'It's giving me goosebumps' - Europe stars recall Ryder Cup triumph

Ryder Cup 2025

Bob MacIntyre was told there could be no mercy in his Ryder Cup singles match, even though Europe's golfers had already guaranteed victory at Bethpage.

Luke Donald's team were desperate to triumph by more than a single point in last September's match to prevent the United States citing the injury withdrawal of Viktor Hovland as a potentially decisive factor.

The Norwegian landed a guaranteed half point after declaring he could not play because of a neck complaint, with Harris English sitting out for the home side.

In what was one of the greatest sports stories of the year, Europe claimed their first win in the US for 13 years by 15 points to 13.

But had MacIntyre lost to Sam Burns, with the American one up with one to play in the last match out on the course, then Europe would only have squeezed home by the narrowest margin.

Hovland's injury meant English was denied the chance of winning a full point for the home team on that last day.

Tyrrell Hatton's tie with Collin Morikawa eventually meant Europe withstood a stunning US fightback to reach the magic number of 14 and a half points.

'Where are we winning two and a half points?'

When the visiting celebrations began, MacIntyre and Burns left the 17th green with the home player one up. The match was now academic, but two European vice-captains in the vicinity did not see it that way.

"Thomas [Bjorn] and one of the Molinari brothers came up to me and said we need your half point," MacIntyre told reporters. "We really need your half point.

"And I wasn't really understanding when we were playing 18. I wanted to give Sam the putt, [because] it's over. But I think the whole team didn't want to be bothered with the Hovland thing and that half point took that away from them."

Burns three-putted from long range on the final green and his Scottish opponent held his nerve for a hole-winning par. It yielded the half point that created a margin that meant the victory could not be questioned.

Earlier in the round, MacIntyre admitted he "thought the world was ending" when the US won five and a half points from the first seven singles. Suddenly there was potential for the most almighty comeback in Ryder Cup history.

"I'm like, where are we winning two and a half points?" Macintyre said. "And then the longer it went on, the more I started thinking: We're not going to get these two and a half points."