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Two of the hardest men you would ever want to meet over 18 holes at a Ryder Cup were in bits come the close on Sunday. It was the end of an era, and there has never been an easy way for a show-stopping performer to leave the grandest stage.
‘I was in that team room on Saturday night listening to a couple of people give emotional speeches and it really made me wish I was 20 years old again,’ said a tearful Ian Poulter, and you could feel his pain.
I have never seen Lee Westwood cry in the 25 years I’ve known him but the words caught in his throat as he talked about his singles victory.
Lee Westwood (left) and Ian Poulter (right) both know that now is the right time to go
‘The likelihood is that this was the last match I’ll play in a Ryder Cup and I got to share it with my son. I won my point,’ said the 48-year-old, and he had to stop. ‘I hate the Ryder Cup, it makes you so emotional,’ he added eventually, to laughter. ‘But that’s what makes it great.’
Amid the wreckage of Europe’s awful performance, thank god these two finished off with a pair of victories. They deserved that at least, for all that they have contributed. That is 24 points now for Westwood, and only Sir Nick Faldo and Sergio Garcia have won more.
That is six victories and one half-point for Poulter in seven
