1999 Ryder Cup

33rd Ryder Cup Matches
Dates		September 24–26
Venue		The Country Club
Location		Brookline, Massachusetts
Captains		Ben Crenshaw (USA) Mark James (Europe)
14½   13½
United States wins the Ryder Cup
«1997		2002»

The 33rd Ryder Cup Matches, also known as the "Battle of Brookline",^[1] were held between September 24–26 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The American team won the competition by a margin of 14½ to 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 6 matches of the day to surge into the lead. Jim Furyk upset Sergio García to give the Americans their 8th point of the day, and the Americans recaptured the cup when Justin Leonard halved his match with José María Olazábal.

The behavior of the U.S. team was criticized after they raucously invaded the 17th green following a long putt from Leonard before Olazábal could tackle a shorter putt which would have kept European hopes alive, an incident which was viewed by many as appalling sportsmanship.^[2][3] Veteran broadcaster Alistair Cooke described the last day of the tournament as "a date that will live in infamy" in a Letter from America entitled "The arrival of the golf hooligan".^[4]

It was nevertheless 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.^[5]

This was also one of the last public appearances of Payne Stewart, who died in a plane crash less than a month later.

Format

The Ryder Cup is a match play event, with each match worth one point. The competition format used from 1991 to 2002 was as follows:

• Day 1 (Friday) — 4 four-ball (better ball) matches in a morning session and 4 foursome (alternate shot) matches in an afternoon session
• Day 2 (Saturday) — 4 foursome matches in a morning session and 4 four-ball matches in an afternoon session
• Day 3 (Sunday) — 12 singles matches

With a total of 28 points, 14½ points were required to win the Cup, and 14 points were required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches were played to a maximum of 18 holes.

Teams

Team Europe

The 1999 European Team Points Table began in September 1998, and concluded on August 22, 1999, after the BMW International Open. The top 10 players in the Points Table qualified automatically for the team. Captain Mark James then left out the number 11 player Robert Karlsson and the experienced (but out-of-form) Bernhard Langer by instead selecting Andrew Coltart and Jesper Parnevik as the two 'wild card' players to round out the team.

Captain: Mark James

• Darren Clarke
• Sergio García
• Pádraig Harrington
• Miguel Ángel Jiménez
• Paul Lawrie
• Colin Montgomerie
• José María Olazábal
• Jarmo Sandelin
• Jean van de Velde
• Lee Westwood
• Andrew Coltart — captain's pick
• Jesper Parnevik — captain's pick

Team USA

The 1999 U.S. Ryder Cup Team was chosen on the basis of points compiled by the PGA of America, early 1998, through the 81st PGA Championship, Aug. 12-15, 1999. Points are awarded for top-10 finishes at PGA Tour co-sponsored or sanctioned events, with added emphasis on major championships and events played during the Ryder Cup year. The top 10 finishers on the points list automatically qualified for the 12-member team, and U.S. Captain Ben Crenshaw selected the final two players—Steve Pate and Tom Lehman.

Captain: Ben Crenshaw

• David Duval
• Jim Furyk
• Justin Leonard
• Hal Sutton
• Davis Love III
• Jeff Maggert
• Phil Mickelson
• Mark O'Meara
• Payne Stewart
• Tiger Woods
• Steve Pate — captain's pick
• Tom Lehman — captain's pick

Friday's matches

Morning foursomes

	Results
Montgomerie/Lawrie	3 & 2	Mickelson/Duval
García/Parnevik	2 & 1	Lehman/Woods
Jiménez/Harrington	halved	Love III/Stewart
Clarke/Westwood	3 & 2	Maggert/Sutton
2½	Sessions	1½
2½	Overall	1½

Afternoon four-ball

	Results
Montgomerie/Lawrie	halved	Love III/Leonard
García/Parnevik	1 hole	Mickelson/Furyk
Jiménez/Olazábal	2 & 1	Maggert/Sutton
Clarke/Westwood	2 holes	Duval/Woods
3½	Session	½
6	Overall	2

Saturday's matches

Morning foursomes

	Results
Montgomerie/Lawrie	2 holes	Sutton/Maggert
Clarke/Westwood	3 & 2	Furyk/O'Meara
Jiménez/Harrington	2 holes	Woods/Pate
Parnevik/García	3 & 2	Stewart/Leonard
2	Session	2
8	Overall	4

Afternoon four-ball

	Results
Clarke/Westwood	2 & 1	Mickelson/Lehman
Parnevik/García	halved	Love III/Duval
Jiménez/Olazábal	halved	Leonard/Sutton
Montgomerie/Lawrie	2 & 1	Pate/Woods
2	Session	2
10	Overall	6

Sunday's matches

Singles

	Results
Lee Westwood	3 & 2	Tom Lehman
Darren Clarke	4 & 2	Hal Sutton
Jarmo Sandelin	5 & 3	Phil Mickelson
Jean van de Velde	6 & 5	Davis Love III
Andrew Coltart	3 & 2	Tiger Woods
Jesper Parnevik	5 & 4	David Duval
Pádraig Harrington	1 hole	Mark O'Meara
Miguel Ángel Jiménez	2 & 1	Steve Pate
José María Olazábal	halved	Justin Leonard
Colin Montgomerie	1 hole	Payne Stewart
Sergio García	4 & 3	Jim Furyk
Paul Lawrie	4 & 3	Jeff Maggert
3½	Session	8½
13½	Overall	14½

The course

The Country Club, located in Brookline, Massachusetts, is one of the oldest country clubs in the United States. It holds an important place in golf history, as it was one of the five charter clubs which founded the United States Golf Association, and has hosted numerous USGA tournaments including the famous 1913 U.S. Open won by then-unknown Francis Ouimet. The club is one of the largest of its kind in the northeastern U.S., with about 1300 members.

Notes

References