{"id":90308,"date":"2025-08-23T15:44:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T15:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/90308\/"},"modified":"2025-08-23T15:44:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T15:44:29","slug":"heroes-of-1985-ryder-cup-reunited-i-dont-watch-golf-now-its-so-slow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/90308\/","title":{"rendered":"Heroes of 1985 Ryder Cup reunited \u2014 \u2018I don\u2019t watch golf now, it\u2019s so slow\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The whisky room on this given Tuesday at The Belfry might be uncharacteristically sober, but it does not take long for the raucous memories of the 1985 Ryder Cup to come flooding back. As Sir Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam and Sandy Lyle opt for tea, coffee, and sparkling water, Sam Torrance reliably takes the floor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere used to be this tiny bar just around the corner here where the drinks were on the Tuesday night. I was in there first for a change,\u201d he says, much to the amusement of the others. \u201cOne of the American players came in and had a black tie on. I looked at him and said, \u2018What have you got that on for? Do you know that\u2019s for funerals here?\u2019 He ran out of the room like a bloody shot. They all took their ties off, but, as it turned out, it was their funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n

Four icons of that fabled European team who finally defeated the United States were reunited this week to mark the 40th anniversary of that seminal match. They are all deep into their sixties now \u2014 with the exception of Torrance, who turns 72 on Sunday \u2014 and have the grey hairs and wrinkles to show for it, but the force of their distinct personalities remains undiminished. <\/p>\n

Together they account for 32 playing appearances, not to mention nine major championships, but it was 1985 that changed everything. The US had not lost in 28 years and almost regarded the Ryder Cup as a quaint exhibition. Jack Nicklaus implored Great Britain & Ireland to become Europe in 1979 before the competition faded into irrelevance, but the impact was hardly immediate. Cue another of Torrance\u2019s great tales. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u201981 Ryder Cup [at Walton Heath] was just a massacre. I was very fortunate in my career to get to know Lee Trevino pretty well. Saturday night, I saw him \u2014 I\u2019ve got him first out in the singles \u2014 and he said, \u2018Sammy, I\u2019m going to beat the moustache off of you\u2019. The next morning, Lee was standing there waiting for his courtesy car and I said, \u2018Do you want a lift?\u2019 Lee knows you come out and turn right to get to the golf club. I\u2019ve gone out and turned left and he looks at me right away and says, \u2018Sammy, where are you going?\u2019 I said, \u2018F*** you, we\u2019re going to London, half a point each\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe beat me 5&3. I did shave off the moustache. I regretted it, but I did it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The US assumed their dominance, but Tony Jacklin galvanised Europe as captain in 1983, as, of course, did the presence of Seve Ballesteros. But it was the partnership between Faldo and Bernhard Langer that spearheaded the team, each taking four points from a possible five. Their approach, both on and off the course, was markedly different to Woosnam and Torrance\u2019s. <\/p>\n

Teams for 1985 Ryder CupTeam Europe: Tony Jacklin (non-playing captain), Sandy Lyle, Sam Torrance, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer, Paul Way, Howard Clark, Seve Ballesteros, Manuel Pi\u00f1ero, Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Ca\u00f1izares, Jos\u00e9 Rivero, Ken Brown, Nick FaldoTeam USA: Lee Trevino (non-playing captain), Andy North, Hubert Green, Curtis Strange, Lanny Wadkins, Raymond Floyd, Calvin Peete, Mark O\u2019Meara, Craig Stadler, Hal Sutton, Peter Jacobsen, Tom Kite, Fuzzy Zoeller.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had to get [Woosnam\u2019s] mix right,\u201d Faldo, 68, says. \u201cHe used to come in, have a couple of beers, three glasses of red, then we\u2019d say, \u2018Right, that\u2019s it, you\u2019ve had your mix, stop.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you do, you\u2019ve got to do everything exactly the same every week. Same with the Ryder Cup. That\u2019s the way I relaxed. That\u2019s what\u2019s important,\u201d Woosnam, 67, the 1991 Masters champion, says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d have one beer or glass of wine or one whisky, but I was always good at stopping at one,\u201d Faldo says.<\/p>\n

\u201cLanger\u2019s was a shandy!\u201d Lyle, 67, who won the Open in 1985 and the Masters in 1988, says with an enduring tinge of disbelief.<\/p>\n

\"Sir<\/p>\n

From left: Faldo, Woosnam, Lyle and Torrance with the Ryder Cup after taking part in a special 40th anniversary match at The Belfry this week<\/p>\n

ROSS KINNAIRD\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

\u201cWe admired each other\u2019s games, but we all played differently,\u201d Woosnam says. \u201cI\u2019m an instant whack. Nick is more methodical: \u2018Is it 150 yards from the back of the sprinkler or 149 yards and six inches from the front?\u2019 \u201d <\/p>\n

