Green of the 18th at Bethpage Black. The second practice day concludes for Jon Rahm, who, generally speaking, has looked sharp off the tee and accurate with his irons. The man from Barrika approaches José María Olazábal, one of the vice-captains of the European Ryder Cup team. They barely exchanged words during the round, but as they finished, Rahm says to him: “Hey, Josemari, Seve’s putt on the 18th at Muirfield was about this distance, right?” (he gestures about three metres with his fingers). Jon is like that. He knows the history, is interested in it, and asks the main protagonist to delve deeper into the details that have shaped the Ryder and Seve’s legacy. There’s no better guide than the man from Donostia.
As always, Txema’s face lights up just hearing the name of the genius from Pedreña. “Yes, yes, it was that distance.” Jon admits to having seen some obscure video deep in Youtube. “You looked relieved, didn’t you?” Jon says with a laugh. “The expression was more like ‘don’t ever do that to me again, bast…’,” Olazábal replies, laughing.
But what are they talking about? Which putt is Jon referring to? And why the look of relief? We travel back in time in search of context. 26 September 1987. Exactly 38 years will have passed when the action begins at Bethpage tomorrow. Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio. It’s the first session of the second day of the Ryder. Seve and Olazábal are playing their third match of the week together. Foursome. That Friday marked the start of a partnership that is now legendary in the tournament, and they earned two points for a European team that was leading 6 to 2. For Seve, it was his fourth Ryder. For the young Olazábal, his debut.
Seve and Txema play the last match of the morning against Ben Crenshaw and Payne Stewart. Two other legends. The match is controlled by the Spaniards. They lead by three with four holes to play. However, the Americans win the 15th and 17th, giving themselves a chance to tie the match on the 18th. The American pair gets into trouble and makes a bogey on the final hole. The Spanish duo, after a good bunker shot from Olazábal, has just over two metres for par, and with two putts, they win the match. It seems done. But of course, they don’t concede it.
It’s Seve’s turn. A tricky downhill putt with a challenging line. It just needs to be left close. No need to hole it. However, the ball slips past the low side of the hole, picks up speed, and rolls further than expected. Seve looks down, incredulous, and then positions himself behind the hole to try to understand what happened. Ballesteros has left his partner almost the same distance he had. In Josemari’s favour, the putt is uphill. Against him, the pressure. A lot of responsibility for a very young 21-year-old player (three years younger than Rasmus Hojgaard) playing his first Ryder Cup. But the truth is Olazábal was born for these moments. He sinks it dead centre and pumps his fist with passion. Seve embraces him with his characteristic intensity. Point for Europe.
And that is how a Ryder Cup practice Wednesday unfolds at Bethpage. Among stories that speak of legacy. The student Rahm asks the teacher Olazábal, and what remains is a small great moment with Seve. This anecdote also serves to prepare for the week. Luke Donald knows it, and that’s why, among other things, the man from Fuenterrabía is a key figure in the locker room. That Ryder was Europe’s first victory on American soil. This week, they seek the fifth. Olazábal doesn’t forget, and Rahm dreams of joining that small and exclusive list of 37 players who know what it means to win on American territory.
