There was no artifice in the embrace at the back of the 17th green at Gleneagles, just two friends celebrating with genuine warmth. Locked in a bear hug, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell, sporting broad grins, shared a few words before being engulfed by hordes of wellwishers.
McIlroy's first port of call after trimming Rickie Fowler closer than his new haircut was to witness a seminal moment in the singles. McDowell had come within millimetres of going four down after seven holes against Jordan Spieth. The subsequent feat of escapology will be a fireside story or a chapter in a book.
The contrast between the victories of McIlroy and McDowell couldn’t have been more pronounced. The world number one produced imperious golf. Fowler couldn’t get past McIlroy all summer and this week again found him a major stumbling block.
Few would have escaped McIlroy’s clutches yesterday. The numbers were off the dial, seven birdies and an eagle for 14 holes. Five down after six holes, Fowler showed character and grit, forcing his opponent to hole a brace of 12ft birdie putts on the ninth and the 12th for halves, when on both occasions the American was in tighter.
The only time there was a perceptible dip in Fowler’s shoulders was on walking off the 13th green, his face offering a glimpse of weary resignation, before the mask of concentration descended again.
The respite lasted a hole, before the second handshake of the day.
Clenched fist The pageantry of the first tee, when McIlroy acceded to a request to dance, was immediately replaced by a steely glint as he launched his opening drive down the fairway, his emotions reflected only by an occasional clenched fist.
One of the few occasions that McIlroy lacked control over the weekend was when he prematurely popped a champagne bottle on the apron of the 18th green while the bottom match was still in progress.
He scampered for cover like a naughty schoolboy before re-emerging with a sheepish grin.
In a curious case of symmetry, the last person to win two Majors and a Ryder Cup in the one year before McIlroy was the American captain Tom Watson in 1977. The world number one explained: "I was more up for it today than in the final rounds of the two Majors that I won. It just meant so much to be a part of this team and win."
It was a view shared by McDowell, who admitted that he felt humbled, when Paul McGinley asked him to lead the team in the number one singles. “We talked about it in the team room whether you’re three up or three down, the key is to try and win the next hole.
“Initially [when three down] I wanted to try and prolong the match for as long as possible. I made a few birdies and Jordan kind of wobbled little bit. It was awesome to putt that point – I was going to say first point but I forgot we had Rory.
“Rory just birdied every hole. It doesn’t matter what number [in the singles order] Rory plays, he puts the first point on the board. The captain trusted me with a leadership role. I was very proud to do so and to get that point was huge.”
McDowell also had another promise to honour on the day of his first wedding anniversary. “Yeah, I asked Kristin what she wanted and she said she wanted a point. I’m sorry to my wife that I’m not there today but she asked for a point and as Jordan was standing over his putt on the seventh to go four up, I thought I’d be letting her down.” There was no time to ascertain whether she’d be expecting something more tangible in tandem too.
Immense McGinley McGinley’s captaincy has been celebrated as
a wonderful experience by all. McDowell and McIlroy were unequivocal in their praise with the latter admitting: “I can’t say enough about our captain. Paul McGinley has been absolutely immense this week. He has left no stone unturned.
He’s just been fantastic.
“From everything that he’s done, everything sort of tied in from speeches that he’s made to the people that he’s got in to talk to us, the imagery in our team room; everything’s been tied in.
“And he’s given this week a lot of thought over the past two years. I’m just so glad that it worked out for him.”
A tight group and by the end of the night probably in more ways than one.
