Golf tournament in Illinois, United States
The
39th Ryder Cup
was held September 28?30, 2012, in the
United States
at the
Medinah Country Club
in
Medinah, Illinois
, a suburb northwest of
Chicago
.
[1]
This was the first time that the
Ryder Cup
was held in
Illinois
. Europe went into the competition as the cup holders, having won in
2010
to regain it.
[2]
The team captains were
Davis Love III
for the U.S.
[3]
and
Jose Maria Olazabal
for Europe.
[4]
At the start of the final day's play, the U.S. led 10?6 and required 4
1
⁄
2
points to win; Europe required 8 points to retain the cup and 8
1
⁄
2
to win it outright. Europe achieved one of the greatest comebacks in Ryder Cup history by winning eight and tying one of the 12 singles matches.
Martin Kaymer
's five-foot putt on the 18th hole to defeat
Steve Stricker
took the score to 14?13, allowing Europe to retain the cup with one match still in progress.
Tiger Woods
missed a putt on the final green and conceded the hole to
Francesco Molinari
, halving the final point and securing outright victory for the European team, 14
1
⁄
2
?13
1
⁄
2
. It was named by European media covering the event as the "Miracle at Medinah", and is widely regarded as one of the best sporting comebacks of all time and the greatest in Ryder Cup history.
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
The victory was Europe's second consecutive and fifth in the last six contests.
[9]
European captain Olazabal dedicated the victory to his countryman
Seve Ballesteros
. The five-time major champion, who had scored 22
1
⁄
2
points in 37 matches and been part of four victorious European sides before captaining them to victory on home soil at Valderrama in
1997
, had died of brain cancer in May 2011 at the age of 54, and in his memory, Team Europe wore navy blue and white garments ? his traditional Sunday colors ? on the final day.
[10]
Additionally, the team's kit also bore the silhouette of Ballesteros famously celebrating his win at the
1984 Open Championship
at the
Old Course at St Andrews
.
[11]
[12]
Format
[
edit
]
The Ryder Cup is a
match play
event, with each match worth one point. The competition format was:
[13]
- Day 1
(Friday) ? 4
foursome
(alternate shot) matches in the morning session and 4
fourball
(better ball) matches in the afternoon session
- Day 2
(Saturday) ? 4 foursome matches in the morning session and 4 fourball matches in the afternoon session
- Day 3
(Sunday) ? 12 singles matches
On the first two days there were 4 foursome matches and 4 fourball matches, with the home captain choosing which were played in the morning and which in the afternoon.
With a total of 28 points available, 14
1
⁄
2
points are required to win the Cup, and 14 points are required for the defending champion to retain the Cup. All matches are played to a maximum of 18 holes.
Course
[
edit
]
As part of its 2012 preparations, Medinah commissioned a $1.5 million greens renovation project on their Course No. 3, led by golf course architect
Rees Jones
. The project included a dramatic redesign of the 15th hole.
[14]
The redesigned 15th offers players with a 'risk-reward' opportunity with a driveable par-four by reducing its length by 100 yards and adding a two-acre lake that borders the right side of the fairway and green. The forward tee allows the hole to be set up as short as 280 yards. The original tee area of 392 yards from the championship tees will be preserved to provide the club with flexibility in course set-up.
Jones, who has overseen all architectural design aspects of Medinah's three golf courses since 2000, moved the 15th green to the left (south), which made way for the creation of a new back tee for the 16th hole. The tree-lined par-four now measures 15 yards longer ? playing approximately 470 yards from the championship tees.
The major greens renovation took place on eleven of Course No. 3's original 18 greens and its main putting green, which was rebuilt to
USGA
specifications. Course No. 3's other six greens were re-grassed and the 15th green rebuilt.
[1]
Medinah's Course No. 3 has hosted multiple
major championships
. The
U.S. Open
has been held at the course three times:
1949
(won by
Cary Middlecoff
),
1975
(
Lou Graham
), and
1990
(
Hale Irwin
).
Tiger Woods
has won both
PGA Championships
held at the course (
1999
and
2006
).
Gary Player
won the
U.S. Senior Open
in
1988
.
Before the 2012 Ryder Cup, Europe players
Lee Westwood
and
Sergio Garcia
criticised the course, particularly for its lack of rough, trees and other hazards. Garcia said: "There's not a lot of thinking when you get on the tee. You can pretty much hit it nice and hard and, even if you miss, pretty much every time you'll have a shot."
