Jewel in the Glen

ONE

THE MAGICIANS OF MEDINAH

'The amount of things that had to happen, that did, for us to win, you'll never see it again.'

PAUL LAWRIE, 1999 OPEN CHAMPION AND TWO-TIME RYDER CUP PLAYER

ON THE MILWAUKEE District West Line, the 8.30 a.m. Metra from Chicago's Union Station set off for Elgin, calling at Medinah en route. It had become an enjoyable, familiar journey, the downtown train snaking its way west and providing immediate eye-catching visuals of the iconic city skyscrapers with the 110-storey Willis Tower, the tallest building in North America, at its heart. It was a scheduled journey time of some 46 minutes, yet on Sunday morning, 30 September 2012, there were inevitable delays. At the 13 railroad stops before Medinah, passengers poured on in the largest numbers seen that week, an extra spring in an expectant American step. Cries of 'U-S-A' were louder and prouder. They were united in dress too, resplendent in red, answering the call to action from their captain. Glancing out the window at Elmwood Cemetery in River Grove, as vast a burial land as you will see, it was hard not to feel the foreboding, that this part of Illinois was proving a graveyard for European golfers. Quite simply, Medinah Country Club had been rocking to the home team's beat, providing the razzle-dazzle Chicago's jazz scene is famous for. The city's sport-mad, passionate fans, disappointed to miss out on a bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, had lived up to their reputation, playing their part to set up a singles shoot-out where their team needed just four-and-a-half points from 12 to reclaim the cup. After tasting six defeats in eight matches, the US train was firmly on track for a rare success, at times steamrolling their visitors during the opening two days' play. A derailment seemed improbable. Indeed, to many home fans, boarding an early celebratory return train was more likely.

'I like to watch major golf events, especially the final stages. The Ryder Cup is brilliant. The atmosphere is incredible. I've always loved team events.'
Andy Murray OBE, Grand Slam and Olympic tennis champion

During virtually every week of the year, golf is a game about player, caddy and ball versus the rest. It's individual, selfish and played, at the highest level, for huge sums of money. However, for three days every two years, it changes - completely. Not just for players, but spectators too. Individualism is replaced with a team dynamic on the course; polite applause is replaced with an explosion of football-style noise off it. It offers no prize money, but players either side of the Atlantic are still desperate to make their respective teams. Points matter, not pounds. It's played for patriotism and pride; on the one side for the ideals of the American Dream, on the other for a united Europe, a rallying behind the blue and yellow flag not seen in almost any other sport. Interest and popularity in this absorbing head-to-head contest has grown phenomenally year after year since the 1980s. Loud, tense, passionate, emotive, electric, thrilling, brilliant, brave and boisterous - a descriptive list could run and run. The third-largest sporting event in the world and the most eagerly anticipated tournament on the golfing calendar. Two continents collide in the biggest rivalry in golf.

The Ryder Cup holds us all completely transfixed. It never ceases to amaze, to provide the unexpected. Is there another event which provides incessant drama and causes us to go through such highs and lows? Then, as the conclusion comes, typically finely balanced, you start scanning the leaderboard . and count. We've all done it, played the numbers game. Is there enough blue to outweigh the red, and vice versa? Who will sink the defining putt, to provide a historic Ryder Cup memory à la Sam Torrance's time at The Belfry in 1985, or Paul McGinley's moment on the same green in 2002? You're on edge; be it on the couch, on the course, in the car, wherever, it's nail-biting in the extreme. 'The greatness of it lies in its sheer improbability,' says Andrew Cotter, the broadcaster, who worked at his sixth Ryder Cup at Medinah. For every winner (think Graeme McDowell v Hunter Mahan in 2010 at Celtic Manor), there is a loser (think Bernhard Langer v Hale Irwin in 1991 at Kiawah Island). It reduces grown men to tears, in victory or defeat. How Samuel Ryder could never have dreamt it. It's truly unique.

