fowler was being mobbed by his team mates,Mahan made a nervy birdie putt on the 15th to cut McDowells lead to 1 up.

The US Open felt like a back nine with my dad back at Portrush compared to that, McDowell said. I was really nervous there. Wow! Its a different feeling. Its just so much pressure. It sure didnt look that way as he blasted a tee shot down the middle and hit his approach to 15 feet,leaving him a quick putt. The best putt Ive hit in my life, McDowell said.

Story continues below this ad

For US captain Corey Pavin,it was a week where everything seemed to go wrong. We nearly got there today, he said.

zubeen garg, zubeen garg death, zubeen garg death case,

Singapore police say they don’t suspect foul play in Zubeen Garg’s death

India27 min ago

The Singapore police, in a statement issued on Friday, have said that “based on preliminary investigations”, they “do not suspect foul play” in singer Zubeen Garg’s death. Garg, 52, died in Singapore on September 19.

View all shorts

Live Blog

PHOTOS