When Jacklin was appointed before the 1983 match, his priority was to sit down with Seve Ballesteros (persona non grata in the eyes of European Tour officials because of rows over appearance money and the amount of golf he played in the US) and tell the Spaniard that Europe could not win without him. Seve was flattered and by the time of the 1987 match had assumed a mystical status among his teammates. America had never lost at home, and Jack Nicklaus’s team wanted revenge after Europe’s success at The Belfry two years earlier, when Sam Torrance holed the winning putt to secure victory for the first time since 1957.
Ballesteros formed a sublime partnership with a young Spaniard called Jose Maria Olazabal. They won three of their four matches. In all, they would lose just two of their 15 matches together. The opening-day foursomes were shared, before Jacklin’s fourball combinations won all four matches to lead 6-2. Europe then edged the Saturday foursomes 2½-1½, and when the fourballs were shared, they took a five-point lead into the singles. Leading 10½-5½, Jacklin’s team needed four more points to secure a historic victory.
Andy Bean beat Ian Woosnam, but when Howard Clark beat Dan Pohl and Torrance halved with Larry Mize, Europe looked home and dry. America picked up the next four points through Mark Calcavecchia, Payne Stewart, Scott Simpson and Tom Kite. Europe held its breath.
Then came an extraordinary battle between Eamonn Darcy and Ben Crenshaw. The American snapped his putter in disgust early in the round and had to putt with his one iron and sand wedge for the rest of the match. He took Darcy to the 18th, losing only when the Irishman holed a downhill 4ft putt. A half for Bernhard Langer against Larry Nelson and a 2&1 triumph for Ballesteros over Curtis Strange saw Europe over the winning line. They won 15-13, made history and enjoyed the party to end all parties. [The numbers refer to a photograph, which is not carried on the website]
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1 Seve Ballesteros The most charismatic figure European golf has produced. He was possessed of an imagination that allowed him to conjure shots from nothing. Won The Open three times and The Masters twice, but lived for the Ryder Cup. Aged 49, he is separated from his wife, Carmen, and lives in Bilbao. Suffers chronic back pain and arthritis.
2 Gordon Brand Jr Capable of astonishing bursts of scoring. Took time off in 2001 to nurse his wife, Sheena, through illness. Aged 48, he lives in Bristol and still plays on the European Tour.
3 Sandy Lyle When Lyle won The Open in 1985 and The Masters three years later, he had the world at his feet, but his game fell apart. He hasn’t won since 1992. The 48-year-old is married and has four children. He lives in Perthshire.
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4 Tony Jacklin Winner of the 1969 Open and 1970 US Open, Jacklin was briefly the finest player in the world. Married to Astrid (first wife Vivien died of a brain haemorrhage in 1988), the 62-year-old is involved in golf course design and lives in Florida.
5 Nick Faldo The Englishman is the record pointscorer in the Ryder Cup, in which he played 11 times. He won six majors, but will also be remembered for three failed marriages and a single-minded approach to his sport that exasperated many. Now a commentator, course designer and creator of the Nick Faldo Foundation, which aims to identify the stars of tomorrow.
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6 Sam Torrance Having holed the winning putt in 1985, Torrance will be forever linked with the Ryder Cup. He turned pro in 1970, became the first man in European Tour history to play in 600 tournaments and dominates the European Seniors Tour. Married to actress Suzanne Danielle, he has three children.
7 Eamonn Darcy Darcy’s swing had a thousand moving parts, but he was a ferocious competitor. The 54-year-old now competes with distinction on the European Seniors Tour, finishing second in this season’s Italian Open. Married with two grown-up children.
8 Jose Rivero Partnered Brand Jr to an important victory in the opening-day fourballs — the only point he scored at Muirfield Village. The Spaniard made a decent living from the game and continues to do so as a senior, winning twice this season.
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9 Jose Maria Olazabal Won The Masters in 1994, but was struck down with agonising pain in his foot and had to quit golf for almost two years. After being diagnosed with rheumatoid polyarthritis in three joints of his right foot and two in his left, he crowned his comeback by winning the 1999 Masters. After a further spell in the wilderness, the 40-year-old Spaniard makes his seventh appearance in the Ryder Cup at the K Club.
10 Ken Brown Having almost been sent home for misbehaving during the 1979 match, Brown was a controversial wild card in 1987. He retired in 1993 when he was only 36 and is a respected on-course analyst for the BBC.
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11 Ian Woosnam The Welshman did it the hard way, living in a camper van as he attempted to win his Tour card. Formed a formidable Ryder Cup partnership with Faldo and was the first man to win £1m in a single season. Won The Masters in 1991. Married to Glendryth, his childhood sweetheart, the 48-year-old has three children. He will captain Europe at the K Club this month.
12 Bernhard Langer The German has fought the yips throughout his career, but has beaten them and is still playing at the highest level. His career highlight came when he won The Masters in 1985 and 1993. He captained Europe at the 2004 Ryder Cup, having played in the contest 10 times.
13 Howard Clark After winning 11 times, Clark decided he’d had enough and turned his hand to broadcasting. After a shaky start with the BBC, he has found his feet at Sky. The 52-year-old lives in Knaresborough.