Europe came agonisingly close to pulling off an upset in Florida in 1983 but Lanny Wadkins produced a brilliant wedge in the tenth singles match to snatch a half-point against Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Ca\u00f1izares and turn the momentum. They ultimately lost 14\u00bd-13\u00bd, but the Europeans left adamant it was their time. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like David and the Goliath, but we got stronger and stronger,\u201d Woosnam says. \u201c1983 instilled a lot of faith. When we came together, we all had something in common: we wanted to beat the Yanks and prove that our [European] Tour is as good as their [PGA] Tour.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torrance, who first adds that some of his best friends were on American teams, likens the intensity of the rivalry to two boxers who \u201ckick the shit out of each other\u201d in the ring and then shake hands afterwards. \u201cIt does get real,\u201d Faldo says. \u201cSomething happened with [Manuel] Pi\u00f1ero and Wadkins [in 1985]. He was sitting there on Saturday going, \u2018I want Wadkins, I want Wadkins\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"Sam<\/p>\n

Torrance holed the winning putt for Europe in their 1985 triumph<\/p>\n

DAVID CANNON \/ALLSPORT\/GETTY<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was my favourite moment,\u201d Torrance says. \u201cHe was 5ft 6in. He had to run around the shower to get wet. He played the toughest person you could come up against and beat him 3&1.\u201d<\/p>\n

The winning putt on Sunday fell to a tearful Torrance after Andy North\u2019s drive found the water at the 18th. \u201cI knew I was going to beat him then. He was three up beside my drive and I had a nine-iron into the green. Woosie put his arm around me and I hit him [accidentally] with my club. The emotion, the noise, it was just incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still recovering [from the blow],\u201d Woosnam says.<\/p>\n

How it unfoldedFriday
Morning foursomes Europe 1 US 3
Afternoon fourball Europe 2\u00bd US 1\u00bd (Overall 3\u00bd-4\u00bd)Saturday
Morning foursomes Europe 2\u00bd US 1\u00bd (Overall 6-6)
Afternoon fourballs Europe 3 US 1 (Overall 9-7)Sunday
Singles Europe 7\u00bd US 4\u00bdFinal overall score
Europe 16\u00bd US 11\u00bd<\/p>\n

The celebrations were no less zealous as the players climbed on to the roof of The Belfry, pouring champagne into the mouths of the crowd below, but Faldo was a glaring omission from that scene. After embarking on his radical swing change that summer, he lost his first match on the Friday and then asked Jacklin to sit him out because he doubted whether he could deliver a point. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had a rotten week. I didn\u2019t play again until the singles, and lost my singles. I couldn\u2019t go out on to the roof to celebrate because I didn\u2019t feel like I\u2019d done my bit for the team,\u201d Faldo, who won all six of his major titles after that rebuild, says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never won a singles [in eight appearances],\u201d Woosnam says. \u201cYou\u2019ve still won the match but you\u2019re devastated. I lost in \u201987 to Andy Bean. I came in and I was so angry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torrance, who finished with two points from four matches, was undeterred. \u201c[The celebrations] lasted four days. I got to Madrid, played in the pro-am, I was up until 2am on the Wednesday night and then I thought, \u2018That\u2019s it, I can\u2019t get any more in\u2019. I made the cut. That was probably the finest performance of my life. It was just such a relief after having not won it for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n

The paradigm shift was undeniable. Europe lead 11-6-1 in the matches since 1985, starting with their first win on away soil at Muirfield Village two years later. Talk of that famous double turns to New York in September in front of what is sure to be a hostile crowd after the furore in Rome two years ago sparked by Patrick Cantlay\u2019s apparent refusal to wear a hat in protest at not being paid to participate.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Europe\u2019s team celebrate with the Ryder Cup after their victory at The Belfry<\/p>\n

SPORTSPHOTO\/ALLSTAR VIA GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

\u201c[The crowds] seem to be getting worse and worse all the time. Brookline [in 1999], I watched it and thought it was horrendous. Good job I wasn\u2019t there. I\u2019d have been straight into the crowd. [The problem] is someone shouts and you don\u2019t know who it is,\u201d Woosnam says.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d have been like Eric Cantona [kung-fu kicking a fan],\u201d Torrance says.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo the Happy Gilmore and pull his shirt up over him and then . . .\u201d Lyle adds, miming punches.<\/p>\n

Torrance still describes the Americans\u2019 premature celebrations on the 17th green at Brookline as \u201cprobably the most disgusting\u201d display of bad etiquette he ever witnessed. With their match all square, Justin Leonard\u2019s 45ft birdie putt had put the US on the brink of the half-point required for victory, and the US team and their families stormed the green in celebration despite Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Olaz\u00e1bal still having a putt to halve the hole. <\/p>\n

Tom Lehman, who had already won his singles match, charged down the fairway and incited the crowd, prompting Torrance\u2019s great line: \u201cAnd Tom Lehman calls himself a man of God.\u201d Torrance is reluctant to rake over those coals, but just as he begins to recall the frank phone call when Lehman apologised to him, his mobile rings. <\/p>\n

