adios seve...

i remember the 1995 ryder cup for a few reasons.

reason #1: it's the first golf tournament i have ever seen live. at the time i had just started getting interested in golf. i would watch tournaments every weekend on tv. i would play golf on sega genesis, constantly. and i would play a round of golf pretty much every weekend with literally anyone who wanted to go (various names come to mind like craig lamb, randy mcfarland, dan broderick, chris bowen, etc.). i was terrible at golf, but i loved it. i even started dressing like a golfer.

my friend joe piendel came across a couple ryder cup tickets for the final round at oak hill country club in nearby pittsford, and he asked me if i wanted to go. i jumped at the chance.

reason #2: on the way to the tournament, i got my first and only speeding ticket. joe and i wanted to get there early and see everything. we hit a bit of traffic on the way, and once it cleared i apparently slammed on the pedal and was going 90. A few minutes later i got pulled over in my bright red 1993 honda civic.

reason #3: that tournament is, to this day, the most exciting live sporting event i've ever witnessed. joe and i saw all the big names up close like faldo, couples, love III, and ballesteros. we even watched one guy get a hole-in-one. at one point, joe said he wanted a memento from the tournament, so we got up close to a par 3 tee box on the front nine. after one of the players teed off and the crowd moved on, joe snuck under the rope and picked up the guys tee and small divot. he put the tee and the dirt in his pocket!

through three rounds, the americans had taken the lead, and everyone assumed it would be yet another victory for the americans (they used to always win the cup).

but the europeans had other plans. they stormed back on sunday in their singles matches and their legion of fans got louder and louder as they day went on, singing and chanting could be heard throughout oak hill. at the end, joe and i managed to get somewhat close to the 18th hole, somehow squeezing past the masses of fans, although it was a madhouse as the europeans were going to clinch the cup. on the final putt there was a roar from the crowd and the players started jumping around. the european crowd was going crazy, singing so loud it was almost deafening. at the same time, the american players were trying to get off the course as fast as possible, and they all walked right by us led by mickelson and his wife, strange, pavin, lehman, etc.

joe and i stuck around for another twenty minutes and watched all the european fans and players rejoice. just as we started walking away, we heard a massive booming sound up in the sky. we looked up and saw the concord flying very low right above us. i imagine it was flying in to come pick up all the european golfers. it was an amazing sight amidst all the other stuff happening around us.

i've since been to three u.s. open golf tournaments, the u.s. open tennis finals, the final game of the world series, and numerous college football games, but no other sporting event can compare to the energy of that ryder cup, and the excitement i felt watching the europeans rejoice at their victory, led by seve ballesteros, their de facto captain and biggest cheerleader.