[15]
The course measures 7,657 yards (7,002 m) off the 'gold' tees.
[16]
Hole
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
Out
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
In
|
Total
|
Yards
|
433
|
192
|
412
|
463
|
536
|
509
|
617
|
201
|
432
|
3,795
|
578
|
440
|
476
|
245
|
609
|
390
|
482
|
193
|
449
|
3,862
|
7,657
|
Par
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
4
|
5
|
4
|
5
|
3
|
4
|
36
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
3
|
4
|
36
|
72
|
Television
[
edit
]
All matches were covered live in the United States.
ESPN
handled Friday coverage.
Mike Tirico
and
Paul Azinger
hosted from the 18th tower, with
Curtis Strange
and
Sean McDonough
calling holes, and on-course reporters
Andy North
and
Billy Kratzert
.
Scott Van Pelt
hosted recaps during coverage. On Saturday,
Golf Channel
covered the first half-hour of the morning matches with
Kelly Tilghman
,
Brandel Chamblee
and
Nick Faldo
.
NBC
covered the remainder of the weekend action, with
Dan Hicks
and
Johnny Miller
hosting from the 18th tower,
Gary Koch
and
Peter Jacobsen
calling holes, and on-course reporters
Mark Rolfing
,
Roger Maltbie
, and
Dottie Pepper
. To bring a European perspective to the telecasts, former European Ryder Cup player
Colin Montgomerie
was utilized as a guest analyst by NBC on Saturday. NBC had previously used guest analysts for the Ryder Cup in
1999
,
2002
, and
2006
The matches were covered live in Europe by
Sky Sports
, with the
BBC
screening highlights later.
Team qualification and selection
[
edit
]
United States
[
edit
]
The United States qualification rules remained the same as for 2010 and the team consisted of:
[17]
- The leading eight players on the Ryder Cup Points List
- Points were gained from money earned in
majors
in 2011 and official
PGA Tour
events in
2012
through the
PGA Championship
on August 12. One point is awarded for every $1,000 earned. Money earned in 2012 majors count double and money earned in 2012 alternate events (those played opposite the majors or
World Golf Championships
) count half.
- Four captain's picks
- Announced on September 4, the four captain's picks were Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker, Dustin Johnson and Brandt Snedeker.
[18]
The leading players on the US Ryder Cup points list were:
[19]
- Players in the qualifying places (Q) are shown in green. Captains picks (P) are shown in yellow.
Europe
[
edit
]
The European team qualification rules changed after the 2010 contest. The European Points List took precedence over the World Points List, while the captain's picks were reduced from 3 to 2 with the top 5 players in the World Points List now qualifying rather than the top 4.
The team consisted of:
[20]
[21]
- The leading five players on the Ryder Cup European Points List
- The leading five players, not qualified above, on the Ryder Cup World Points List
- Total World Rankings Points earned in
Official World Golf Ranking
events from September 1, 2011, to August 20, 2012, and thereafter in the 2012 Johnnie Walker Championship only
- Two captain's picks
- The two captain's picks were announced on Monday, August 27, the day after the completion of the Johnnie Walker Championship. Olazabal chose
Nicolas Colsaerts
and
Ian Poulter
. Colsaerts became the
first player
from
Belgium
to play in the Ryder Cup.
Only members of the European Tour could earn points in the above two lists. They could be full or affiliate members and must have also satisfied (or to be planning to satisfy) their membership obligations.
Martin Laird
did not become an affiliate member until 2012 and so his performances in 2011 were not counted.
[22]
Carl Pettersson
was not a member of the European Tour and was therefore not considered.
[23]
The leading players in the European Ryder Cup points lists were:
[21]
European points list
Position
|
Name
|
Points
|
1
|
Rory McIlroy
(Q)
|
4,050,288
|
2
|
Justin Rose
(Q)
|
2,602,910
|
3
|
Paul Lawrie
(Q)
|
2,384,837
|
4
|
Graeme McDowell
(Q)
|
2,375,791
|
5
|
Francesco Molinari
(Q)
|
2,112,452
|
6
|
Peter Hanson
(q)
|
2,022,432
|
7
|
Luke Donald
(q)
|
1,885,171
|
8
|
Martin Kaymer
(q)
|
1,871,797
|
9
|
Nicolas Colsaerts
(P)
|
1,755,377
|
10
|
Lee Westwood
(q)
|
1,692,030
|
11
|
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
|
1,613,602
|
12
|
David Lynn
|
1,563,740
|
13
|
Sergio Garcia
(q)
|
1,502,773
|
14
|
Rafa Cabrera-Bello
|
1,494,745
|
15
|
Alvaro Quiros
|
1,377,895
|
16
|
Marcel Siem
|
1,385,518
|
17
|
Ian Poulter
(P)
|
1,290,896
|
|
|
- Players in qualifying places (Q) are shown in green; captain's picks (P) are shown in yellow; those in italics (q) qualified through the other points list.
