The match that changed the Ryder Cup forever

How three days at The Belfry changed the momentum of the Ryder Cup forever.

For most of the 58 years before the 26th matches in 1985, the event had been overwhelmingly one-sided. But three days at The Belfry that September saw a shift in the Ryder Cup momentum.

Only four years on from a nine-point thrashing that was, for the Ryder Cup course, it was all change for Europe at The Belfry in 1985. Given the recent history of the Ryder Cup – 10 of the last 14 biennial contests between the United States and Europe have produced Old World victories – it is sometimes easy to forget that the picture used to be so very different.

Forty years ago, the Europeans arrived at The Belfry on the back of 28 years of almost total futility. Since 1957, only the famous and unlikely tied match at Royal Birkdale in 1969 had interrupted a long, unbroken sequence of American victories.

Still, all of that was about to change. Two years on from a one-point defeat at PGA National in Florida, non-playing skipper Tony Jacklin’s team was primed for success. Armed with nine of the 12 men who had come so close in 1983, plus – for the first time in history – two reigning major champions in Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle, Jacklin was not alone in sensing a long-awaited triumph was just around the corner. That he could also call upon the best player in the game at the time in Seve Ballesteros also raised hopes within the camp.

Conversely, the American team contained four Ryder Cup rookies, in Mark O’Meara, Andy North, Peter Jacobsen and Hal Sutton. And yet, predicting that the Americans would finally come second in the two-horse race that they had seemingly always won was a very brave move and flew spectacularly in the face of years of history.

And so it was, as the days ticked down to September 13, 1985, that the world watched and waited to see what would unfold over three days in Sutton Coldfield. Here, in the words of those who were there, is the final chapter on one of the greatest matches in golf history…

The Build-Up

Tony Jacklin: “We had momentum going in. We had felt a little cheated in 1983, but it was still a terrific performance. The nucleus of the team was the same and we were very upbeat. I was certainly confident we could win.”

Manuel Pinero: “We all felt that we could win. We had a very strong team. We thought we were favourites, in fact.”

Sam Torrance: “We were gutted in 1983. We really felt like we should have won. Every member of that side wanted to be back in ’85 to beat the Americans.”

Ken Brown: “It wasn’t so much that we thought we could win it; we thought we had to win it. It was our time. We had major champions and guys at the top of their form. And Seve’s words from 1983 – ‘This is a victory for us’ – still resonated with many of us. There was a quiet confidence, although at the back of my mind was a feeling that, if we didn’t do it this time, we might never do it.”

Howard Clark: “Tony was such a great captain. So positive and such a change from what had gone before. I remember overhearing John Jacobs, our captain in 1981, saying to the American skipper Dave Marr, ‘Take it easy on us this week, won’t you?’ But there was none of that with Tony. He made us a team before we were a team by geeing us all up in the months before the matches.”

Mark O’Meara: “The US had barely scraped by [to win] in ’83. We definitely knew that we were in a game.”

Curtis Strange: “It was my first time overseas in a Ryder Cup. In 1983, there were probably 1,000 spectators on Sunday afternoon. But it was a much bigger deal in 1985. I thought it was fantastic, all those people cheering and screaming – and all rooting against us.”

Howard Clark: “When we got to The Belfry, our eyes lit up. We had never seen the course look like that. It was in great shape. But we had Tony get the greenkeeper to cut down the high rough around the greens. What a difference that made. We could now play a variety of shots rather than just the same flop-shot that the Americans were so used to. They must have been confused. On the first practice day it was thick rough, but one day later it was cut back to almost fairway height.”

Andy North: “When we arrived, the rough was very long and thick. The course was long and wet, too. So it was pretty similar to a lot of what we play in the US. Funnily enough, though, by the time the matches started, the rough was a lot lower! We smiled at that, I must admit.”

Manuel Pinero: “Tony also asked for the greens to be slow because the Americans liked fast greens. In those days, we were much more used to slow ones.”

