2012 Ryder Cup

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 José María Olazábal for Europe.[4]

39th Ryder Cup Matches
DatesSeptember 28–30, 2012
VenueMedinah Country Club
Course No. 3
LocationMedinah, Illinois
Captains
13½ 14½
Europe wins the Ryder Cup
Medinah CC
Location in the United States
Medinah CC
Location in Illinois

At the start of the final day's play, the U.S. led 10–6 and required 4½ points to win; Europe required 8 points to retain the cup and 8½ 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, 14½–13½. 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 Olazábal dedicated the victory to his countryman Seve Ballesteros. The five-time major champion, who had scored 22½ 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
Main article: Ryder Cup

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, 14½ 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
Main article: Medinah Country Club
Clubhouse at Medinah Country Club in 2008

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 García criticised the course, particularly for its lack of rough, trees and other hazards. García 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]

Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Yards4331924124635365096172014323,7955784404762456093904821934493,8627,657
Par434454534365443544343672

Television

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 Bill 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

United States

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[18]
    • 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.
Position Name 2011
Majors		 2012
Majors		 Regular
events		 Alternate
events		 Points
1 Tiger Woods 330.667 1452.717 4230.800 0 6014.184
2 Bubba Watson 153.617 3286.659 2374.778 0 5815.054
3 Jason Dufner 865.000 892.530 3939.772 0 5697.302
4 Keegan Bradley 1445.000 999.095 3107.111 0 5551.206
5 Webb Simpson 219.868 2932.800 1482.832 0 4635.500
6 Zach Johnson 156.821 446.878 3887.845 0 4491.544
7 Matt Kuchar 265.131 1154.572 3029.239 0 4448.942
8 Phil Mickelson 847.143 874.686 2511.279 0 4233.108
9 Hunter Mahan 81.214 560.441 3440.573 0 4082.228
10 Steve Stricker 541.075 855.146 2618.848 0 4015.069

Players in the qualifying places are shown in green. Captains picks are shown in yellow.

Europe

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:[19][20]

  • 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. Olazábal 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.[21] Carl Pettersson was not a member of the European Tour and was therefore not considered.[22]

The leading players in the Ryder Cup European points were:[20]

Position Name Points
1 Rory McIlroy 4,050,288
2 Justin Rose 2,602,910
3 Paul Lawrie 2,384,837
4 Graeme McDowell 2,375,790
5 Francesco Molinari 2,112,452
6 Peter Hanson 2,022,431
7 Luke Donald 1,885,170

Players in the qualifying places are shown in green.

The leading players in the Ryder Cup World points list were:[20]

Position Name Points
1 Rory McIlroy 468.81
2 Luke Donald 363.46
3 Justin Rose 322.33
4 Lee Westwood 280.27
5 Graeme McDowell 262.62
6 Paul Lawrie 211.49
7 Sergio García 200.85
8 Francesco Molinari 191.25
9 Peter Hanson 189.32
10 Martin Kaymer 172.26
11 Ian Poulter 171.64
12 Nicolas Colsaerts 161.67

Players in the qualifying places are shown in green. Captains picks are shown in yellow.

Teams

Captains

The captains were Davis Love III for team USA and José María Olazábal for Europe.

Vice-captains

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.[23]

Olazábal named three of his vice-captains on August 16.[24] The fourth vice-captain was announced on August 25.[25]

Players
 Team USA
Name Age Residence Points
rank		 World
ranking		 Previous
Ryder Cups		 Matches W–L–H Winning
percentage
Davis Love III 48St. Simons Island, GeorgiaNon-playing captain
Tiger Woods 36Jupiter Island, Florida1262913–14–248.28
Bubba Watson 33Scottsdale, Arizona27141–3–025.00
Jason Dufner 35Auburn, Alabama390Rookie
Keegan Bradley 26Jupiter, Florida4140Rookie
Webb Simpson 27Charlotte, North Carolina580Rookie
Zach Johnson 36St. Simons Island, Georgia617273–3–150.00
Matt Kuchar 34St. Simons Island, Georgia715141–1–250.00
Phil Mickelson 42Rancho Santa Fe, California81683411–17–641.18
Steve Stricker 45Madison, Wisconsin1012273–3–150.00
Jim Furyk 42Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida11237278–15–437.04
Brandt Snedeker 31Nashville, Tennessee13100Rookie
Dustin Johnson 28Myrtle Beach, South Carolina1513141–3–025.00

Captains picks are shown in yellow; the world rankings and records are at the start of the 2012 Ryder Cup.