Teams
[
edit
]
Captains
[
edit
]
The captains were
Davis Love III
for team USA and
Jose Maria Olazabal
for Europe.
Vice-captains
[
edit
]
Each captain selected four vice-captains to assist him during the tournament.
Love named the first two USA vice-captains in June 2012 and announced the other two after the
PGA Championship
.
[24]
Olazabal named three of his vice-captains on August 16.
[25]
The fourth vice-captain was announced on August 25.
[26]
Players
[
edit
]
Captains picks are shown in yellow; the
world rankings
and records are at the start of the 2012 Ryder Cup.
Captains picks are shown in yellow; the
world rankings
and records are at the start of the 2012 Ryder Cup.
Friday's matches
[
edit
]
[27]
Morning foursomes
[
edit
]
Afternoon four-ball
[
edit
]
Match 3 (Rose/Kaymer v. D. Johnson/Kuchar) started after Match 4 (Westwood/Colsaerts v. Woods/Stricker). The table below reflects the official order.
Saturday's matches
[
edit
]
[28]
Morning foursomes
[
edit
]
Afternoon four-ball
[
edit
]
Match 1 (Colsaerts/Lawrie v. D. Johnson/Kuchar) started after Match 2 (Rose/Molinari v. Watson/Simpson). The table below reflects the official order.
Sunday's singles matches
[
edit
]
[29]
Individual player records
[
edit
]
Each entry refers to the win?loss?half record of the player.
Source:
[30]
United States
[
edit
]
Europe
[
edit
]
Media reaction
[
edit
]
In the United States,
The Wall Street Journal
asked how could "an extremely talented American Ryder Cup team blow a final-day lead as large as any ever blown in 85 years of Ryder Cup history", while
Chicago Tribune
sportswriter
David Haugh
described the defeat as "inexcusable" having led 10?4 at one point on Saturday afternoon.
[31]
Captain
Davis Love III
came under scrutiny for his player selections, and
USA Today
centered its criticism on
Tiger Woods
, calling him a player the U.S. "could not rely on" and "who at times appeared to be barely here". Some American newspapers elected not to dedicate back-page columns to the event.
[32]
The European victory was met with elation across the continent. Spain's daily sport newspaper
Marca
ran the headline: "This one is for you,
Seve
". Britain's
Daily Telegraph
wrote that after an unprecedented summer of sporting achievements, including the
Olympic Games in London
,
Bradley Wiggins
' victory in the
Tour de France
and
Andy Murray
's first tennis major at the
US Open
, the Ryder Cup was incapable of "dullness, one-sidedness, and hollow drama" despite the looming anti-climax at the start of the singles matches on the final day. In a reference to the economic crisis on the continent,
The Irish Times
said that German
Martin Kaymer
had given Europe "a massive bailout that contributed to the most unlikeliest comeback in Ryder Cup history".
[33]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"2012 Ryder Cup headed to Medinah Country Club"
.
PGA of America
. July 7, 2010. Archived from
the original
on October 12, 2014
. Retrieved
October 2,
2012
.
- ^
Dorman, Larry (October 4, 2010).
"McDowell Seals Ryder Cup for Europe"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
October 2,
2012
.
- ^
Auclair, T.J. (January 20, 2011).
"PGA picks Love III to lead Team USA"
. PGA of America. Archived from
the original
on February 25, 2015
. Retrieved
October 2,
2012
.
- ^
"Olazabal named European Team captain for 2012 Ryder Cup"
. PGA of America. January 18, 2011. Archived from
the original
on February 25, 2015
. Retrieved
October 2,
2012
.
- ^
"Sporting comebacks to rival the Ryder Cup's Miracle of Medinah"
.
BBC Sport
. October 1, 2012
. Retrieved
October 2,
2012
.
- ^
Williams, Richard (October 1, 2012).
