THE MIRACLE AT MEDINAH

Jose Maria Olazabal, Europe’s victorious captain at the 2012 Ryder Cup, relives one of the most stirring comebacks in the history of golf’s greatest event

- MICHAEL WESTON

It was almost over. Late on Saturday September 29, 2012, as the American roars grew louder and louder, Europe found themselves 10-4 down.

Europe’s captain, Jose Maria Olazabal, wore a pained expression, which intensified with each missed putt. It was turning into a nightmare. This could so easily have been the ‘Mauling at Medinah’.

There are many enduring images from that thrilling contest nine years ago, but only one that tells the story of when the tide turned in favour of Olazabal’s men. It came after Ian Poulter, playing alongside Rory McIlroy in Saturday’s afternoon fourballs, holed a 15-footer at the last – his fifth straight birdie – to give Europe a 1up victory. The Englishman, eyes burning like a man possessed, turned to his teammates and let out the most ferocious roar. It was the shot in the arm Europe desperately needed.

“The crucial moment was that Saturday afternoon,” says Olazabal, the excitement still there in his voice. “At one point we were well, well, well behind. Everything was looking like it was pretty much lost. Sometimes you can be down and feel really bad, but this was the opposite.

“We were down by four but the atmosphere in the team was fantastic because of how things happened late in the afternoon [Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald also beat Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker]. The last couple of matches were a huge boost for us in confidence, in self-belief, not just winning the points but the way it happened and how Poulter celebrated that last putt. I think that transferred to the rest of the team. That was huge. Huge.”

Momentum shift