Moment in time Birkdale 1969John O'Sullivan on how a niggly battle ended on a high note as the Golden Bear conceded Tony Jacklin's putt to ensure the sides ended up all square
The 1969 Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale will always be celebrated for one of the outstanding acts of sportsmanship in golf when Jack Nicklaus conceded his opponent Tony Jacklin's three-and-a-half-foot putt on the home green that ensured a first tie, 16-16, in the history of the biennial game between Britain & Ireland and the USA.
It came down to the last hole of the last match between Jacklin and the Golden Bear. On their way down the final fairway the American called out: "How do you feel Tony?" to which Jacklin is said to have replied: "Bloody awful." Nicklaus sank a four-foot putt, leaving Jacklin his putt to force the first tie in the Ryder Cup.
The American, picking up his opponent's ball marker, said: "I don't think you would have missed that Tony, but I didn't want to give you the chance."
Nicklaus incurred the wrath of US skipper Sam Snead, as the close competition brought out the best and worst of those involved. On one occasion American Ken Still added to the tension when he failed to acknowledge a ball had hit him playing the 13th and playing partner Lee Trevino had to intervene.
Still would prove a central figure in a notorious match in which he partnered Dave Hill against the Scottish/Welsh axis of Bernard Gallacher and Brian Huggett. The shenanigans started on the first green when Huggett asked Hill to stop moving about, then told Still to stand further away.
On the next green Still shouted to his caddie not to hold the flag for Gallacher, but things really got out of hand on the seventh. Hill missed a putt and holed out, but Gallacher told him he had putted out of turn.
Still picked up Gallacher's marker and said: "You can have the hole and the goddamn cup." He and Huggett started shouting at each other walking up the next fairway. Reaching the green Gallacher conceded Still's putt so that Hill, who had a chance to win the hole, couldn't see the line.
There followed some choice verbals from the American who then delighted in the fact his partner still made the putt.
Hill allegedly told Gallacher: "If you say one more word I'm going to wrap this one-iron around your head." The atmosphere, not surprisingly, remained tense for the remainder of the match, which the Americans won on the 17th hole: Hill refused to shake hands with the referee.
Hill, noxiously cantankerous, did come out with the odd quip, once noting the golf swing was like sex: "You can't be thinking about the mechanics of the act while you're performing." Huggett, who is part of the committee overseeing the 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales, recalled: "A lot was going on right from green one when I had a longish putt and Ken Still came up and stood right in front of me about four feet away from me.
"Shortly after, on the third green, Bernard was preparing to putt when Still said to the American caddie holding the pin 'I don't want you to do that. Bernard's caddy should be holding the pin'.
"Of course it doesn't matter who is holding the pin, you usually take it in turns, so that was another niggle that fired us up.
"Then on the seventh we couldn't decide whose turn it was to putt so the referee was called in but Hill just snapped and said 'oh, have the hole' and we said 'thank you very much, we'll have it'. All hell then broke loose and it was pretty unbelievable stuff.
"It was very bad at the time, Lord Derby, the captains Eric Brown and Snead, were all involved. They were trying to keep us apart and it was almost as if we were prize-fighters but I'm afraid Bernard and I were very fiery as were they and once the draw was made they thought sparks were going to fly and they did."
Hill and Huggett made up on a flight to a tournament in America the following week, even agreeing to play a few practice rounds and remained firm friends thereafter.
