The United States came ever so close to mounting one of the most incredible comebacks in the history of all sports at the Ryder Cup last week, if not the most incredible.
Keegan Bradley made plenty of mistakes with his pairings during the first two days of Ryder Cup action at the famed Bethpage Black.
And as a result, his team simply had too much ground to make up during the Sunday singles matches, but boy did they make a good fist of it.
Jose Maria Olazabal was one of the European vice-captains at Bethpage, and he was feeling the heat just as much as anyone else on the blue side of the divide as the USA mounted their charge.
However, Europe pulled through in the end and they have now won four Ryder Cups on foreign soil since America last triumphed away from home in 1993.
The Europeans’ Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black was well earned, but there was a moment in time on Sunday where it looked like the impossible was about to happen.
Jose Maria Olazabal makes claim about US Ryder Cup players after singles matches
Despite their poor performance as a team during the first two days of the Ryder Cup, the American players deserve huge credit for the manner in which they fought back on Sunday.
Olazabal is playing on the PGA Tour Champions at the Constellation Furyk & Friends this week.
The Spaniard spoke to reporters on Wednesday and made a claim about the US Ryder Cup players after watching them up close and personal during the singles match on Sunday.
He said: “If Shane didn’t make that putt on 18 I think most probably Team USA would have won the Ryder Cup.
“I have to say that they (US players) were maybe the toughest I have ever experienced in my golfing career.
“Especially because we thought, with that cushion, we should have closed the deal well before.
“At that moment it was crucial and that’s why at that moment it all came out, all the tension, all the stress, everybody was very conscious of it, Shane was very conscious of it. That’s why there was the reaction we had.“
US Ryder Cup players deserve huge credit unlike some fans at Bethpage
Firstly, it’s important to note that the vast majority of fans at Bethpage behaved appropriately.
However, certain sections of the crowds ruined the experience for everyone.
The European players received torrents of abuse from some New York fans.
The friendly banter quickly crossed into unacceptable abuse, and something has to be done to ensure that doesn’t happen again.
The PGA of America President Don Rea offered a fairly weak apology after some of the disgraceful scenes at the Ryder Cup, and he seemingly failed to read the room badly.
In order to avoid a repeat of what we witnessed at Bethpage, the higher powers first need to acknowledge that the behavior of some fans was beyond unacceptable.
And if it happens again the next time the Ryder Cup is hosted in America, change needs to be forcefully invoked.
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