• Ryder Cup

Spoke too soon! US media eats Ryder Cup humble pie

ESPN staff
October 1, 2012
Our US colleagues got ahead of themselves © ESPN.co.uk
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After being 10-6 down heading into the final day, Europe pulled off the sort of escape Harry Houdini himself would have been impressed by to defeat the United States by the slenderest of margins in the Ryder Cup.


After one of the most miraculous comebacks in the history of the sport, we gleefully recount some of the, shall we say, 'presumptuous' headlines from our friends across the Atlantic.

So a home victory was already in the bag, was it?

We think Martin Kaymer had a little something to say about that...

Ryder Cup All Locked Up for the US

ESPN.com

"For those who think this Ryder Cup is finished, think again. Team Europe can still win if the following five things happen Sunday:

  • "Keegan Bradley is abducted.
  • "Team USA captain Davis Love III inserts Cup spectators Michael Jordan, President George W Bush, Amy Mickelson and the Rev. Jesse Jackson into the singles line-up.
  • "Lee Westwood: US citizen.
  • "Marty McFly shows Team Europe captain Jose Maria Olazabal how to go back in time."

It all went wrong for the hosts on Sunday at Medinah © PA Photos
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Davis Love III's US Team Poised to Wrest Ryder Cup from Europe

Calgary Herald

"Winning means never having to say you're sorry, let alone wrong.

"So Davis Love III probably will never have to answer the question: 'What the heck were you thinking?'

"With eyes wide open, the American captain benched the most explosive pairing the United States has had in Ryder Cup play in ... well, who can remember that far back? He took Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley and their 3-0 record out of the lineup which, in European captain Jose Maria Olazabal's eyes, must have felt as though Love was taking pity on him.
 And maybe he was, at that.

"The Americans normally don't mind administering a good beating, but Love and Olazabal have been running such a touchy-feely show at Medinah this week, it's not inconceivable that mercy was, if not in the captains' agreement, at least in the tender heart of DL3. Chances are, it's not going to matter."

It all went wrong for the home side © PA Photos
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Pointing the Way to Victory, One Fist Pump at a Time

The New York Times

"If he were any more fidgety, Bradley would be the Spanish tennis great Rafael Nadal. The American veteran Jim Furyk, who endorses a five-hour energy drink, was asked if he has been supplying Bradley with a daily caffeine boost.

"He laughed and said, 'I don't think he needs one.'"

Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley Lead a Tiger-less Charge at Ryder Cup as US Grabs Commanding Lead

New York Daily News

"As the Ryder Cup matches were getting underway Saturday morning, a plane hired by an Irish bookmaker spelled out, "HAS ANYBODY SEEN TIGER? GO EUROPE" in the clear blue sky.

"The answer: Does it matter?"

USA in Command, 10-6, at Ryder Cup

USA Today

"While the comeback isn't mission impossible, Europe is behind a gigantic red, white and blue 8-ball heading into Sunday's singles competition in the Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club."

Europe were victorious © PA Photos
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And afterwards...

Chicago Tribune
Epic Ryder Cup Collapse Inexcusable
"Europeans forever will refer to it as the Miracle at Medinah. For the US, Medin-ahhhhhhhhhh!"

New York Times
Home is Where The Heartbreak Is
"The Ryder Cup remains one of the most unpredictable and irresistible of sporting events."

ESPN.com
The Biggest Choke Ever
"Team Europe needed, what, 10,000 things to go right for it to win the Ryder Cup? Team USA only needed 4½.

"But it was the European players who stood in the fading sun of a cool, late September evening and sprayed oversized bottles of champagne at anything that sang, 'O-le ... O-le, O-le, O-le.'"

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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