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6 of the most heartwarming moments in Ryder Cup history
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As intense as the Ryder Cup can be, it also has its fair share of moments that make your eyes well up.
Here are six of the most heartwarming moments in the nearly 100-year Ryder Cup history.
Rory Comes Full Circle
Rory McIlroy caught heat in 2009 when he called the Ryder Cup “an exhibition” that was “not that important” to him.
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Overall view of fans and spectators during Saturday fourball matches on the PGA Centenary Course at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland. (Robert Beck/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Well, Team Europe was walloped at Whistling Straits in 2021, and it was clear he had done a total 180 from his previous thoughts.
“The more and more I play in this event, I realize that it’s the best event in golf, bar none,” McIlroy said, fighting back tears. “I love being a part of it. I can’t wait to be a part of many more. It’s the best …
“They’ve always been my greatest experiences in my career. I’ve never really cried or got emotional over what I’ve done as an individual. I couldn’t give a s—, but this team and what it feels like… all of that, it’s phenomenal, and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
Seve Looks Down on Europe
The 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah was the first since Seve Ballesteros, a major factor in what the Ryder Cup is today, died at age 54 of brain cancer.
Ballesteros put Team Europe on the map when Team Great Britain and Ireland expanded to include the entire continent, making him a mainstay.
Team Europe trailed 10-6 entering Sunday singles on the road. In honor of Ballesteros, Team Europe wore touches of his typical navy blue on Sunday to summon some magic, and it worked.
The Europeans went 8-3-1 in the Sunday singles to win the Cup, 14.5-13.5, capped off by Martin Kaymer’s cup-clinching putt.
Upon the victory, Team Europe captain and fellow Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal could barely keep his emotions in check.
“This one is for him,” he said, covering his face with his hat.
A Heavy Heart
A fan favorite overseas, Darren Clarke was playing in his fifth Ryder Cup in 2006. But he was playing just six weeks after the death of his wife.
Clarke entered the K Club in Ireland with a heavy heart, but the fans gave him the loudest ovations by far throughout the week.
Clarke won all three of his matches, including a 3 & 2 singles victory against Zach Johnson, where Clarke almost instantly broke down in tears and shared long embraces with members of Team USA.
Europe’s Darren Clarke, right, celebrates with Henrik Stenson on the 16th green during Day 3 of the Ryder Cup at the K Club in County Kildare. (David Davies/Getty Images)
Nicklaus Concedes
Perhaps the best moment of sportsmanship occurred in 1969 at Royal Birkdale in England in a singles match between Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin.
After Nicklaus parred the 18th, the United States had enough points to retain the Ryder Cup, so all Europe could do was lose outright. But Nicklaus picked up Jacklin’s ball marker, conceding the 3-foot putt, which resulted in the Ryder Cup ending in a tie.
“I don’t think you would have missed it, but I wasn’t going to give you the chance, either,” Nicklaus told Jacklin.
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Perhaps it was a win-win for Nicklaus (although USA captain Sam Snead was said to be angry at Nicklaus for losing out on the opportunity for an outright win), but it has since become a staple Ryder Cup moment. Beginning in 2021, the Nicklaus-Jacklin Award has been awarded to members of each team who best exemplify sportsmanship. The duo also designed The Concession Golf Club in Sarasota.
Patrick Reed, Rory McIlroy Realize The Moment
Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed were the first singles match on Sunday at Hazeltine, and both showed incredible emotion throughout the entire 18 holes. McIlroy would hush the USA crowd after putts, while Reed would bow to their applause.
On the par-three eighth hole, McIlroy was well away, roughly 45 feet to Reed’s 15. But after making the nearly impossible putt, McIlroy, the same golfer who said he would not be “running around fist-pumping” during a Ryder Cup, let out an emphatic scream and yelled, “F—ing come on! I can’t hear you!”
But Reed knocked down his putt, and gave McIlroy the old Dikembe Mutombo finger wag.
McIlroy, though, couldn’t help but crack a smile, and after celebrating with the crowd, Reed and McIlroy fist-bumped and patted one another on the back.
It remains maybe the most tense singles match of all time, and this moment doesn’t exactly tear at the heartstrings, but even both golfers were able to acknowledge the beauty of a magical moment.
Rivals Find Respect
Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo were two of the biggest golf rivals before the turn of the century.
