September 29 - all times BST
8pm: A hugely enjoyable week comes to an end with both official press conferences. First the US 12 plus captain Curtis Strange come in. Hal Sutton looks the most miffed, Phil Mickelson the most tired and David Duval the most attentive. Tiger smiles a bit but chatters away with Calc and Azinger while the others answer questions. The European conference, as you’d expect, is a much more jovial affair. A few of them, particularly Lee Westwood, already seem to have a had a few too many and he won’t let go of a running gag about Garcia ditching Parnevik to be his partner this week. Monty laughs raucously and they all pick up on the celebrations which can be heard carrying on outside. They get a standing ovation on the way in and on the way out and there should be a hell of a party tonight. As for me, I’m getting a lift back to Leeds now, reflecting on a brilliant week. Thankyou and goodnight.
18.30pm: I’m not one for ceremonies so I haven’t rushed out to watch it live. The view is better on television. There’s huge roars as the winning European team take it in turns to lift the Cup. McGinley, holer of the winning putt, and Monty get extra loud cheers and Lee Westwood shows he’d make a good second slip by catching the lid when Phil Price lifts it too boisterously. Tiger Woods’ girlfriend has her hand on her heart when the US national anthem is played which seems a bit odd seeing as she’s Swedish. Given the diverse make-up of the European team, the crowds have to sit through about half a dozen further national anthems.
17.35pm: There's a post-mortem taking place between some of the American journalists near me. To a man, it seems, they can't believe Woods was sent out last in a match that became meaningless. US captain Curtis Strange could be in for a rough time when he's presented before the media later on.
17.15pm: Europe win the Ryder Cup – and thankfully I get to see the winning putt! It was still up for grabs when I left the press tent and I opted for a spot just short of the 16th green. At this stage the match could have been decided anywhere over the last three holes but the 16th green lends itself to a sprint back to the 18th green or a longer dash to the 17th green. First up Azinger cuts Fasth’s lead to one and then McGinley and Furyk halve to keep the American one up. I still stand my ground as Love drops a shot to allow Fulke to level. Most of the galleries, fellow players and wives are dashing off to the 17th to see Fasth but I stay to watch the Price-Mickelson match. There’s a feeling that the finish could be anti-climatic with two putts at different holes going in at the same time. But Price sets the stage for a defining moment as he pours in his birdie putt to beat Mickelson 3&2. Now Europe just need one point and with Fasth one up on the 18th tee it looks down to him. Luckily as soon as I see Price’s putt drop below ground level I rush across to a mound on the 18th fairway which offers a great view overlooking the lake and 18th green. It’s just as well I ran as the space quickly fills up behind me. It’s about a good mid-iron to the green but the view is fine and I can see a perfect panoramic picture. So can Fasth do it? It looks like it as he finds the green in two but then comes one of the great Ryder Cup moments. Azinger, looking finished after finding sand, dramatically holes his bunker shot to wild screams of disbelief. I look back to see the reaction of David Duval, who is parked in a buggy just behind me, and there's a disbelieving look between him and assistant Mike Hulbert. After the galleries settle down, Fasth still has a 30ft putt to win it but he can’t and the match is halved. Europe still need a halve to win the cup outright and have three more chances with the final three matches all level. McGinley is next although he makes a mess of his second and although his chip is good it still leaves him nine feet. Incredibly, Furyk almost holes his bunker shot and when it’s conceded McGinley has a putt to gain the decisive halve. So here we go again. All the players and wives are crouched to the right as the Irishman stalks his putt. He pulls the putter back, rolls it forward and it drops!!!! Europe have won the Ryder Cup!!! There’s a huge, huge roar as the European contingent celebrate on the green and within minutes there’s an outbreak of “there’s only one Paul McGinley” in the crowd around me. Sergio lifts anyone nearby and then sprints past below to celebrate with Fulke on the 17th. He and Love are still waiting to tee off but with the 18th green still a scene of celebration, Love and Fulke agree to halve. That just leaves Woods out on the course and to round of his miserable day he bogeys the last and has to settle for a halve with Parnevik. It leaves the winning score 15˝-12˝ to Europe.
3.40pm: We’ve done well with our tips this week but now comes the biggest gamble. Which hole do I go to, to witness the winning putt? Radio will help but the thick crowds will make it hard to move fast. So here goes…. Will I witness history or will I get stuck in a queue two fairways away?
3.35pm: Another vital point for Europe as Thomas Bjorn clinches victory over Stewart Cink at the 17th. The European lead is now 12˝-9˝ and they need just two more points to win the Ryder Cup. At the moment it looks in the hands of Niclas Fasth, who is 2up on Azinger at the 13th and Phil Price who is 3up on Mickelson after 11. Pierre Fulke is also 1up on Love while Woods can’t shake off Parnevik. Tiger is still only 1up.