Howard Clark: “We played for money in practice. Sam and I took on Seve and Rivero and beat them. Rivero paid me at lunch, but Seve didn’t pay Sam. So Sam says to me, ‘Well, partner, how do you know you’ve won?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, Sam, how do you know? Do you get a reward?’ And Sam replied, ‘That’s right, Howard, normally you get paid when you win’. At which point Seve stood up and said, ‘I’ve had enough of this shit. Here is your money.’ He screwed up three tenners and threw them on the table. We laughed.”

Tony Jacklin: “My first instinct was to pair Seve with Jose Rivero. But Seve intimidated Rivero. I watched them closely in practice and Rivero wasn’t playing well. I pulled him aside on the 15th hole of the final practice round and put Seve with Pinero from then on.”

Craig Stadler: “Lee Trevino is a dear friend, but he was an interesting coach. It never seemed like he wanted to get too involved. On the eve of the first day he came in. We were all waiting for him to announce the pairings. But all he said was, ‘Hell, put anyone together; I don’t give a damn.’ We just looked at each other. But that was OK. We all knew who we wanted to play with and who we didn’t want to be paired with.”

Day 1: Crowd tension and a narrow USA lead

Mark O’Meara: “I was so nervous on the first tee. It was such a different atmosphere, major-like but even more intense. It wasn’t just about me; suddenly, I had a team to play for. It was the most pressure I’ve ever felt in my career.”

Craig Stadler: “On the 3rd hole in the morning, I hit a good drive, then Hal pushed his 5-iron approach. The ball was buried near the top of that big old bunker on the right. At which point, maybe 100 people screamed and yelled and applauded. Hal just stood there and looked at me. ‘Are they all clapping for my shot?’ he asked. ‘Why are they doing that?’ I just said, ‘Dude, get used to it!’ Hal was really shaken up by that. He was just amazed. But that sort of thing never bothered me. I thought it was humorous. I loved it.”

Ken Brown: “Our match wasn’t won by their good play; it was lost by our poor play. We handed them three holes from the 8th. We were in the water on three holes in a row. And that was really it. We gifted them three holes. All they did was pick their ball up. So that was very disappointing. After we lost, Sandy came up and told me he was playing quite well. Tony had a word with me, too. They were both wondering – without actually saying it – if it might be better for me to step aside in the afternoon. I told them to do what they thought was best. If they wanted me to sit out, I’d sit out. I sort of volunteered myself out. So I ‘contributed’ in that way, I suppose. I’m not sure many players would have said what I did, but it was the best thing for the team.”

Tony Jacklin: “Faldo was very straight with me. I was concerned about his form, and he was going through a divorce, so he had problems. I took him to one side after he and Langer lost. I told him it was about the team, not just him. And I asked him if I should put someone else with Bernhard, or if would he like another go. He told me to put Canizares in. I thought that was very forthright. That’s the way Nick was with me. We had a good relationship. But it was brave of him to admit he wasn’t playing well. I appreciated that. And needed it. I couldn’t play for these guys, and I needed honesty from them if I was to do my job properly and well.”

Manuel Pinero: “My father was in the crowd. He had never seen me play with so many people. He was on the range with me, then the practice green. But when we went to the first tee, I had to leave him. He went around outside the ropes. And when we finished, I asked him how he thought it had gone. He said the atmosphere was fantastic. But he never saw me hit a shot. He was not a tall man and he couldn’t see past all the people. So from then on, I got him inside the ropes. One of the policemen looked after him and they walked round the whole way together.”

Paul Way: “Playing with Woosie was great. We gelled well and beat [Hubert] Green and [Fuzzy] Zoeller on the last, where I made a birdie. That was a big thrill. And something of a turning point as we had lost three of the four matches in the morning. I hit a great 4-iron to about 10 feet and made the putt.”

