Seve Ballesteros and Paul Casey in the Ryder Cup all-time top shots
Thursday 29 September 2016 14:31, UK
From Justin Leonard's putt during the 'Battle of Brookline' to Seve Ballesteros' monster drive at the Belfry, we look back at the most memorable shots in Ryder Cup history.
1989: CHRISTY'S TWO-IRON FROM HEAVEN
Europe's grip on the Ryder Cup looked decidedly shaky on the final day in 1989 at the Belfry, and it soon became apparent that Christy O'Connor's singles match against Fred Couples would be pivotal to the outcome.
The pair came to the daunting final hole at the Brabazon all square, and the Irishman opted to take the safe route with his drive despite leaving himself with 240 yards for his second.
But after being encouraged by Tony Jacklin to put Couples under pressure, O'Connor pulled a two-iron, composed himself and drilled the best and purest shot of his life to within four feet of the cup.
The gamble paid handsome dividends as a shaken Couples blocked his approach and could not save par, giving Europe a priceless point that ultimately retained the trophy.
O'Connor's "two-iron from heaven" was later commemorated with a plaque installed in the fairway at the point of his sublime, match-winning blow.
1983: WADKINS WEDGE FOILS EUROPE
Following their thrashing at the hands of a powerful American side at Walton Heath in 1981, Europe looked set to pull off a huge upset at PGA National two years later.
Strengthened by the return of talisman Seve Ballesteros and under the astute leadership of Tony Jacklin, the contest was level at 13-13 with only two singles matches to be decided.
With Bernard Gallacher struggling to stay in touch with Tom Watson in the final game, the pivotal clash was between Lanny Wadkins and Jose Maria Canizares.
Wadkins had trimmed a three-hole deficit to one by the 18th, but facing a tricky 110-yard third to the pin, the American stood up to the pressure and struck a pure wedge to within three feet to send the home galleries wild.
Canizares could not match the American's closing birdie, and the resulting half secured a titanic one-point win for the relieved USA captain Jack Nicklaus, who sauntered back down the fairway and kissed the divot removed by the Wadkins wedge.
1995: FALDO'S FINEST MOMENT
Europe's chances of reclaiming the Ryder Cup looked dead and buried in 1995 at Oak Hill until Nick Faldo summoned up one of the finest recoveries in the competition's history.
Despite a valiant final-day effort from the European underdogs, the Americans looked poised to retain the trophy with Faldo one down to Curtis Strange with two holes remaining.
The resolute Englishman managed to square the match at the 17th, but he then blocked his drive into dense rough at the last and was left with no option but to lay up.
But after Strange had come up short with his approach, Faldo displayed nerves of steel as he piled on the pressure with a sublime 95-yard wedge from the first cut to five feet.
Strange's composure then let him down at the worst possible moment as his chip lacked conviction and he missed his par putt, but Faldo nailed his tricky downhill left-to-right slider and fell into a tearful embrace with an emotional Seve.
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1983: SEVE'S STUNNER FROM SAND
Seve Ballesteros provided the inspiration for Europe's valiant challenge at PGA National in 1983, and his three-wood out of a fairway bunker in his singles will live long in the memory.
All square with Fuzzy Zoeller at the 18th, the Spaniard's plans to hit the green in two looked done and dusted when his errant drive ended up in a fairway bunker.
Ballesteros had almost 250 yards to the pin, but he scoffed at the idea of laying up and had no hesitation in demanding the three-wood from his caddie.
He made perfect contact and jumped for joy as his ball found its target and finished 18 feet from the flag, prompting Jack Nicklaus to describe the moment as "the finest shot I have ever seen".
1999: LEONARD SPARKS MAYHEM
The "Battle of Brookline" is remembered in Europe for the wrong reasons after Justin Leonard holed a monster putt that sparked premature home celebrations on the 17th green.
The hosts went into the final day four points behind and staring at another defeat, but captain Ben Crenshaw's decision to load his top order with his big guns paid off as they dominated the singles.
Crenshaw's troops had stormed into the lead with big wins in the first six matches, but Europe remained on course to retain the trophy with a tie Jose Maria Olazabal was well on top against Leonard.
The Spaniard was four up with just seven to play, but the battling Leonard won four of the next five holes to level the match at the 16th, and faced a 45-foot putt for an unlikely birdie at the next.
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But his aggressive putt caught enough of the hole to drop, and Olazabal missed from half the distance after the green was cleared of jubilant home players and supporters amid infamous scenes described by Sam Torrance as "disgusting".
2006: CLARKE'S OPENING STATEMENT
Darren Clarke accepted a wild card from European captain Ian Woosnam for the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club just six weeks after his wife Heather lost her cancer battle.
Paired with close friend Lee Westwood in the day one fourballs, Clarke was cheered all the way from the practice ground to the first tee.
The reception the greeted the Ulsterman was nothing short of euphoric, and left him needing a few moments to wipe away the tears before teeing up his ball.
Rather than follow the morning trend of knocking a three-wood safely down the first fairway, Clarke raised more than a few eyebrows as he pulled the cover off his driver.
Somehow, he steadied himself and nutted a scorching, arrow-straight 300-yard drive down the middle of the fairway, setting up an opening birdie that had the fans in raptures again.