3.25pm: Niclas Fasth proves he's one of the best celebrators on the European side with a couple of driving fist pumps as he goes 2up on Azinger at the 13th. Europe are now up in four of the remaining seven matches so the Americans need to turn things round fast.
3.20pm: So how do the bookies bet now? Ladbrokes make Europe 4/9 with the Americans now out to 10/3. The big mover is the tie which is now just 4/1.
3.15pm: A round of applause breaks out in the press tent as Clarke chips to within a foot at the last in his crucial match with Duval. But the American bravely holes his putt and then picks up Clarke's marker for a tie in four. A battling halve for both teams makes the score 11˝-9˝ to Europe.
3pm: Drama in the top two games. Garcia, needing to win the last for a halve, finds the water with his drive. With Toms on in two, the Spaniard concedes meaning Europe's lead is cut to 11-9. And in the third match, Clarke holes a monster at the 17th for a birdie but Duval follows him in for a halve leaving them all square heading to the 18th tee.
2.55pm: Langer puts another European point on the board as he wins the battle of the veterans against Hal Sutton. These two, whose combined age is 89, also played in the 1985 Ryder Cup but Langer, the older man by a year, produces the sprightlier golf on this occasion as he wins 4&3. It's now Europe 11 USA 8.
2.45pm: Harrington closes out Calcavecchia 5&4 to make the match score Europe 10 USA 8. It wasn’t vintage stuff by the Irishman with Calc shooting 40 over his front nine but it's a convincing win nonetheless. The joker in the pack for Europe now could be Phil Price. The Welshman has against all the odds gone 3up on Mickelson at the 7th.
2.30pm: I would say that the Europeans have plenty of work to do but the bookies seem to think that the home side are now clear favourites. Hills go 8/15 Europe, 2/1 USA while Ladbrokes bet 4/7 Europe, 11/5 USA. They make the tie just 5/1 now.
2.20pm: There are televisions scattered throughout the press canteen so whilst battling my way through a piece of beef I come to the conclusion that the key matches are numbers 2 and 3 – Garcia v Toms and Clarke v Duval. If Europe could win both they would have a great chance of winning given the big leads elsewhere. But Toms has just nudged ahead by a hole at the 15th and Clarke has just missed a putt to go 1up with four to play against Duval.
2pm: I might be doing a lot of running around later on so I'm going to fuel up with what the press canteen is describing as Sunday lunch.
1.57pm: Fantastic Monty! Big Colin romps to a 5&4 victory over Scott Hoch to put the first point on the board for Europe. And by making it 4˝ points out of five he's landed our second main bet of the week by assuring himself of finishing top European points scorer. That was a hefty 9/1 shot at the start of the week and Monty's made a mockery of those odds.
1.50pm: Hoch birdies 12 to pull one back buy Monty restores his 4 hole advantage with a birdie on 13. A quick glance up to the scoreboard in front of me in the press tent shows Europe up in seven, America up in four and one all square. But significantly, mainly of the blue numbers show big leads. Monty and Harrington are 4up, Langer is three up and Bjorn is two up. Although Verplank is 3up on Westwood, the US only have one hole leads in the other three.
1.30pm: A fantastic start by the Europeans and I watch it in the company of Colin Montgomerie. The intention was to walk all the way to the 3rd green but after watching Langer and Sutton tee off at the first I pick up Monty at the fourth. He’s level at this point but in the next hour and half I watch the big Scot roar into a four-hole lead. It’s fantastic stuff by Monty who holes a series of vital putts which Hoch can’t respond to. The roars seem to get louder and louder and Monty is absolutely loving this. Perhaps this is his stage rather than the majors where his quest to break his duck continues to hit the rocks. Monty’s match drags a big media following along, including Sky TV’s Andy Gray. He looks smaller than he does on the tele and the white socks look a bit dodgy. Mrs Monty is also in attendance while Woosie also pops up to offer support. And judging by the constant cheers breaking out all over the course Monty is setting the tone. There’s blue, indicating Europe are up, in almost all the opening matches so it seems Sam Torrance’s strategy of getting points on the board early is going exactly to plan. As I watch Monty go 4up at the 10th, Torrance accidentally prods me with the end of his walkie-talkie as he rushes back to the clubhouse, presumably to give a final message of good luck to his last two men out – Phil Price and Jesper Parnevik. I also stay to watch Garcia and Toms come through the 10th and to macho cheers the Spaniard pulls his driver. He flies it through the green as Toms lays up but the American has the last laugh as he gets up and down and Garcia can only par after fluffing his chip. I dash back to the press tent to send this and note Europe are up in six and level in three while there’s only three red figures on the board. It’s building towards a great, great finish.
