Thursday, September 20, 2007

Ryder Cup 1999


The 33rd Ryder Cup Matches were held between September 24 and September 26 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The American team won the competition by a margin of 14½ – 13½, the closest score possible in a Ryder Cup competition except for a tie. The Europeans, leading 10-6 heading into the final round, needed only 4 points on the final day to retain the cup. But the Americans rallied on Sunday, winning the first 7 matches of the day. Jim Furyk upset Sergio García to give the Americans their 8th point of the day, and the Americans captured the cup with 8½ points when Justin Leonard halved his match with José María Olazábal. The behaviour of the US team was criticised after they ran over the green following a long putt from Leonard on the 17th green before Olazabal had putted out. It is the largest come-from-behind victory in Ryder Cup history, and it is widely regarded as one of the most impressive come-from-behind victories in recent sports history.
This was also one of the last public appearances of Payne Stewart, who died in a plane crash less than a month later.

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