Ballesteros died last May from complications of a cancerous brain tumour and Olazábal wanted his team to wear Ballesteros' trademark navy blue with his name and logo on their sleeves into battle on the final day singles. Opposing captain Davis Love was magnanimous in his gesture of support for Olazábal’s request, even though it meant shelving his own plans to the Americans to wear similar colours on Sunday.
Such was the spirit in which this Ryder Cup was played and captained by two great ambassadors for the sport in Olazábal and Love. “Davis was extremely understanding because he had it in mind for the United States to wear blue on the last day.” Olazábal said. “(But) when we explained the reason for wanting to wear navy blue, he immediately accepted our reasoning. It was a terrific gesture on Davis’s part and one all of Team Europe appreciated.”
Great credit should also go to Love for his involvement in Medinah's course setup which went a long way to providing such a spectacle. It was on his orders that the rough was cut back, allowing the players to be aggressive and attempt more adventurous shots from out of position than they normally might. Despite the greens being firm and fast, particularly on the final day, we would not have been treated to such a stellar display had players been left no alternative but to pitch out sideways from thick rough.
This match was so close in the end that we could so easily be penning the tale of a victory by the Americans. The final two pairings of the contest were still alive on the final hole of the event, which shows how close this epic was and explains why the emotions on either side were so raw throughout this most gripping of days.
Who had seen veteran Jim Furyk ever react in such an animated fashion when his putt to go dormie against Sergio Garcia slid agonisingly past the hole on the 16th green? Jason Dufner’s languid demeanour gave way to fist pumping and gesticulations to the crowd that are normally the domain of the more demonstrative Keegan Bradley and Ian Poulter.
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