Friday foursomes:

Ballesteros & Pinero beat Strange & O’Meara 2&1
Langer & Faldo lost to Peete & Kite 3&2
Lyle & Brown lost to Wadkins & Floyd 4&3
Clark & Torrance lost to Stadler & Sutton 3&2

Europe 1-3 USA

Friday fourballs:

Way & Woosnam beat Zoeller & Green 1-up
Ballesteros & Pinero beat North & Jacobsen 2&1
Langer & Canizares halved with Stadler & Sutton
Torrance & Clark lost to Floyd & Wadkins 1-up

Europe 3.5-4.5 USA

Day 2: A missed tiddler and a change in momentum

Mark O’Meara: “Lanny [Wadkins] came up to me on the range and told me he would handle everything. He would handle Seve and his act and all the other stuff. I wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but I was a rookie and happy to let him take charge. I remember going to the first tee and getting a nice round of applause. When they announced Lanny, some people booed. I was a bit shocked but Lanny wasn’t bothered. As we walked off the tee, he turned to me and said, ‘I love it when they boo me. I hope they boo me all day long’.”

Andy North: “Our match was close until Howard holed a huge putt for a birdie on the 15th. Then he chipped in for another birdie at the 16th. That’s tough to beat.”

Howard Clark: “After my birdie on the 15th, I hit a terrible shot on the 16th and was maybe 30 yards short. Sam told me just to try and get it close. Which I did: it went in! We celebrated with a little dance. I remember Tom Kite shooting daggers at us!”

Sam Torrance: “Howard was the best partner I ever had in the Ryder Cup. He was so reliable and steady. And we were close pals. To this day, we greet each other with, ‘Morning partner’. I’ll always remember our wee dance in our lovely yellow trousers, on the 15th green.”

Mark O’Meara: “On the 1st green, Lanny was maybe 18 feet away. Seve was a bit inside him. Lanny had Seve move his coin. But when Lanny hit his putt, the ball hit the edge of the coin and went in. Seve goes, ‘I thought you wanted me to move my coin?’ To which Lanny replied, ‘Yeah, I’m that good; that was the way I played it’. “It was like that all the way round.

“When we got to the 12th, Seve was on the fringe and away. Pinero was closer, but to hit his putt, he would have had to stand on my line. Of course, Seve wanted that. At which point Lanny said, ‘Wait a minute, you can’t do that.’ “Seve replied, ‘Yes, he can – I’m away.’ “Next thing you know, Seve and Lanny are in each other’s faces. Lanny pointed out how inappropriate it would have been for Manuel to stand on my line. So Seve started trying to determine where my line was. He stood with his putter over the ground, asking, ‘Is it here? Or here? Or here?’ Eventually, Seve backed off. I missed, and so did Manuel. No one was ever more possessed in Ryder Cups than Seve. His passion was extraordinary.”

Manuel Pinero: “Seve played great all week. I followed him and did my best. When we walked in across the bridge on the 18th, I let him go first. The people wanted to see him and he was the leader. But he waited for me, took my hand and lifted my arm as if to tell the crowd we were equals. That was Seve. He was a great teammate. It was a great gesture.”

Tony Jacklin: “The turning point in the whole match was Craig Stadler missing a tiny putt on the 18th green. That gave us momentum at lunch, and we never let go.”

Ian Woosnam: “I was in the players’ lounge when Craig missed his putt. It was embarrassing how loud we all got when it happened. The Americans were in the next room and must have heard us!”

Ken Brown: “When Stadler missed his little putt, I was in the team room. Seve was sitting right in front of the television, his face maybe six feet from the screen. Sandy and Bernhard had been two down with two to play, so it was huge when they halved. Seve was amazing to watch. You could feel him willing something to happen. Craig’s putt was 18 inches, if I’m being kind. When he missed, Seve jumped out of his chair! He landed on the back of it and it collapsed. I was sitting behind him. He landed on my feet.”

Howard Clark: “Sam and I saw Craig’s miss on the television in the team room. Sam started beating on the wall. ‘Did you see that?’ he yelled over and over.”

Curtis Strange: “I won’t say it should have been given, because I wouldn’t have given it. But it was very short; two feet at most.”

Craig Stadler: “One member of our team came out in the press later that year and basically blamed me for the loss. That was nonsense. Going from a full point to a half point on Saturday morning lost us the Ryder Cup? I don’t think so. I don’t think it was a turning point. There was so much golf to be played after that.”

