2006 European victory- a special moment in Ryder Cup History
As the Ryder Cup draws close, now is a good time to reminisce about all the special moments linked with the previous Ryder Cups. Whether it was the United States victory in 2008 or Darren Clarke in Dublin, these moments are forever etched into golf history. The way the players struggled is evidence to how special victory must be for them. This year the Ryder Cup is set to take place at Celtic Manor in Wales starting from 3rd October. With Captain Colin Montgomerie’s team decided, the US captain is in the hot spot as he will finalize his team today.
Celebration and fireworks would have been there at every Ryder Cup victory. But tears from the players? That could only have been at the famous Europe victory, which was in 2006 at the K club in Dublin. As the team rejoiced before the overwhelming Irish crowd, who had cheered for them no matter how bad the weather got, Darren Clarke was obviously on top of the list.
There were tears of joy and of sadness. The European team was ecstatic after their win of five out of six matches and also for the first time ever- third time in a row. The margin they accomplished- which was 18.5-9.5 was amazing and it reached their record that was set two years ago. The leading man Clarke had lost his wife Heather due to cancer only six weeks before the match. He was consoled and hugged by everyone that could be near him. At a very special time in his life, the amazing golfer was really reminded of his wife.
With tears streaming out of his eyes, Clarke said that this is how good as gets and he will always remember the support that he got.
"I've too many memories to list. It's done a lot for me. A lot of people showed me how much they care for me and cared for Heather. I was just trying to keep my emotions in check all the way round. The fans have been fantastic and the American players and their wives have been incredible too", said the sentimental Darren.
As the day started, it would have been better if Clarke had scored the winning putt. For most of the day, it looked like it was possible. However, the agility of other members of the team didn’t quite let that happen. Unintentionally, of course- they had taken full control of the K club course.
As Clarke went forward to defeat Zach Johnson, another player- Swedish Henrik Stenson performed really well and especially contributed to the American defeat. In addition, Luke Donald, Paul Casey, David Howell and Colin Montgomerie had already taken Europe to 14 points that were essential to ensure victory. As Stenson put off Vaughn Taylor, Europe’s consecutive wins continued.
Clarke’s win took the score to 16-8 and Dubliner Paul McGinley incremented it by a half. The winning streak continued as Jose Maria Olazabal defeated Phil Mickelson, who is World number two, and Lee Westwood defeated Chris Dimarco.
On the last day, as Tiger Woods opened the game- everyone had a slight hint about who the winning team would be. Last year America may have beaten the rest of the world minus Europe, but 2006 was definitely Europe’s year. Even with the former president Bill Clinton in the observers, the US team couldn’t do very well. Tom Lehman’s men were crumbled as in the singles they went up to getting their worst score which was 8.5-3.5.
The Captain, Ian Woosnam, embraced Clarke as he gulped down champagne. He said he was very emotional at the moment but he was extremely proud of the team and how fantastic the boys performed.
It’s not only the victory that matters, but how you achieve it. In 2006, the European team won match after match and finally took the cup home. Their struggles and remarkable play showed by them is something the whole world will always remember. They lost the cup once again in 2008 but are now very eager for the tournament starting in Wales. Hoping to relive the fame of 2006, the Europeans are ready to take on a whole new adventure.
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