11.40am: It's time to go outside and experience the atmosphere live. It's difficult what strategy to use as a spectator today. You want to be in 12 different places at once but even dashing between two matches is difficult with the crowds so packed. I shall try and pick up the Monty match and then see what unfolds. The third hole is a great place to watch the action so I might take residence there. A big bank behind the green offers a great view as the players attempt to fly the water and reach the short stuff in two. And when they depart along the pathway below the roars here are just about as big as anywhere on the course. My radio will be vital of course although one well known presenter was reported to be drunk as a lord last night so hopefully he will have recovered.
11.25am: The first roar of the day as Monty drains his birdie putt. Hoch can't respond and it's first blood to Europe. As well as wanting him to win anyway, we have particular interest in Monty of course having tipped him to be top European points scorer at 9/1. If he wins his match he will have an unassailable tally of 4˝ points. Come on Colin!
11.20am: It emerges that Monty does find the fairway while Hoch is in the first cut of rough. Both men find the green with their second shots. Hoch, by the way, is dressed fairly normally. There'll be no Shirt-gate this time.
11.15am: Colin Montgomerie and Scott Hoch get the singles under way. It's all smiles between rival captains Torrance and Strange as they wait by the tee box while Monty and Hoch have their game faces on. I can't see on the television in both find the fairway as Jasper Carrott's head is in the way.
10.50am: Even though America are 2/5 to win the Cup with Europe 5/2 that doesn't tally with how the individual matches are priced up. According to Chandler, the Europeans are odds-on to win the top seven matches which of course would be enough to get them over the finishing line. Tiger Woods is the shortest priced favourite by far, being made 2/9 to beat 9/2 Jesper Parnevik in the final match.
10.45am: So what will be the Americans be wearing today? Three years ago on the final day they committed one of the fashion crimes of the century by donning hideous brown shirts adorned with old Ryder Cup photographs. Oh to have been a fly on the wall when then US skipper Ben Crenshaw announced "Men, suit up and wear your shirts with pride."
10.40am: Due to a late media bus I’m here later than I hoped. But there’s still 35 minutes before Colin Montgomerie and Scott Hoch get the deciding singles under way. Although there’s some early cloud, it looks as if the skies will clear, giving us glorious sunshine for what promises to be a thrilling conclusion. Remember, with America the holders of the Ryder Cup, Europe need to win the match outright and that means taking 6˝ points out of 12 from today’s singles.
September 28 - all times BST
9pm: As the dust settles on a dramatic day, it’s time to reflect on our Ryder Cup bets which are still in the melting pot. We’ve already ensured a decent week by tipping Europe to lead after day one. This was our main tip but the others still have a chance. We also went for a European win and a punt on either side to win 14˝-13˝. And our top European points scorer bet on Colin Montgomerie also has a great chance. Monty is in the box seat after winning 3˝ points from the first three days and leads by one from Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood. If Monty wins his singles against Scott Hoch, our 9/1 gamble will be landed. As it stands, he may already have done enough. For the record, Garcia takes on David Toms while Westwood does battle with Scott Verplank.
8pm: The draw is made and Torrance goes for the top heavy approach while Strange puts Mickelson and Woods in the bottom two matches. If it goes to the wire, they're the two I want to bring it home says Curtis. Torrance hopes Monty, Garcia, Clarke, Langer, Harrington and Bjorn can score heavily in the top six matches and that the momentum will carry over into the hearts and minds of his players in the bottom half of the draw. Who will be proved right?
