Shane Lowry of Europe celebrates holing a putt on the 18th green to retain the Ryder Cup for Europe. Photo / Getty Images
I have never been a big fan of golf but found the third and final day of the Ryder Cup at the weekend compelling viewing.
I have often tuned in to the final stages of major golf tournaments but until this weekend, I have not watched the majority of a day’s play.
I tuned in early on Monday morning, expecting Europe to quickly claim a welcome victory, only requiring two points to retain the Ryder Cup, and two and a half points to win the tournament. The hostile environment of Bethpage, New York, where the crowd was abusive and boorish, demonstrating an appalling lack of sportsmanship, was the backdrop to the epic final day. American golfing great Tom Watson said he was ashamed of the crowd and described them as “rude and mean-spirited”.
With such a large lead, the US needed the biggest comeback in Ryder Cup history: with only 11 singles matches to play (one match had been halved because of injury), they had to win eight.
As the day unfolded, the unlikely began to appear possible as the US established strong leads in the majority of matches, eventually taking seven wins, urged on by the noisy crowd. Tension was etched on players’ faces as the day progressed and Europe’s massive lead was eroded.
Shane Lowry came from behind to tie his match at the 18th hole to take the vital half-point to ensure Europe retained the cup. The excitement of the moment and his celebration demonstrated how much it meant to him. Equally evident was how exhausting the three days of pressure golf had been for all the players. Europe gained two other half points from shared matches to win on American soil for the first time since 2012.
In an interview, Lowry said as he approached the final hole he reflected that “I have a chance to do the coolest thing in my life here”.
“The Ryder Cup means everything to me. Honestly, I’ve won the Open in Ireland; it’s amazing, it’s a dream come true. But the Ryder Cup for me is everything.”
Players who earn their living as individuals find the team competition special. English golfer Justin Rose, when asked why his putting was especially good last weekend, said, “I guess it is because of the boys and the badge.”
It is clear the team element adds a totally different dimension to golf.
Many times, over many years, I have extolled the value of relays in the development of athletics and cross country. The team element brings a different perspective to what is essentially an individual sport.
It is pleasing to see part of the growth of athletics at Whanganui High School has been success in relays.
Over many years, relays played an important part in the Whanganui Collegiate School programme, with 26 New Zealand secondary schools relay titles won since 1981 (16 senior and 12 junior). Successful relay years at championships invariably corresponded with success in individual events at the same meeting.
This year’s New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships are in Hastings and, after two South Island venues (Christchurch in 2023 and Timaru 2024), a venue close to home should encourage Whanganui schools to enter more athletes. I hope schools with low entries in recent years encourage athletes to travel with teams to Hastings in December. Relays provide an opportunity to enhance school programmes.
The Whanganui Club season starts in a fortnight with the opening night scheduled for Tuesday, October 14. Competition starts at 6.50pm, preceded by coaching, starting at 6.10pm.
The first of three Regional League Meetings is on Saturday, November 1, in Inglewood, with a home meeting at Cooks Gardens a week later on November 8. The 2025 series ends at Masterton on November 22.
This series provides excellent early-season competition for senior athletes such as Jonathan Maples and Damian Hodgson and vital preparation for athletes attending the New Zealand secondary schools meet over the first weekend in December.
The Regional League is also a team competition and hopefully Whanganui will rise to the team challenge. I hope more athletes will accept this opportunity and, helped by a home round in November, Whanganui could mount a strong challenge to the other Lower North Island clubs.
It would be wonderful if we replicated the team camaraderie of the past when we competed as Trust Bank Wanganui Tigers and later as Team McKechnie. This spirit was especially evident on away trips when the team travelled together, including a memorable trip to Auckland where it secured second place in the national final.
Following on from New Zealand success at the world championships in Paris, the Paralympic team has started well in New Delhi with gold medals for Lisa Adams, Danielle Aitchison and a bronze for Will Stedman.