Moments in time: Johnny Watterson recalls the 'War on the Shore' at Kiawah Island in 1991, as patriotism was running high in the US following the Desert Storm campaign.

When it comes to recent modern wars around the globe, Europe has often taken a different stance to the US. Old-world thinking versus new-world policy. With American egos bruised from the previous two Ryder Cup meetings during which they had failed to bring the famous trophy back to America, patriotism was running high at Kiawah Island.

The hangover from the Gulf War after Iraq invaded Kuwait and launched cruise missiles into Israel arrived in 1991 and the gung-ho atmosphere that dominated the match finally led to the meeting which was to become known as the "War on the Shore".

Typically, too, for such a robust meeting of the two continents, the setting was beautiful, as course designer Pete Dye had carved out a beguiling string of holes overlooking the Atlantic, all of them completed in just two years.

US players Corey Pavin and Steve Pate kicked off the controversy by wearing camouflaged caps during the Saturday fourballs.

It was not only seen as inviting the controversial politics of war into a sporting environment but also unnecessarily presented the tournament as one of confrontation as much as competition.

Pate was indirectly involved in more trouble on the Sunday when the US team captain, Dave Stockton, failed to tell his European counterpart Bernard Gallacher he had withdrawn Pate from the singles.

The player had been fit to play the day before and the European team were seething about what they saw as gamesmanship. It also transpired the idea to wear the camouflage caps had come from the captain himself.

"We'd just finished the Gulf War. Patriotism was running high, and I wanted to take advantage of that," he said afterwards.

"Heck, the camouflage hats, that was my idea. We even had a team song, Randy Travis's Point of Light. I wanted my team to bond. But I was troubled by the label 'War by the Shore', and after that Ryder Cup, things sort of got out of hand.

"After Tom Watson was named the next captain, he said, 'I want the Ryder Cup to get back to what it should be'.

"I was offended by that because that Ryder Cup, unlike any other, before or since, elevated the level of public interest tremendously."

But controversies always seem to grow around marginal issues that swing matches one way or the other and the three days of competition finally led to Bernhard Langer staring at a four-foot putt on the 18th hole in the last singles match of the final day. The European team just needed a tie to retain the cup, as they had won it in 1987 and tied it in 1989 to retain it.

As the players trooped out in pairs and slowly returned the scores began to gather and pull together.

Finally the competition had been distilled down to just one game, between Hale Irwin and Langer.

Dominating most of the match, Irwin was two up with just four to play. After winning the 15th hole, Langer closed to within one and made a great up and down from the sand on 16 to remain one down. On the famous 17th, Irwin three-putted from 40-feet, while the German sank a five-footer to square the match.

Both players missed the green in two on the last and the American, playing first, chipped poorly to 30-feet.

Langer, putting from the edge, left his ball just outside "gimme" range, about four feet from the hole.

Irwin, perhaps bending to the minds of the entire European team, missed his par putt and was conceded a bogey from three feet. Langer, needing to cup the short one to retain the cup, missed to the right and the Americans reclaimed the trophy.

"No golfer in the world could have made that putt," said Seve Ballesteros after the match.

America had won the battle.