The putt needed a decisive, confident stroke. On a sodden tenth hole at Celtic Manor, Lee Westwood delivered.
A deluge in Wales had threatened to overshadow The 2010 Ryder Cup. The rain was relentless as Colin Montgomerie’s Europe and Corey Pavin’s United States battled it out in the first Ryder Cup to be held in Wales.
Delays meant that Westwood and Luke Donald’s foursomes match against Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker on Saturday needed to be concluded on Sunday. If the inclement weather wasn’t enough of a challenge, the English duo had to contend with opponents who had won both of their previous matches that week.
That made the ensuing action all the more sensational.
After two holes, Westwood and Donald were 2UP. With seven played, they were 5UP. This unforeseen dominance put the European pair on the road to what was looking like a comfortable victory. However, a seed of doubt was sown by Woods and Stricker, as they took the ninth hole to bring it back to 4UP. It could have proved a turning point, with further delays postponing the match at a critical juncture. Nobody could have imagined what would happen next upon resumption.
How about this for the first shot after a rain delay?!
— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) April 30, 2018
Not bad @WestwoodLee!#MondayMemories pic.twitter.com/gFbFM22guf
Returning to the tenth green, Westwood struck a huge blow. The 37 year old stood over a 35ft putt and proceeded to drain it to re-establish Europe’s grip on the match and send the home fans into raptures. Westwood and Donald went on to win 6&5, helping Europe to a famous 14.5 – 13.5 victory.
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