"Europe seal Ryder Cup win with comeback of epic proportions"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
- ^
"Rewind 2012: Miracle at Medinah | RYDERCUP.com"
. Archived from
the original
on February 25, 2015
. Retrieved
February 25,
2015
.
- ^
"Miracle of Medinah - How Europe turned the 2012 Ryder Cup on its head"
. September 24, 2014.
- ^
"Ryder Cup 2012: Europe beat USA after record comeback"
.
BBC
. September 30, 2012
. Retrieved
September 30,
2012
.
- ^
Murray, Ewan (September 24, 2012).
"Ryder Cup 2012: Europe prepare final-day tribute to Seve Ballesteros"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
February 27,
2019
.
- ^
"Europe Win Ryder Cup In Comeback Sensation"
.
Sky Sports
. October 1, 2012. Archived from
the original
on November 12, 2012.
- ^
"Europe Wins Golf's Ryder Cup"
. Sky News. October 1, 2012
. Retrieved
October 1,
2012
.
- ^
"Team USA Captain Love picks Couples, Hulbert to serve as assistants"
. Rydercup.com. June 27, 2012. Archived from
the original
on June 29, 2012
. Retrieved
July 12,
2012
.
- ^
"Medinah's 15th could play key role"
.
ESPN
. September 27, 2012
. Retrieved
September 27,
2012
.
- ^
"Ryder Cup 2012: Lee Westwood criticises Davis Love's 'weird' course"
.
The Guardian
. London. September 26, 2012.
- ^
"Golf Course 3"
. Medinah Country Club. Archived from
the original
on July 17, 2012
. Retrieved
July 12,
2012
.
- ^
"2012 Ryder Cup Team Qualification Process"
. Ryder Cup. Archived from
the original
on August 3, 2012
. Retrieved
July 23,
2012
.
- ^
"Davis Love III fills out U.S. squad"
.
ESPN
. Associated Press. September 4, 2012
. Retrieved
September 29,
2021
.
- ^
"2012 Ryder Cup Team USA Standings"
. Ryder Cup. September 9, 2012.
Archived
from the original on September 13, 2012
. Retrieved
June 1,
2011
.
- ^
"New Qualification criteria for 2012 European Ryder Cup Team"
. Ryder Cup. Archived from
the original
on July 26, 2012
. Retrieved
July 23,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"European Ryder Cup Rankings"
. European Tour. August 28, 2012. Archived from
the original
on September 15, 2012.
- ^
"Scottish golfer Martin Laird set to join European Tour"
.
BBC Sport
. July 6, 2011
. Retrieved
August 18,
2012
.
- ^
"Pettersson a Player Without a Ryder Cup Country"
. About.com. Archived from
the original
on November 18, 2012
. Retrieved
August 18,
2012
.
- ^
"Love names two assistants, ponders four captain's picks"
. PGA of America. Archived from
the original
on August 27, 2012
. Retrieved
August 13,
2012
.
- ^
"Olazabal names three Ryder Cup vice captains"
. PGA European Tour. Archived from
the original
on August 18, 2012
. Retrieved
August 16,
2012
.
- ^
"Olazabal names Miguel Angel Jimenez as his fourth vice captain"
. PGA European Tour
. Retrieved
August 25,
2012
.
- ^
Murray, Scott (September 29, 2012).
"Ryder Cup 2012 : day one ? as it happened"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
- ^
Murray, Scott; Ingle, Sean (September 30, 2012).
"Ryder Cup 2012 : day two ? as it happened"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
- ^
Murray, Scott (October 1, 2012).
"Ryder Cup 2012 : day three ? as it happened"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
October 3,
2012
.
- ^
"2014 Ryder Cup Media and Players' Guide"
. Archived from
the original
on October 6, 2014
. Retrieved
October 5,
2014
.
- ^
Haugh, David (September 30, 2012).
"Epic Ryder Cup collapse on home turf inexcusable"
.
Chicago Tribune
.
- ^
Bakowski, Gregg (October 1, 2012).
"Ryder Cup US media reaction: 'Nightmarish Medin-ahhhhhhhhhh!'
"
.
The Guardian
. London.
- ^
Douglas, Steve (October 1, 2012).
"European media, athletes hail Ryder Cup win"
.
Montreal Gazette
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
United States vs. Great Britain
| |
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United States vs. Great Britain and Ireland
| |
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United States vs. Europe
| |
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41°57′58″N
88°02′53″W
/
41.966°N 88.048°W
/
41.966; -88.048