Ian Poulter

Much has been said about how your five consecutive birdies to take your fourball match on Saturday shifted the momentum to the Europeans, even though you were still 10 – 6 down. Was it that tangible in the team room that night that something special might happen on Sunday?

It definitely helped. The boost it gave the team but it was also crucial when Sergio and Luke (Donald) won to take the team from 10-4 to 10-5 – that was a massive there.

I think Rory and I felt that if we could get a win and get it to 10-6, it would be a massive boost to the team. We knew 10-6 had been done before at Brookline in 1999 and with that in mind, it gave the team a lift.

Holing that putt on 18 and then walking into the team room to a spectacle that I’ve never seen before, everyone chanting my name, the whole room was going bananas. At that point, I felt the team spirit that was being shown was just a preview of what could be a very special Sunday, and it turned out that way.

It will go down in the memory bank as one of the best Ryder Cups of all time. At 10-4 down, everyone was writing us off. It was looking a pretty ugly score line so to turn it around the way we did by winning 10 and a half points out of a possible 14 was just incredible.

For José to have been on that green at Brookline and how it all unfolded there, to then be on 18 at Medinah to see the turnaround of this European team from Saturday night to Sunday was very special for him and will probably stay with him for a long time, I think. And obviously, following in Seve’s footsteps as a winning Ryder Cup captain was very special for him too.
 

Have you reflected on some of the key shots from the week, for example, the tee shot on 17 over water when you were all square with Webb Simpson in the singles, and your second to 18?

That was a good solid six-iron (on 17), I just wanted to take the water out of play and I knew that was enough club if I hit it properly.

The shot for me for the week – actually there were two. The birdie putt on 18 to win the point on Saturday would probably go down as probably the best putt I’ve ever hit and the second shot into 18 on Sunday, off the hardpan.