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| Langer Relives "That Putt" |
It has been called the 'biggest pressure putt in the history of the Ryder Cup'. The outcome of the 1991 Match at Kiawah Island depended on one six footer on the 18th green. The man destined to play the shot was none other than a golfer who had repeatedly stepped back from the chasm leading to oblivion due to the curse of the 'yips'.
Exactly ten years on, Bernhard Langer can still visualise that six foot putt against Hale Irwin in the final singles tie. The rest of the world can also picture his grotesquely contorted face and body bent into an 'S' shape as he tried to will the ball into the hole.
It stayed out. Langer collected the meagre consolation of a half point but carried the collective disappointment of Europe on his shoulders. Lesser mortals would have shot themselves – Langer went out and shot 275 the following week to win the Mercedes German Masters.
Looking back, he admitted: "Well, it was certainly a lot of pressure because the Ryder Cup is not like any other tournament. You don't play for yourself. If I am playing in the Masters and the Open and make a mistake, I'm the one who pays the price.
"When you play in the Ryder Cup, you represent the whole team, your captain, your Tour, your continent. It's a different thing. The pressure is probably more intense and different than anything else."
Langer continued: "I don't know if it's the most pressure putt ever. I really don't know. There were other guys who have missed putts but maybe they weren't as pressurised. I certainly haven't had a lot of putts that were as important as that one."
As a youngster growing up in Germany, Langer had only a sparse knowledge of the Ryder Cup and its history. He added: "I didn't understand the folklore which has grown up around the Ryder Cup at all. It wasn't on TV in Germany. I had to scramble to get a golf magazine. Things have changed since then obviously.
"Since I became a Ryder Cup player, I have obviously shown more interest in it. It's become a very exciting event, a very important event."
Langer believes that some of the peripheral distractions surrounding the Ryder Cup have not diluted the essential nature of the contest. He said: "We've had many great memories and great moments, and it's wrong to just focus on the two or three bad things that have happened.
"Most of the time, the game of golf was the winner and we are all friends when we walk away from it, whether we are winners or losers. And there can only be one winner. It's not life and death. There are more important things in life. It's just a great championship. It's a great match, something to look forward to and to enjoy."
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