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That year – and having lost two successive events at home and away - there was no one more delighted on the eighteenth green in Rochester than Gallacher after Phil Walton finally slotted the putt to reclaim the trophy on US soil. So much so that the Irish man nearly had the life squeezed out of him by the Scotsman bear hug, after he ran on to the green to celebrate. However, despite contributing to the sheer delight of his captain the Malahide golfer entered a two year spell where his game suffered, and even to this day he talks about that lime in less fond terms than most Irish fans remember that great day in New York State.
But the Ryder Cup has a habit of throwing up those conundrums and Walton would maintain that he has playing better golf in 1989 – when he finished 17th in the European Tour Order of Merit – than in 1995 when he earned an automatic place. Or indeed 1990 when he won the Peugeot Open de France on the European Tour. But that seems to be the way Ryder Cup history works as in Bethpage this weekend there seems to be a lot of history about to be written as another Dubliner - Padraig Harrington – fights to win The Barclays, in an event that does not even count for qualifying any points. What’s more, his captain is in Gleneagles watching over his other possible Ryder Cup rookies in order to finalise those two remaining wild card picks – solely reliant on TV pictures.
Whereas in 2010 Harrington took the good news on the same Farmingdale course, this weekend it is expected he will play his final round on Sunday – win lose or draw – knowing he is out of the Medinah mix. Albeit his current form is more justifiable of selection this time around, than perhaps two years ago. A point that 2008 USA Captain Paul Azinger was not slow about commenting on in 2010 when Colin Montgomerie made his wildcard choices.
Azinger compared Justin Rose's omission to the controversial decision by the losing European captain Nick Faldo to leave out Darren Clarke in 2008 and used his Twitter feed to mock the choice of the three-times major champion Padraig Harrington.
Then in 1989 few gave Christy O’Connor Jnr much chance of beating Fred Couples in the singles on the final day at The Belfry, having only played in the Saturday four-somes with Ronan Rafferty. The support though of team captain Tony Jacklin was a great help O’Connor is happy to recall any time and contributed enormously to the winning shot on the final Sunday.
‘It was the greatest and most emotional moment of my professional life. I’d felt terrible at breakfast that morning because of an article writing me off in one of the Sunday newspapers.” O’Connor explained afterwards.
'I felt the pressure it put on me was too much. Tony Jacklin, the captain, was brilliant on the final hole. He said on the 18th tee that if I put the pressure on, Fred wouldn’t be able to take it.“.
History now accords O’Connor Jnr a special place in the record books and one of those happy ones, despite the tears on the eighteenth green at The Belfry. But then tears are all over the golfing battles between the USA and Europe for the Samuel Ryder trophy, and no place more so than the sixteenth green at The K Cub in 2006 when Darren Clarke sealed the deal amidst roars and cheers.
Having been a wild card choice by captain Ian Woosnam, the decision was viewed as a sentimental one rather a practical one given Clarke had spent most of the preceding months tending to his wife Heather through illness – which finally ended her life a month or so previous. In hindsight that decision by Darren and Woosnam was right and it invigorated a man filled with grief who arrived at The K Club to find found a script written for him that was almost unimaginable the weeks before the event with Clarke wrapping up a 3&2 victory over Johnson to complete his third win of the weekend - at which point the emotions finally proved too much. Indeed for every body gathered around the Liffey
"This is as good as it gets," stated a tearful Clarke. "My team has been unbelievable and the support the Americans have shown me has been incredible. The support from the crowd is something that I will cherish forever."
Travelling now to Illinois as a caption-in-waiting for Gleneagles in 2014, Clarke knows both sides of the story and one imagines would be a good balance to any preconceived notions Olazabal may hold about his wild cards. It is a testament to Harrington’s competitiveness and doggedness that stories have re-emerged that he and Jose may not be on the best of terms since the Seve Trophy in 2003. In fact, that added antipathy seems to permeate his relations with Sergio Garcia also – for different reasons - and all seems to make summer holidays in Spain less attractive by the minute for the Stackstown golfer. Yet in his favour is an ultra competitive captain in Olazabal, who will dispassionately select his twelve best players – regardless – and know what balance he wants in the team. In that sense it will be Harrington’s lack of recent wins, and his poor points record at Valhalla and The Celtic Manor that will work against him.
Olazabal has once been on the wrong side of that captains call too, when Torrance left him out in 1995, and he knows very well what dejection entails. But having learned his golfing wisdom for the late Seve Ballesteros, it comes with a ruthlessness about the Ryder Cup that brings out a spirit that is all about beating the Americans at all cost. Who for so long dominated the trophy during Seve's early playing days. The other being an unmatched reverence Spanish players have for the Samuel Ryder trophy given it was Seve's achievements made the team Europe – rather than just Great Britain and Ireland. So much so that in 2010 Miguel Angel Jimenez missed his nephew's wedding in Spain to play Gleneagles, in order to ensure qualification, and nor relying n favours from anyone else. Something Martin Kaymer has notably not done this time around
Let us not forget also that in 1997 Captain Ballesteros made a tough call on fellow Spaniard, Miguel Martin, who won the Heineken Classic in Australia at the start of the year and earned an automatic place. A few weeks before the Valderrama matches he damaged his wrist and was out for the best part of two months, but was adamant it would be healed to play in the Ryder Cup. Ballesteros might have made allowance for an established player to get better, as Bernard Gallacher had done with Olazabal back in 1995. But for a rookie who had won his event almost at the start of the season it was a huge risk - in the captains vie - especially wth Olazabal in 11th place in the points list. A call that had to be made by Seve - Whig he did - finally telling Martin that he would not play.
In the end Martin got in the official team photo, was awarded his colours but its the 2012 Ryder Cup captain who made the team without Seve having to use one of his wildcards.
But then again wild cards can prove a problem when every point becomes pivotal throughout the foursomes and four ball, and as a result some only get out their clubs in the match play scenario of the Sunday singles. Which has cost some captains with players too suffering with names like Andrew Coltart at Brookline - 1999 captain Mark James choice ahead of experienced Bernhard Langer - paying the price. Along with Jarmo Sandelin and Jean van de Velde, Coltart teed off in his first action in the cauldron that was the Sunday at Brookline - when Team USA rallied to defeat Europe and reverse what was supposedly viewed as an insurmountable lead.
But perhaps it is testament to the way the game has changed in recent years, and the familiarity of the PGA Tour, that none of the Ryder Cup Rookies in 2010 at Celtic Manor looked out of place. Indeed, the Italian Molinari brothers, Sweden's Peter Hanson, German Martin Kaymer, Ross Fisher and Rory McIlroy all played their part in winning the trophy.
No doubt that reasoning runs in favour of Nicolas Colsaerts as one wild card choice this year, especially given he is a player in winning form currently.
All made easier for Jose Maria Olazabal after Harrington’s fall to earth at Farmingdale on Friday with a round of 75.
Still, Ireland will have four in the 2012 Ryder Cup mix at Medinah Country Club.