Both masters of their craft from overseas, the two had very different styles of play and attitudes, all while trying to beat one another on the course.
Nick Faldo of the European team celebrates his Final Day Singles win with team mate Seve Ballesteros in the Ryder Cup at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. (David Cannon/Allsport)
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But in 1995, when Faldo dropped the Cup-clinching putt, one of the first people to hug him was Ballesteros, who was holding back tears.
After Ballesteros died, Faldo credited Ballesteros for helping make the Ryder Cup what it is today.
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For the U.S. captain and his college pals, the intimidating Long Island course was a secret treat.
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended USA Cricket’s membership with immediate effect after a year-long review and consultations with key stakeholders.
The ICC Board reached the decision at its recent meeting, citing repeated breaches of obligations under the ICC Constitution.
According to the ICC, USA Cricket failed to establish a functional governance structure, made little progress toward National Governing Body recognition with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), and undertook actions that harmed the reputation of the sport both domestically and internationally.
“The suspension is an unfortunate but necessary step to protect the long-term interests of the game,” the ICC said in a statement.
The Board emphasised that USA Cricket’s national teams will retain the right to participate in ICC events, including preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games (LA28).
To ensure continuity, the ICC and its designated representatives will temporarily oversee the management and administration of USA’s national teams.
This arrangement aims to support the players, maintain momentum toward Olympic inclusion, and sustain the High-Performance & Player Development Program, which seeks to strengthen the capabilities of USA cricketers.
The ICC’s Normalisation Committee, with support from ICC management, will define the steps required for USA Cricket to have its suspension lifted and membership rights restored.
These measures will include demonstrable improvements to governance, operations, and overall functioning within the cricket ecosystem.
The committee will also monitor progress and provide consultative guidance.
The ICC reaffirmed its commitment to growing cricket in the United States while safeguarding the interests of athletes and the broader sporting ecosystem.
USA Cricket had been placed ‘on notice’ at the 2024 ICC Annual General Meeting for failing to meet membership criteria, with a 12-month period granted to address these issues.
Despite assurances and commitments made to the ICC Board in July 2025, continued non-compliance led to this suspension.
USA Cricket was specifically advised to avoid any actions jeopardising cricket’s Olympic inclusion or harming the reputation of the ICC.
TOKYO:
World number one Carlos Alcaraz said on Wednesday that he will have to prepare for a new and improved Jannik Sinner after beating his great rival in the US Open final.
Italy’s Sinner admitted he needed to overhaul his “predictable” game after losing to Alcaraz in New York earlier this month in the latest of a string of recent defeats to his Spanish nemesis.
Alcaraz is playing at the Japan Open in Tokyo this week, while Sinner will compete at the China Open in Beijing in his first appearance since the US Open.
Alcaraz said he would need to be ready for a different Sinner next time he faces the world number two on the court.
“I know he’s going to change something from the last match,” said Alcaraz.
“It’s the same thing that I did when I lost to him a couple of times, I tried to be a better player the next time I was going to face him.
“I have to be focused and I have to be ready for that change,” he added.
Alcaraz and Sinner have dominated men’s tennis this season, with the pair contesting all four Grand Slam finals, winning two each.
Alcaraz is only 22 and Sinner is just two years older, and the two look set to monopolise the sport’s top titles for years to come.
“Our rivalry is getting better, which for me and for tennis I would say is great,” said Alcaraz.
“We will see in the future how many times I’m going to play against him and which circumstances we will play.
“Right now, it’s going great.”
Alcaraz heads to Tokyo coming off a surprise loss to American world number five Taylor Fritz at the Laver Cup in San Francisco last week.
Fritz is the number two seed in Tokyo, where Denmark’s Holger Rune, Norway’s Casper Ruud and the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac will also compete.
Alcaraz has won the French Open as well as the US Open this year and he said it had been “the best season that I’ve ever done”.
“I’ve seen myself that I’ve grown up a lot as a player on the court,” he said.
“For me, it could be better, of course it could be better, but I can’t complain about the season I’m having so far.”
Alcaraz is playing at the Japan Open for the first time in his career.
He said he wanted to play in Tokyo to “see the culture and see everything here”.
“I’m really excited about playing in different places, in different stadiums, and feel the energy from the Japanese people,” he said.
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