7pm: I’ve lost track of time over the last… well obviously I don’t know how long. A thrilling and dramatic climax sees the two teams deadlocked at 8-8 after day two. How it ends up like this is anyone’s guess. Initially I had just popped out to see if Fasth and Parnevik could grab a halve at the 18th. They can’t but with the other matches all tightening up I decide to stay. My vantage point is to the right of the green just before the two giant trees. It’s a stretch to see the flag and the hole up and to my right but tip-toes just about do it. I’m also facing a giant TV screen although it’s way over the opposite side of the green and the coverage is haphazard. Half the time it reverts to a test card of the Ryder Cup image but many of the crowd, including me, are listening to the radio. And that produces the strange instance of sudden roars when none of the players are in site. For those without headphones the news spreads quickly so everyone knows the situation. The TV does manage to show Garcia miss his short putt at the 17th which allows Woods and Love to tie the match after the latter chips in. News filters through of the Monty/Harrington win which produces a mighty roar and finally we have some more golfers in view again as the Garcia-Westwood-Woods-Love match appears over the horizon. Surely a halve is fair after a great match but Westwood misses a knee-knocker and the Americans have an incredible turnaround win. Garcia is upset by something – perhaps the fairly restrained US celebrations on the green – and goes off in a huff. Probably disappointment and nothing more.The match is tied at 7˝ each now and the US look to have secured a final day lead as Hoch rolls in a putt to put he and Furyk 1up against Clarke and McGinley. A golf buggy carrying the victorious Harrington and Monty parks just in front of me. They acknowledge the crowd. A dejected Westwood joins them. “Hard luck Lee,” says Harrington while Monty carries out a lengthier post-mortem with Westwood who looks inconsolable. A rather cheery Duval is sat nearby and exchanges quips with Monty and hands Harrington a bottle of coke from the back of his buggy. All the wives start to gather as the final match appears from around the corner, while Monty carries out an interview with Radio Five’s John Inverdale and then another with the Daily Telegraph. So can Europe pull it round. Clarke makes a mess of it but McGinley’s par four stands up as Furyk and then Hoch miss par putts. Thunderous roars greet the Europeans as they head back to the clubhouse. Clarke pumps a fist, Monty mouths “thankyous” and finally, after lengthy interviews, Westwood and McGinley depart to a chorus of cheers.
5.05pm: Europe stay alive in the top match as Fasth makes a birdie. They need to win the last as well to grab would could be a vital halve. I'm going to rush to the 18th green and try and see the finish.
4.50pm: Monty holes a fantastic 20ft putt at the 14th to put Europe 2up over Mickelson and Toms with four to play. Monty looks to the skies in relief as his birdie putt drops in and there's a real bounce in his stride as he walks to the next as Mickelson can’t follow him in. Just when it seemed the Americans would level they now find themselves 2down. But the US look like putting a point on the board in the top match with Calcavecchia and Duval, who have made five birdies on the spin, 2up with two to play. Garcia and Westwood are 1up on Woods and Love with four to play while Hoch and Furyk are 2up on Clarke and McGinley with five left.
4.30pm: With the afternoon matches all delicately poised, Hills' odds on who will lift the Cup are 8/15 USA, 7/4 Europe and 9/1 a tie.
4.15pm: Putts are flying in everywhere now and the afternoon fourballs could go either way. Europe have now lost control of the top match with Fasth and Parnevik slipping from 3up to 1down against Calcavecchia and Duval at the 14th. Monty and Harrington are 2up against Mickelson and Toms at the 11th, Garcia and Westwood are 1up against Woods and Love after 11 and Hoch and Furyk are 1up against Clark and McGinley. These final few holes are absolutely crucial with each side having the potential to win all four matches.
3.50pm: Surprisingly, golf's number one risk-taker Phil Mickelson also refuses to take on the 10th although he and Toms are first to hit and know that Harrington and Monty are unlikely to go for it which proves correct. And Mickelson proves there's more than one way to skin a cat by making an up-and-down birdie. But would he have done so had he known his opponents were certain to get one of their own?
3.45pm: Fortune favours the brave! Westwood lags his eagle putt which is conceded and scaredy-cats Love and Woods can't get up and down. Is this a pivotal moment? Somehow you sense it deserves to be. If Love and Woods lose this match by a hole I can't wait for the press to give them a right earful.
3.30pm: Garcia, the only player to try yesterday, goes for the 10th green again and his ambition is rewarded as the ball rebounds off a bank and down to just off the putting surface. There’s a huge roar as Westwood also pulls his driver and an even bigger one when he flies it all the way to the green. The exuberant Garcia jumps on Westwood’s back in celebration. But there’s no response from the Americans. Despite being two of the biggest hitters in the game, Love and Woods wimp out and lay up with short irons. The US pair may say that they were acting under team instructions - Curtis Strange had said earlier in the week that they wouldn't try and drive it - but that didn't stop David Duval 15 minutes ago. And he was rewarded with a winning birdie.
3.15pm: With the weather improving and the ball flying further, the players, to the delight of the crowd, are starting to chance their arm at the short par four 10th. Duval becomes the first player this week to drive the green but Parnevik gambles and loses. Two putts from Duval wins the hole for America and reduces the gap to 1 down. The Garcia/Westwood/Woods/Love match arrives next. Will any of these big hitters go for it?
2.35pm: A couple more famous faces in the crowd to report. At the fourth I brush past former England cricket captain and selector Ted Dexter. Mrs Dexter, dressed in a garish striped suit, looks like an old music hall act. Ted opts for a more conservative checked jacket with brown slacks