2012: ROSE RIGHT ON LINE
Europe's dazzling final-day comeback at Medinah appeared destined to fall agonisingly short with Justin Rose trailing Phil Mickelson by one with two holes to play in one of the pivotal Sunday matches.
The Englishman rattled in a confident eight-foot putt for a crucial half at 16, and his tee-shot at the par-three 17th skipped through the green and finished in the rear fringe - leaving him a big-breaking, downhill 40-foot putt.
Mickelson overshot the green with his long-iron, but he played a spectacular chip from the rear rough and sunk to his knees as his ball grazed the lip and settled inches behind the hole for a certain par.
Rose had a tricky mound to contend with for the first part of his putt, but he picked his spot and waited calmly for the galleries to compose themselves after the excitement of Mickelson's near-miss.
His focus never wavered for a second, his committed stroke sent the ball off on a perfect line and weight, and the European fans were cheering a stunning birdie when the ball still had a yard to travel.
Mickelson sportingly gave Rose a thumbs-up in appreciation, and Rose then delivered the knock-out blow as he knocked in a 15-footer for a winning birdie at the last.
2006: CASEY SEALS IT WITH AN ACE
Europe cruised to a landslide victory at the K Club in 2006, but the match was still in the balance going into Saturday afternoon's foursomes series.
But Englishmen Paul Casey and David Howell, who impressed in Detroit in 2004, roared ahead against shell-shocked Americans Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson.
The home pair were assured of a half by the time they arrived on the tee at the 14th hole - a daunting 213-yard par three.
But Casey finished off the win in the best possible style as he struck a perfect four-iron and watched intently as the ball dug in 10 feet short and curled gently into the side of the cup.
And at the same hole the following day, Scott Verplank became the first American player to record a Ryder Cup hole-in-one as he cruised to a 4&3 win over Padraig Harrington.
1995: CLARK STRIKES CRUCIAL BLOW
Howard Clark's win over Peter Jacobsen in 1995 was crucial in the overall outcome, and he recorded the fourth-ever Ryder Cup ace a day after the third.
Costantino Rocca achieved the feat at the sixth in Saturday's foursomes, and Clark emulated him at the short 11th in the second match out on Sunday.
Clark appeared to turn away in disgust after hitting a six-iron from the tee, but his ball was right on line and took two hops before dropping into the hole.
The incredible ace inspired him to a priceless one-hole victory over the popular American, and laid the foundations for a monumental European triumph.
2002: PRICE IS RIGHT FOR EUROPE
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This year's European captain Paul McGinley is remembered for holing the winning putt at the Belfry in 2002, but Phillip Price's amazing win over Phil Mickelson was equally crucial.
The quiet Welshman had been out of form leading up to the contest, which had been delayed by a year due to the tragic events of 9/11 in the United States.
Price was used only once in the first two days, suffering defeat alongside Pierre Fulke against Mickelson and David Toms in Saturday morning's opening foursomes.
He was not expected to trouble the left-hander on the final day, but he played out of his skin to clinch an unlikely 3&2 victory that prompted a rare outburst of emotion from the usually-restrained Price.
The match effectively turned as early as the sixth hole, where Mickelson knocked a sublime approach to within three feet while Price sized up his second from an awkward lie on the edge of a lake.
But despite his tricky stance, he nailed a stunning eight-iron to three feet and holed for birdie before a clearly-rattled Mickelson inexplicably missed his tiny putt for a half.
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2004: MONTY'S MIRACLE CHIP
Colin Montgomerie was rewarded for his extraordinary vision and deft touch as he pulled off a remarkable escape on the first day at Oakland Hills.
In the afternoon foursomes against Davis Love and Fred Funk, Padraig Harrington overshot the eighth green and left his partner with only a minuscule chance of getting the ball to within 30 feet of the cup.
Faced with a sharp slope back towards the front of the green, Monty decided the only way to take the pace off the ball was to chip sideways from rough to rough and hope for a gentle kick-out onto the putting surface.
He played it almost to perfection - his ball narrowly avoided getting tangled in the thick stuff, hopped onto the fringe and arced slowly towards the hole before shaving the lip and coming to rest inches away for a gimme par.
Who cared about the element of luck? With the hole halved, Montgomerie and Harrington went on to clinch a resounding 4&2 victory as Europe ended the opening day with a commanding five-point lead that would never be seriously threatened.
1985: SEVE LIGHTS UP BELFRY
One moment of magic from Seve Ballesteros put the Brabazon Course at the Belfry firmly on the world golfing map and provided one of the most enduring images from the historic 1985 contest.
Driving the green at a par-four is relatively commonplace with the technology available today, but the late, great Spaniard achieved the feat with a persimmon-headed driver at the iconic 10th hole in front of the television cameras and a vast, expectant crowd.
Ballesteros and compatriot Manuel Pinero were two up on Curtis Strange and Mark O'Meara in the opening foursomes when they arrived at the 10th, with Seve having previously agreed with Tony Jacklin to make a huge statement by driving the green.
Faced with a carry of around 275 yards to clear the water surrounding the green, the fearless Spaniard took dead aim and hit a high draw which avoided the trees, sailed over the pin and landed softly before nestling in the rear fringe.
The pair safely two-putted to win the hole before going on to complete a 2&1 victory, and a commemorative plaque now adorns the tee box to recognise one of Seve's most memorable achievements.
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