McGinley - the toast of Europe

Paul McGinley raised both his arms aloft to form a ‘V’ for victory in a pose as appropriate as it was familiar.

Seventeen years ago Sam Torrance – Europe’s Ryder Cup captain this time around - stood on almost the same spot and struck almost the same pose after sinking the putt which won the Ryder Cup for Europe.

Today it was the turn of 35-year-old Irishman McGinley to spark the similar scenes of wild celebrations, after his putt from 10 feet on the 18th hole of The Belfry’s Brabazon course earned the half point against American Jim Furyk which secured the Ryder Cup for Europe.

McGinley had sat at the breakfast table this morning with fellow rookie team-mates Pierre Fulke and Phillip Price and told them: “One of us is probably going to be a hero today.” How right he was.

Under the most extreme conditions of pressure, McGinley rolled in the putt which had his team-mates dancing for joy and then beamed out a smile which lit up the Birmingham sky as the shadows descended on the 18th green.

Then he disappeared in a sea of blue and white as captain Torrance and the rest of the European heroes dived on him to celebrate their famous victory.

“I just said to myself: ‘don’t miss it’,” said McGinley as he stood on the fringe of the green afterwards with the Irish tricolour flag draped around his shoulders. “But I knew the line and I hit it well.

“I said earlier in the week that I would just love to have the opportunity to be in the position to strike the winning putt and now my dream has come true.”

Torrance wiped away the tears from his eyes as he said: “All I did was lead them to the water and they drank copiously.

“This is where heroes come from, and we have got a few.”

The drama and tension around the 18th green in those closing stages was unbelievable, but there was also a strong sense that Europe were on the verge of a historic victory over their American rivals – world number one Tiger Woods et al.

We thought the hero was going to be an even-lesser know figure than McGinley, as minutes earlier Sweden’s Niclas Fasth looked poised to be in a position to hole the winning putt.

Fasth was one up on Paul Azinger and safely on the right fringe of the 18th green in two, while his opponent’s ball was nestled in the bunker on the other side of the green.

All the Europeans were there – barring Jesper Parnevik, Pierre Fulke and McGinley of course, who were still playing – and you could read their expectancy on their faces

Surely Azinger was going to splash out of the bunker and at best save his par, giving Fasth two putts to win the famous old trophy?

But those looks of expectancy and excitement turned suddenly to disbelief as Azinger played a magical bunker shot and his ball trickled into the hole for a birdie. Fasth still had a putt to halve the hole and so win the match, but he could not manage it and the Cup was still alive.

From the fairway behind, Furyk put his second shot in the same bunker as Azinger, while McGinley went further left and over the bank of the green.

McGinley then played a beautiful chip which nestled 10 feet from the hole, and we were left to hope Furyk could not repeat the heroics of his team-mate moments earlier.

Hearts were in mouths as Furyk, the man with the funny swing, almost did it.

Instead his ball finished a few inches past the hole and it was conceded by McGinley, who then showed nerves of steel to write his name in the history books and settle one of the closest contests in the history of the event.

Back down the fairway behind, it was Fulke and Davis Love III who stood all square and waiting to play their approaches. But with the green swamped with people they agreed a half and came up to join the party.

That still left Woods and Parnevik back on the tee, with the world number one ahead by one hole, and the fiercely competitive American wanted to finish his personal duel and improve his Ryder Cup record.

The crowd was ushered off the green and asked to be quiet and then Woods played a decent second shot to the putting surface while Parnevik hit his ball over the back, but he chipped back to down to five feet.

Woods stood over his birdie putt and just as he was about to hit it a champagne cork popped and made him walk away – at least nobody ran on the green and trampled on his line.

Woods put his birdie putt six feet past the hole and missed the return, leaving Parnevik with a tricky putt to win the hole and halve the match.

But Tiger showed his good sportsmanship by picking up Parnevik’s marker and shaking his hand, so bringing down the curtain on the week’s golf.

The celebrations started again and ended only when McGinley jumped into the lake adjacent to the green – copying the scenes at Kiawah Island back in 1991 when the victorious American team ran into the Atlantic Ocean.

The party was only broken up when the public address system announced the closing ceremony would take place half an hour later, and the players were led away to the clubhouse to put on their blazers.

McGinley will be remembered as the man who sank the winning putt in one of the greatest sporting events their is.

But the final hug from Torrance went to Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie, Europe’s highest points earner this week with four-and-a-half points out of a possible five.

He also got the ball rolling with the first emphatic victory of the singles earlier in the afternoon when he beat Scott Hoch 5 and 4.

Torrance gripped him in a bear-like embrace and said: “Come here, you’re my leader.” That, more than anything, probably summed up the week.