Saturday fourballs:

Torrance & Clark beat Kite & North 2&1
Way & Woosnam beat Green & Zoeller 4&3
Ballesteros & Pinero lost to O’Meara & Wadkins 3&2
Langer & Lyle halved with Stadler & Strange

Europe 6-6 USA

Saturday foursomes:

Canizares & Rivero beat Kite & Peete 7&5
Ballesteros & Pinero beat Stadler & Sutton 5&4
Way & Woosnam lost to Strange & Jacobsen 4&2
Langer & Brown beat Floyd & Wadkins 3&2

Europe 9-7 USA

Day 3: USA go quiet and Europe’s big guns come out blazing

Tony Jacklin: “I literally wrote the names down as they came into my head. It panned out well. Which is not to say I knew it all. Four years later, all my key men got their arses kicked. So there is some luck involved, too. I just did what I thought was right.”

Sam Torrance: “Tony asked us all where we wanted to play. I never minded where I was in the order, but we did think Wadkins would be out first for them. He was their toughest player at the time. And Manuel Pinero stood up and said, ‘I want Wadkins.’ You’ve never seen 11 happier players in your life. My thought was, ‘You can have him, pal’.”

Howard Clark: “We all agreed we had the perfect singles line-up. It just felt right.”

Manuel Pinero: “I really wanted Lanny. I felt confident and had played really well on the Saturday afternoon. And I also knew that when I felt that way, I wasn’t easy to beat. When we started, Lanny was very friendly. We talked a lot over the first four or five holes. But when we got to the end of the first nine, he went quiet. I think he thought the match would be easy. When it wasn’t, he needed to concentrate. So the talking stopped.”

Paul Way: “Ray [Floyd] and I had a couple of rows on the way round. It started on the 1st green. I had a putt of about five feet, and he was maybe six inches further away. He knocked his maybe 18 inches past, then back-handed the ball into the hole. He’s not allowed to do that, of course. And I told him so. He had played out of turn when it was my go. He didn’t react too well to the news. He grunted and huffed off the green. I made my putt to win the hole anyway.”

Manuel Pinero: “I made a three on the 10th by chipping in from over the green. That put me 1-up. Then on the 11th I hit a 1-iron to about eight feet. That was me 2-up. And from then on it was mostly pars. When we finished, Tony was there. He gave me a big hug. I think he had the feeling that my win was a big boost for the team. There was a lot of emotion.”

Paul Way: “On the 8th, I was already 3-up. Ray and I both hit our tee shots into the hazard on the left. So we had to drop. There were a few people walking inside the ropes: his wife, my girlfriend and maybe a couple of officials. The spectators were all down the right side. Anyway, I took my drop, and the ball stopped in a nice lie. Ray’s didn’t. His drop trickled back down the slope to a point where he was going to have a really awkward lie, the ball well above his feet. He wanted to drop again, but the official wouldn’t let him.

“At that point, Ray’s wife asked him if he knew the ‘Rules of Golf’. That really set him off. He was 3 down. He’s just had a bad drop. And now his wife is asking him if he knows the rules. “‘Maria,’ he said, ‘I think you’d better get the f**k off this golf course.’ “I was quite happy. I’m 3-up and now my opponent is having a domestic. And after Maria stormed off, I eventually won the hole to go 4-up.

“He came back, though, and I was 2-up after 15, having hit a great driver off the deck onto the green. That was one of the best shots I’ve ever hit. I lost the 16th but made par at the 17th to stay 1-up. It was so nerve-racking. I remember thinking I would at least get half a point, which was hardly what should have been going through my head. But he drove into the sand and then thinned it into the water. After I hit the green with my second, and he didn’t hole his fourth, he conceded. Let’s just say that the handshake wasn’t especially warm.”