 Team Europe
Name Age Residence Points rank
(European)		 Points rank
(World)		 World
ranking		 Previous
Ryder Cups		 Matches W–L–H Winning
percentage
José María Olazábal 46Hondarribia, SpainNon-playing captain
Rory McIlroy 23Holywood, Northern Ireland111141–1–250.00
Justin Rose 32London, England235143–1–075.00
Paul Lawrie 43Aberdeen, Scotland3628153–1–170.00
Graeme McDowell 33Portrush, Northern Ireland4518284–2–262.50
Francesco Molinari 29Turin, Italy5831130–2–116.67
Luke Donald 34High Wycombe, England7233118–2–177.27
Lee Westwood 39Worksop, England104473316–11–657.58
Sergio García 32Borriol, Spain1371952414–6–466.67
Peter Hanson 34Trelleborg, Sweden6925131–2–033.33
Martin Kaymer 27Mettmann, Germany81032142–1–162.50
Nicolas Colsaerts 29Brussels, Belgium912350Rookie
Ian Poulter 36Milton Keynes, England1711263118–3–072.73

Captains picks are shown in yellow; the world rankings and records are at the start of the 2012 Ryder Cup.

Friday's matches

[26]

Morning foursomes
Results
McIlroy/McDowell 1 up Furyk/Snedeker
Donald/García 4 & 3 Mickelson/Bradley
Westwood/Molinari 3 & 2 Dufner/Z. Johnson
Poulter/Rose 2 & 1 Stricker/Woods
2 Session 2
2 Overall 2

Afternoon four-ball

Match 3 (Rose/Kaymer v. D. Johnson/Kuchar) started after Match 4 (Westwood/Colsaerts v. Woods/Stricker). The table below reflects the official order.

Results
Lawrie/Hanson 5 & 4 Watson/Simpson
McIlroy/McDowell 2 & 1 Mickelson/Bradley
Rose/Kaymer 3 & 2 D. Johnson/Kuchar
Westwood/Colsaerts 1 up Woods/Stricker
1 Session 3
3 Overall 5

Saturday's matches

[27]

Morning foursomes
Results
Rose/Poulter 1 up Watson/Simpson
Westwood/Donald 7 & 6 Bradley/Mickelson
Colsaerts/García 2 & 1 Dufner/Z. Johnson
McIlroy/McDowell 1 up Furyk/Snedeker
1 Session 3
4 Overall 8

Afternoon four-ball

Match 1 (Colsaerts/Lawrie v. D. Johnson/Kuchar) started after Match 2 (Rose/Molinari v. Watson/Simpson). The table below reflects the official order.

Results
Colsaerts/Lawrie 1 up D. Johnson/Kuchar
Rose/Molinari 5 & 4 Watson/Simpson
García/Donald 1 up Woods/Stricker
McIlroy/Poulter 1 up Dufner/Z. Johnson
2 Session 2
6 Overall 10

Sunday's singles matches

[28]

Results Timetable
Luke Donald 2 & 1 Bubba Watson 1st: 7 – 10
Ian Poulter 2 up Webb Simpson 4th: 10 – 10
Rory McIlroy 2 & 1 Keegan Bradley 3rd: 9 – 10
Justin Rose 1 up Phil Mickelson 6th: 11 – 11
Paul Lawrie 5 & 3 Brandt Snedeker 2nd: 8 – 10
Nicolas Colsaerts 3 & 2 Dustin Johnson 5th: 10 – 11
Graeme McDowell 2 & 1 Zach Johnson 7th: 11 – 12
Sergio García 1 up Jim Furyk 9th: 13 – 12
Peter Hanson 2 up Jason Dufner 10th: 13 – 13
Lee Westwood 3 & 2 Matt Kuchar 8th: 12 – 12
Martin Kaymer 1 up Steve Stricker 11th: 14 – 13
Francesco Molinari halved Tiger Woods 12th: 14½ – 13½
8½ Session 3½
14½ Overall 13½

Individual player records

Each entry refers to the Win–Loss–Half record of the player.

