Dejected American players choke back the tears

ONE look along the line of dejected faces sitting reluctantly before the media last night at Celtic Manor told you everything you needed to know about how deeply this American team cared about the Ryder Cup.

So often lambasted in the wake of European success for not sharing the same passion for the event as their rivals, that charge will not be levelled against Corey Pavin’s 12 players having narrowly come up short in their bid to retain the Samuel Ryder Trophy.

“Whatever you all thought in the past, whatever you’ve all written in the past, it’s your observations, the way you feel,” said US playing veteran Jim Furyk, speaking on behalf of his team.