Bill Longmuir: “I was an assistant to Tony and was on the 17th tee with Sam [Torrance]. He was 1-down [against Andy North] with two to play. A few of the players were with us by then. And Seve was one of them. Sam had his 3-wood out when Seve nudged me. ‘Bill,’ he said. ‘Don’t let him hit that club.’ “I said, ‘What?’ “We were surrounded by cameramen, and he wanted me to go up and tell Sam that he should use a different club! But Seve was persistent. “‘You can’t let him hit that club,’ he said again. But I couldn’t do anything. It would have been against the rules. Seve didn’t care about that, though. He just kept pushing me forward.”

Sam Torrance: “I holed a 10-footer for birdie on the 17th which was maybe the hardest putt I’ve ever made in my life. Everything was shaking. I knew I had to hole it to have a chance to win a point. People tend to forget that putt.”

Paul Way: “I was on the 18th tee when Andy North skied his drive into the water. It was a 24-handicap shot. He got right underneath it. Sam pull-hooked his drive. It carried the water by a foot and turned out to be perfect.”

Ian Woosnam: “When Sam hit his second shot into the 18th green, I went to congratulate him. He still had the club in his hand and accidentally smacked me right on the head. It hurt like hell, but it was still a great moment.”

Howard Clark: “On the 17th I hit a decent drive and looked across to see Sam and Andy North heading up the 18th. I asked how it was going and was told they had both hit into the water off the tee. So I thought it was down to me. My mouth went dry. I was so nervous. I hit an awful second shot into the sand 80 yards short of the green. It was an ‘anywhere but there’ shot. But then I hit a great shot to maybe eight feet. “O’Meara made five and left me with a putt to win the match and, I thought, the Ryder Cup. It lipped out. I hadn’t heard the roar at 18 when I hit the putt. I had no idea what was going on. But when I missed, I realised that I had at least half a point, which meant that was all Sam needed too. So I had at least made his situation better.”

Sam Torrance: “I hit a great drive down the last. And as soon as Andy hit his I knew the match was over. He skied it into the water. I only had a 9-iron to the green. So I knew we had won by that point. I cried all the way to my ball.”

Bill Longmuir: “On the last tee, Sam pull-hooked his drive. I know a lot of people think he nailed it, but there was a little bit of tug in there. And it went miles. Then North stepped up and skied it. I couldn’t believe it. I bet the ball didn’t go more than 140 yards.”

Sam Torrance: “Andy was on the green in four. I was maybe 20 feet away and had three for the hole after he missed. But he let me putt. I’m not sure if that was a nice gesture or what, but he did. The putt wasn’t a problem. I was just lagging it up. But of course it dropped in. I can’t describe how it felt really. I can’t even remember who was there and what happened next. But it was a wonderful moment for me.”

Andy North: “Sam Torrance raising his arms after he beat me on the 18th green is something I will never forget. I’d like to say I let him have his moment. It would be nice to say that was what I was thinking. But I can’t. I just wasn’t thinking too clearly, especially after I hit my drive into the water. I guess it was important that I made it to the green at least. It all went crazy at the end. I was disappointed that I had let my team down. I know we would probably have lost even if I had won. But that doesn’t help me. It still hurts that I was the guy who lost the clinching match. I let my team down.”

Curtis Strange: “That vision of Sam with his arms in the air still haunts me at night. No, not really [laughs].”

Ken Brown: “I was off last in the singles, of course. I was there for one reason – so that I wouldn’t hold anyone up. I was volunteered for that spot by the other players. Curtis shook my hand on the 13th green when it became clear that we had won. But we played on.”

Curtis Strange: “Ken was 4-down with four to play. Then he makes a birdie on 15. I looked at him and said, ‘What the hell are you doing? Your teammates are all sipping champagne on the 18th green. Get over there and have some fun!’”

Ken Brown: “When he told me to go in and celebrate, I responded by asking if he wanted to call the match a half. He didn’t, of course.”

Curtis Strange: “He couldn’t do that, though. So we had to play another hole. He was going to try to the bitter end. They had already clinched it and Ken was out there making birdies. I was like that, too. But I still laugh at his attitude.”