Source:[29]

United States
PlayerPointsOverallSinglesFoursomesFourballs
Keegan Bradley33–1–00–1–02–0–01–0–0
Jason Dufner33–1–01–0–02–0–00–1–0
Jim Furyk11–2–00–1–01–1–00–0–0
Dustin Johnson33–0–01–0–00–0–02–0–0
Zach Johnson33–1–01–0–02–0–00–1–0
Matt Kuchar22–1–00–1–00–0–02–0–0
Phil Mickelson33–1–00–1–02–0–01–0–0
Webb Simpson22–2–00–1–00–1–02–0–0
Brandt Snedeker11–2–00–1–01–1–00–0–0
Steve Stricker00–4–00–1–00–1–00–2–0
Bubba Watson22–2–00–1–00–1–02–0–0
Tiger Woods0.50–3–10–0–10–1–00–2–0

Europe
PlayerPointsOverallSinglesFoursomesFourballs
Nicolas Colsaerts11–3–00–1–00–1–01–1–0
Luke Donald22–2–01–0–00–2–01–0–0
Sergio García22–2–01–0–00–2–01–0–0
Peter Hanson00–2–00–1–00–0–00–1–0
Martin Kaymer11–1–01–0–00–0–00–1–0
Paul Lawrie11–2–01–0–00–0–00–2–0
Graeme McDowell11–3–00–1–01–1–00–1–0
Rory McIlroy33–2–01–0–01–1–01–1–0
Francesco Molinari0.50–2–10–0–10–1–00–1–0
Ian Poulter44–0–01–0–02–0–01–0–0
Justin Rose33–2–01–0–02–0–00–2–0
Lee Westwood22–2–01–0–00–2–01–0–0

Media reaction

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.[30] 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.[31]

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".[32]

References
  1. "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.
  2. Dorman, Larry (October 4, 2010). "McDowell Seals Ryder Cup for Europe". The New York Times. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  3. 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.
  4. "Olazábal 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.
  5. "Sporting comebacks to rival the Ryder Cup's Miracle of Medinah". BBC Sport. October 1, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
  6. Williams, Richard (October 1, 2012). "Europe seal Ryder Cup win with comeback of epic proportions". The Guardian. London. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Miracle of Medinah - How Europe turned the 2012 Ryder Cup on its head". September 24, 2014.
  9. "Ryder Cup 2012: Europe beat USA after record comeback". BBC. September 30, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  10. Murray, Ewan (September 24, 2012). "Ryder Cup 2012: Europe prepare final-day tribute to Seve Ballesteros". The Guardian. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  11. "Europe Win Ryder Cup In Comeback Sensation". Sky Sports. October 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012.
  12. "Europe Wins Golf's Ryder Cup". Sky News. October 1, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  13. "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.
  14. "Medinah's 15th could play key role". ESPN. September 27, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  15. "Ryder Cup 2012: Lee Westwood criticises Davis Love's 'weird' course". The Guardian. London. September 26, 2012.
  16. "Golf Course 3". Medinah Country Club. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  17. "2012 Ryder Cup Team Qualification Process". Ryder Cup. Archived from the original on August 3, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  18. "2012 Ryder Cup Team USA Standings". Ryder Cup. July 23, 2012. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  19. "New Qualification criteria for 2012 European Ryder Cup Team". Ryder Cup. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  20. "European Ryder Cup Rankings". European Tour. July 23, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  21. "Scottish golfer Martin Laird set to join European Tour". BBC Sport. July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  22. "Pettersson a Player Without a Ryder Cup Country". About.com. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  23. "Love names two assistants, ponders four captain's picks". PGA of America. Archived from the original on August 27, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  24. "Olazábal names three Ryder Cup vice captains". PGA European Tour. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  25. "Olazábal names Miguel Angel Jiménez as his fourth vice captain". PGA European Tour. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  26. Murray, Scott (September 29, 2012). "Ryder Cup 2012 : day one – as it happened". The Guardian. London. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  27. Murray, Scott; Ingle, Sean (September 30, 2012). "Ryder Cup 2012 : day two – as it happened". The Guardian. London. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  28. Murray, Scott (October 1, 2012). "Ryder Cup 2012 : day three – as it happened". The Guardian. London. Retrieved October 3, 2012.
  29. "2014 Ryder Cup Media and Players' Guide". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  30. Haugh, David (September 30, 2012). "Epic Ryder Cup collapse on home turf inexcusable". Chicago Tribune.
  31. Bakowski, Gregg (October 1, 2012). "Ryder Cup US media reaction: 'Nightmarish Medin-ahhhhhhhhhh!'". The Guardian. London.
  32. Douglas, Steve (October 1, 2012). "European media, athletes hail Ryder Cup win". Montreal Gazette.

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