\"Ian<\/p>\n

Woosnam celebrates during his singles match against Craig Stadler \u2014 he took two points from four matches<\/p>\n

BOB MARTIN \/ALLSPORT\/GETTY<\/p>\n

\u201cHi Tom,\u201d he says, causing the other three to burst into laughter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard you were talking about me,\u201d Lyle says, imitating the voice at the end of the line.<\/p>\n

\u201c[The crowd might not be as bad] at $750 a ticket,\u201d says Faldo, referring to the record admission prices for this year\u2019s edition at Bethpage Black.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Americans are getting $500,000 each now and the Europeans said they would play for free,\u201d Torrance says. \u201cThe crowd could turn on them just as easily as they could turn on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Nick<\/p>\n

It was a difficult Ryder Cup for Faldo, who admits he had a \u201crotten week\u201d as he failed to pick up any points<\/p>\n

PHIL SHELDON\/POPPERFOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get someone like [Cantlay] who wears a hat all the time, all of a sudden he\u2019s moaning and groaning, he hasn\u2019t got a hat. Here, I\u2019ll make you a bloody hat,\u201d Woosnam says, punchily. \u201cIt should be for charity. It keeps [the DP World Tour] going, it gives people a chance to go into the professionals, and it helps the club professionals all for the better.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the dilemma facing Keegan Bradley, who will announce his six picks on Wednesday, the four are unanimous that he cannot effectively serve as a playing-captain. Torrance led Europe to victory at The Belfry in 2002 when the memory of Brookline was still raw and Woosnam captained the crushing win over Lehman\u2019s US team in 2006. Faldo\u2019s disastrous captaincy two years later, however, is best left in the past, while Lyle must still count himself extremely unfortunate to have been repeatedly overlooked for the honour.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Bradley] should be playing, but he can\u2019t be captain. It\u2019s just not possible,\u201d Torrance says.<\/p>\n

\"Justin<\/p>\n

Torrance still describes the US team\u2019s celebrations on the 17th green in 1999 as \u201cprobably the most disgusting\u201d display of bad etiquette he ever witnessed<\/p>\n

ANDREW REDINGTON \/ALLSPORT\/GETTY<\/p>\n

\u201cWe highly recommend that he does both,\u201d Faldo says, laughing.<\/p>\n

An entertaining joke about Miguel \u00c1ngel Jim\u00e9nez serving as a vice-captain for Europe and exclusively following Bradley is regrettably halted before the punchline for the sake of transatlantic diplomacy \u2014 the pair had a heated on-course argument in 2015 over a drop that resulted in Bradley squaring up to Jim\u00e9nez and shouting: \u201cDon\u2019t tell [my caddie] to shut up.\u201d<\/p>\n

The divided state of modern golf gets shorter shrift. \u201cThe game\u2019s been f***ed up,\u201d Torrance says, while making clear he has little desire to elaborate on the subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat really gets me is how bloody slow it is,\u201d Woosnam says. \u201cTo tell you the truth, I don\u2019t even want to watch it anymore. You\u2019ve got a caddie telling you, \u2018Do this, hit it there, do that\u2019. He\u2019s a 12 handicapper. What does he know? It\u2019s a pro. He knows how to hit the bloody ball. It\u2019s all for show. \u2018Look at me, I\u2019m a caddie\u2019. It\u2019s a load of crap. It\u2019s a load of shit. I hate watching it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The quartet have had their own quarrels over the years. Faldo and Lyle in particular held a grudge after the former once reported the latter for a rules infringement that led to the Scot being disqualified. But after all the years and triumphs that bind them, they seem like a warm, if occasionally grumbling, family. <\/p>\n

Woosnam still enters the odd seniors event, while Torrance can be spotted in a buggy playing off the yellow tees and a handicap of six at Sunningdale Golf Club at least three times a week. Lyle made his final Masters appearance in 2023 and rarely picks up a club nowadays, instead preferring to practise his farming skills on his estate in rural Perthshire, not unlike Faldo, who retreats to an animal-filled ranch in Montana outside of his media work.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Lyle, left, and Faldo, right, savour the victory with non-playing captain Jacklin<\/p>\n

PHIL SHELDON\/POPPERFOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had our ups and downs but it all comes together,\u201d Woosnam says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a right little f***er,\u201d Torrance says of Woosnam, causing them all to cackle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI admired how a little person can\u2026\u201d Lyle says of the diminutive Woosman before he is cut off.<\/p>\n

\u201cHa!\u201d Faldo exclaims. \u201cThat\u2019s not very PC.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA giant,\u201d Woosnam says, grinning.<\/p>\n

In European golf and Ryder Cup history, they certainly are.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The whisky room on this given Tuesday at The Belfry might be uncharacteristically sober, but it does not…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":90309,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":["post-90308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}