By Travis Puterbaugh
The 1991 Ryder Cup, according to one of its central figures, was “maybe one the most compelling and interesting Ryder Cups we’ve ever played.” Those words, spoken by Bernhard Langer, resonate 27 years later as the matches on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, South Carolina, have taken on a larger-than-life status in the popular imagination.
For starters, the contest between Europe and the United States featured 11 Members of the World Golf Hall of Fame playing on a course designed by fellow Hall of Fame Member Pete Dye. The Dye-designed course was so new, in fact, that none of the participating players had ever played it.
Heading into the match, the U.S. team had not won the Cup since 1983, and in 1987 suffered their first-ever defeat on home soil, dropping the Cup at Muirfield Village. Bringing the Cup back wouldn’t be easy, as both teams would be playing on the newly designed Ocean Course.
The European team featured four of the top five ranked players in the world at the time, as well as five Hall of Famers: Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Colin Montgomerie, Nick Faldo and Jose Maria Olazabal. The U.S. team, meanwhile, included seven of the top 16 players in the world including six Hall of Famers: Fred Couples, Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin, Mark O’Meara, Payne Stewart and Lanny Wadkins. At the time, this group of Hall of Famers had already accounted for 20 Major Championships between them. All told, this impressive group now owns a combined 29 Majors.
On Friday, the U.S. took an early 3-1 lead in the Morning Foursomes. Europe rallied in Afternoon Four-Ball to narrow the margin to 4 1/2 to 3 1/2 at the end of the day. Saturday followed a similar pattern as the U.S. prevailed in the morning, highlighted by Azinger and O’Meara’s 7&6 win over Faldo and David Gilford. Europe owned the afternoon, however, winning three and halving the fourth match.
Going into Sunday, the two teams were deadlocked at 8 points each, setting up one of the most dramatic days in Ryder Cup history. Calcavecchia had an early opportunity, finding himself up four with four to play against Montgomerie. What followed was one of the toughest closing stretches in Ryder Cup history: triple bogey, bogey, triple bogey and bogey. Despite Montgomerie’s own struggles down the stretch – he and Calcavecchia were a combined 11 over par for the final four holes – Montgomerie was able to halve the match for Europe.
The most lasting image of the weekend, however, remains Langer standing over a 6-foot putt on the 18th hole with a chance to retain the Cup. The German needed to win his final hole against Hale Irwin in order for Europe to retain the Cup.
After keeping the match alive with critical putts on the previous three holes, it fittingly came down to putts on 18. Irwin missed his 20-footer for the win, giving Langer an opening. In one of the great pressure-moments in golf history, Langer’s putt looked true but then veered right at the last instant.
“It’s going to stick with me for a lifetime, that putt,” said Langer. “I will never forget it; that’s for sure.”
For the first time since 1983, the United States had won the Ryder Cup.
The significance of 1991 Ryder Cup today may be attributed to the fact that it was part of an evolution that has seen the event transform from a gentlemanly exhibition to a high-stakes international competition where roster selections are eagerly anticipated, captain’s moves are questioned and debated, and career legacies can be shaped in an instant.
Between 1935 and 1983, the United States lost the Ryder Cup only one time in 1957. By contrast, over the last 31 years the United States has won just four times. The elevated level of competition between Europe and the United States – along with the significance attached to winning and losing – has made the Ryder Cup the can’t-miss event that it is today.
