On the final day, there was a lot more room around the 17th green at Kiawah Island than six years previously. That was in the 1991 Ryder Cup when one had to fight for space to talk to David Feherty after his splendid 2 and 1 victory over Payne Stewart.

Now we were approaching the climax of another team event. This time, Ireland's Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington were 30 under par, with the World Cup in their grasp. But the treacherous, 195-yard 17th remained.

Aiming for the letter B in a CBS television banner at the back of the green, Harrington made perfect contact with a six-iron to leave the ball 10 feet from the target.

Then came McGinley. Determined not to be short and in the water, he unwittingly gave the shot a little bit extra and the ball ended in a grass depression through the back of the green. "Monty's just chipped in from there," remarked an American scribe.

A bogey from McGinley would have been acceptable, but he did appreciably better. From a firmly-struck chip-and-run shot, the ball scurried down the slope of the green and into the hole for a birdie two - just like Colin Montgomerie had done.

For the first time in their march to the title, the Irish pair permitted themselves a celebratory high-five. "In that moment, we knew we had done enough," said Harrington.