'Do it for Seve' is written in the sky during day two of the morning foursome matches at Medinah. Getty Images

'I played seven Ryder Cups and it's welded in my heart. I had a chance to play with Seve and saw how much it meant to him. Somehow he passed that attitude to me.'
José Maria Olazábal, 2012 European Ryder Cup captain1

It was the first Ryder Cup since he had passed away; frail, after a courageous battle against brain cancer, aged only 54 in May 2011. For all, especially of a European persuasion, there was an obvious poignancy. Nobody represents the modern Ryder Cup more than he. In his own inimitable style, he inspired Europe to victory in his native Spain at Valderrama in 1997 and played in the contest eight times, winning 22.5 points from 37 matches between 1979 and 1995. He and Olazábal won a staggering 12 points from their 15 games together, an incredible double act, the best in Ryder Cup history. We all miss Severiano Ballesteros, but Olazábal more so. The 46-year-old lost his great friend, partner and compatriot, but not the many magical memories. Invoking the spirit of Seve at Medinah had been in Olazábal's thoughts from the very outset. Ensuring he would be with his team, each of the players' bags was adorned with his most famous pose, his clenched-fist salute to the crowd after winning the 1984 Open. 'Seve always said that was the sweetest moment of his career, winning at St Andrews and making that putt to beat Tom Watson,' said an emotional Olazábal, his own captaincy the culmination of a remarkable personal journey spanning 26 years on the European Tour. 'We came up with the idea that it would be nice to have Seve's silhouette, so that every time somebody grabs a club or something from the bag they can see it.'2 Olazábal, of course, had a rather different source of inspiration, namely Brookline 1999. With America's final day comeback unrelenting, Justin Leonard holed a 45-foot putt on the 17th green. He was mobbed by gleeful team-mates, who trampled over Olazábal's line . before his putt to keep the match alive. It was an unsavoury incident, one of many during a rowdy and, at times, unpleasant week. After the chaos died down, the Spaniard missed and later cried in the locker room after the crushing 14.5-13.5 defeat. That's what the Ryder Cup does, what it means. It proved uncanny how Olazábal would achieve redemption.

'European golf is in such a strong place, there are established names and a lot of good players coming through who are only going to get better and better.'
Marc Warren, 2007 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles winner

In the grandeur of Gleneagles' ballroom on 27 August 2012, Olazábal finalised his team. Unlike the dilemmas facing previous captains, his two picks looked straightforward. Ian Poulter and Nicolas Colsaerts were odds-on choices. Poulter's outstanding Ryder Cup record and love of the matchplay format saw the Englishman handed a fourth cap, while Colsaerts, the big-hitting Belgian, was rewarded for a hugely impressive season. Poulter was 11th and Colsaerts 12th on the European points table, meaning Olazábal's 12-man side, featuring eight men who won in 2010 and just the one rookie in Colsaerts, was formidable. So too was counterpart Davis Love III's line-up. The six-time Ryder Cup player had the luxury of leaving out the likes of Mahan, Rickie Fowler and Nick Watney, opting for Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker and Steve Stricker as his four wild cards. Resultantly, all 24 Ryder Cup players were in the world's top 35 for the first time. 'Two phenomenal teams treated us to an absolute spectacle,' states Andrew Coltart, the 1999 Ryder Cup player and a member of the BBC Radio 5 live reporting team at Medinah. During practice, huge crowds stretched every sinew for a closeup, an autograph, a photo of these golfing gladiators. If America just held the favourites tag, as Europe chased victory on away soil for only the second time in 13 years, Olazábal was quietly confident. The majority of his team were regular performers in America, with proud Chicago resident Luke Donald playing an away match on home turf. The European skipper was also quick to play down the concerns over Martin Kaymer's form, the 2010 US PGA champion and former world no. 1 hanging on to the final qualifying place after a relatively mediocre spell. 'I don't think I'm going to have any issues regarding Martin,' said Olazábal.3 They were to prove prophetic words.

Friday 28 September: Day 1

'There is nothing like the 1st tee of a Ryder Cup in sport.'
Andrew Coltart

It's bonkers. There is no other occasion in sport where thousands of spectators are horse-shoed in to make as much noise as possible. No other occasion when the grandstand seats are filled when it's still dark. No other occasion when two sets of supporters trade songs, many humorous, in a tit-for-tat vocal contest. No other occasion when the world's best golfers struggle to place ball on tee . then fear not making contact. It's the 1st tee on the opening morning...