I’ve covered football World Cups and other big events – but the Ryder Cup was unique

It’s now four days since the remarkable European victory at the Ryder Cup. Having witnessed it firsthand at Le Golf National near Versailles, I can say with certainty it is a tournament that will stay fresh in the memory for a long time.

While the world around us burns, with the fires of Brexit raging at home and the stench of Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court testimony wafting across the Atlantic, the focus of golf fans’ and sports journalists’ attention was – for a few days at least – on 24 men using a narrow stick to whack a ball into a hole a few hundred yards away.

Covering events like these make writing about sport such a privilege. While it’s nice at football, cricket and rugby that the press boxes tend to have decent vantage points, golf is unique because it allows you inside the ropes and onto the course where you can follow the players at close quarters.

Doing that at the Ryder Cup makes you truly appreciate how the attendance of such a large number of fans in the flesh can make a difference: how loud they are, and how incredible it must feel to be a sportsman with tens of thousands of people cheering your every drive, chip and putt. I’ve covered football World Cups and other big events – but the Ryder Cup is unique.

Last Thursday our chief sports writer, the absurdly talented Jonathan Liew, wrote about how the animosity of previous years has melted away into genuine friendship between the two Ryder Cup teams. They simply spend too much time together not to be friends, not just on the road but practicing, eating and relaxing between competitions. It has been interesting to see, in the aftermath, how the friendliness between the teams has remained – while antagonism has emerged from inside the US camp as recriminations fly.

Similarly, it was a pleasure to witness the friendly rivalry between the legions of travelling American fans and the overwhelming European contingent; that lively, jovial mood was as obvious in the enormous grandstand that huddled around the first tee as it was for the masses flanking every hole. The scenes when Europe won were brilliant not just for the wild celebrations but also for the sportsmanship shown by both sides. This was a rare and beautiful event of intercontinental unity.

It says much about the usual hostility of elite-level sport that such a convivial atmosphere stands out for its warming glow. It tells us even more about current affairs and the world around us that a golf tournament feels like a glorious safe haven that nobody wanted to go home from. Take note, Donald.

Yours

Ed Malyon

Sports Editor