THE United States retained the Ryder Cup on a day of high drama at The Belfry in England yesterday.
Tom Watson's team overcame a one-point overnight deficit to sink European dreams of regaining the title, but Europe's cause not helped by big guns Bernhard Langer, Seve Ballesteros and Jose Marie Olazabal all losing and Ian Woosnam and Nick Faldo halving their matches.
Fortunes fluctuated throughout an afternoon sprinkled with outstanding golf and unbearable tension.
Despite a hole-in-one from England's Faldo and singles victories for Colin Montgomerie, Peter Baker and Joakim Haeggman, European skipper Bernard Gallacher experienced the bitter taste of defeat for the second time in a row.
While European fans were left to ponder what might have been, the Americans present in the capacity 36,000 crowd could not contain their joy at their team's 15-13 triumph.
It was the first time in three attempts that America have won at The Belfry where they were well beaten in 1985 and tied 14-14 in 1989.