Ken Brown: “When we got to the 16th tee, there were no tee blocks there. And there was no flag on the green. John Paramor was our referee. He put his umbrella in the ground and told us to drive from there. So we did. It was odd hitting to a green with no flag, but we halved the hole anyway and that was that.”

Tony Jacklin: “Lee [Trevino] was never the greatest loser. He always talked a lot when he was up. At the opening ceremony, he looked and sounded confident, but when he was down, the silence was deafening. That was just his nature. So yes, having been on the receiving end of him at Muirfield and Wentworth back in 1972, it was special for me to have beaten him. I saw an interview he did later when he admitted to having done a poor job. But that’s for him to say, not me.

Sunday singles:

Pinero beat Wadkins 3&1
Woosnam lost to Stadler 2&1
Way beat Floyd 2 up
Ballesteros halved with Kite
Lyle beat Jacobsen 3&2
Langer beat Sutton 5&4
Torrance beat North 1 up
Clark beat O’Meara 1 up
Rivero lost to Peete 1 up
Faldo lost to Green 3&1
Canizares beat Zoeller 2 up
Brown lost to Strange 4&2

Europe 16.5-11.5 USA

The Aftermath

Tony Jacklin: “It was a bit overwhelming and surreal. It was as close to heaven as I have ever been. The celebrations were led by Woosie and Sam. I ended up being lured to the swimming pool in what I thought was a lovely suit. And of course, they threw me in. At the deep end. Walking back to my room, I was soaked through and thinking, ‘What a way to end up.’

“I wasn’t too pleased, to be honest. I’d much rather have stayed in my room. I did that in 1987, had a nice whisky, and contemplated the week. Seve was like everyone else at the end. He was so thrilled and excited. We were up on the roof. I was on Sam’s shoulders. There was a lot of singing and shouting. It was special, and maybe a bit more for me given that Lee was the American captain. Given our history, there was an element of satisfaction for me in that.”

Howard Clark: “I was on the roof at the end. Not that you see me in many of the pictures. But I was up there with the champagne when Concorde went over. It was a special day.”

Manuel Pinero: “I was not there for any of the celebrations. At the end, I stayed with my father in the room. It was great to celebrate. But I left it to the others. It was very emotional for me and my father to be there together. I was so happy for him. He had watched my progress from day one. But he had never actually seen how big golf was. For that, he had to go to Great Britain. I always say that is my second country, for the way the people treat me. It was a big thing for me to make him so happy. We both cried. I still get emotional about it.”

Paul Way: “The Americans didn’t take the loss too well. Only a couple came up at the end to shake hands. Mark O’Meara was very good about it, though.”

Mark O’Meara: “The dinner afterwards was a real downer. The Europeans were rightfully exuberant. I’m glad they don’t have it anymore because no one really wants to be there. I remember shaking hands with a few of the Europeans. I wanted to say, ‘Well done’.”

Andy North: “The dinner that night was one of the worst experiences of my life. It’s not easy to sit there and be nice to people after you have lost. We all wanted to get out of there. It was miserable.”

Paul Way: “The celebrations were great. We had a good party. We chucked Faldo in the pool. He hadn’t won a point.”

Ian Woosnam: “The champagne was flowing. It was pink. Dai Rees had left it for us. He had had it for 28 years, ever since the last victory over the Americans. It didn’t last long, though. It was all drunk in the team room. The whole night is a bit of a blur. All I can tell you is we were down in the spa and it was a bloody good party.”

Sam Torrance: “I had four days of celebrating. Almost everyone, apart from one press guy, ended up in the pool on the Sunday night. I have no idea when we finished. We consumed six bottles of champagne. I flew to Madrid a few days later. Almost the best part of any winning Ryder Cup is going back on tour to see all your mates. So there was another session on the Tuesday night. Then, after playing in the pro-am on the Wednesday, I was out until about two in the morning. At which point I put my hand up and said, ‘OK, That’s it, I can’t get any more in.’ I made the cut that week, too. [Given the state I was in] it was my finest performance as a professional.”