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CNN Live Sunday

Europe Defeats U.S. at Ryder Cup

Aired September 29, 2002 - 18:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: There's no joy among Americans at the Belfry in England this evening. A dramatic upset. In a dramatic upset, Europe defeated a Yank team, that included Tiger Woods, to win the Ryder Cup. CNN's Patrick Snell has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The joyous scenes that show just how much this means, the winning putt from Ireland's Paul McGinley cued the European celebrations. After their obliteration on the final day of Brookline (ph) three years ago, they had a point to prove, 15 1/2 of them to be precise, the magic tally that delivered the 34th Ryder Cup to an elated Sam Torrance.

SAM TORRANCE, EUROPEAN TEAM CAPTAIN: It was always going to be a challenge. There are very tough opponents but we were great. We were absolutely great and out of the shadows come heroes.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE, EUROPEAN TEAM MEMBER: It was superb from day one when we all arrived on Monday, and somehow I had a certain feeling that this was going to work out and it did.

PHIL MICKELSON, AMERICAN TEAM MEMBER: Anybody can beat the best in the world if they play well for 18 holes and when you have the crowd giving them momentum after winning early matches, that momentum leads those players to play their best.

PAUL MCGINLEY, EUROPEAN TEAM MEMBER: As everybody has said, this was very much a team event and I think we very much won it off the golf course as well as on the golf course.

SNELL: Tied eight points all going into the final round, the Americans never seemed to recover from Scott Hoch's heavy defeat at the hands of Colin Montgomerie in the opening match. From that moment, the momentum had swung in Europe's favor and the prestigious title was on its way back from across the Atlantic.

U.S. Captain Curtis Strange's gamble of leading Tiger Wood and Phil Mickelson, the number one and two players in the world to play last, backfired as the European stranglehold gripped ever tighter. Mickelson tamely succumbed to Welshman Philip Price and Woods only halving with Parnevik, by which time their title had gone.

CURTIS STRANGE, AMERICAN TEAM CAPTAIN: I thought he took a hell of a gamble by front loading his team like he did, a heck of a gamble because if they don't do well, in my mind it was over. But they went out and played well. They got blue on the board in the first four matches early and then the crowd got into it and I think that was exactly what he wanted.

JESPER PARNEVIK, THIRD RYDER CUP APPEARANCE: Everybody on the team just knew we were going to win tomorrow and it was not one of those wishful, I hope we're going to win. It was we know we're going to win tomorrow and Sam did exactly what we wanted or what we needed when he made that draw.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key to today was really our top guys went out this morning and just put the blue numbers up there. They were magnificent, and Montu (ph) was as he always is fantastic this way and thank God he doesn't hold that many putts every week.

TIGER WOODS, AMERICAN TEAM MEMBER: I wish it would have come down to our match but unfortunately it didn't. I realized that we weren't going to win after I hit my tee shot on 17. I could, you know, people were yelling. As soon as I walked to the fairway, I think that's when they clinched the cup. So, it was a little bit frustrating.

SNELL (on camera): The balance of golfing power may have shifted, but you sense a new era of Ryder Cup spirit and friendship has been engendered here, which is just what both team captains had been after. Now they'll be hoping that can be carried forward until the next time the two sides meet, which will be in a couple of years' time at Oakland Hills.

At the 2002 Ryder Cup, I'm Patrick Snell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired September 29, 2002 - 18:26   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: There's no joy among Americans at the Belfry in England this evening. A dramatic upset. In a dramatic upset, Europe defeated a Yank team, that included Tiger Woods, to win the Ryder Cup. CNN's Patrick Snell has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK SNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The joyous scenes that show just how much this means, the winning putt from Ireland's Paul McGinley cued the European celebrations. After their obliteration on the final day of Brookline (ph) three years ago, they had a point to prove, 15 1/2 of them to be precise, the magic tally that delivered the 34th Ryder Cup to an elated Sam Torrance.

SAM TORRANCE, EUROPEAN TEAM CAPTAIN: It was always going to be a challenge. There are very tough opponents but we were great. We were absolutely great and out of the shadows come heroes.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE, EUROPEAN TEAM MEMBER: It was superb from day one when we all arrived on Monday, and somehow I had a certain feeling that this was going to work out and it did.

PHIL MICKELSON, AMERICAN TEAM MEMBER: Anybody can beat the best in the world if they play well for 18 holes and when you have the crowd giving them momentum after winning early matches, that momentum leads those players to play their best.

PAUL MCGINLEY, EUROPEAN TEAM MEMBER: As everybody has said, this was very much a team event and I think we very much won it off the golf course as well as on the golf course.

SNELL: Tied eight points all going into the final round, the Americans never seemed to recover from Scott Hoch's heavy defeat at the hands of Colin Montgomerie in the opening match. From that moment, the momentum had swung in Europe's favor and the prestigious title was on its way back from across the Atlantic.

U.S. Captain Curtis Strange's gamble of leading Tiger Wood and Phil Mickelson, the number one and two players in the world to play last, backfired as the European stranglehold gripped ever tighter. Mickelson tamely succumbed to Welshman Philip Price and Woods only halving with Parnevik, by which time their title had gone.

CURTIS STRANGE, AMERICAN TEAM CAPTAIN: I thought he took a hell of a gamble by front loading his team like he did, a heck of a gamble because if they don't do well, in my mind it was over. But they went out and played well. They got blue on the board in the first four matches early and then the crowd got into it and I think that was exactly what he wanted.

JESPER PARNEVIK, THIRD RYDER CUP APPEARANCE: Everybody on the team just knew we were going to win tomorrow and it was not one of those wishful, I hope we're going to win. It was we know we're going to win tomorrow and Sam did exactly what we wanted or what we needed when he made that draw.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key to today was really our top guys went out this morning and just put the blue numbers up there. They were magnificent, and Montu (ph) was as he always is fantastic this way and thank God he doesn't hold that many putts every week.

TIGER WOODS, AMERICAN TEAM MEMBER: I wish it would have come down to our match but unfortunately it didn't. I realized that we weren't going to win after I hit my tee shot on 17. I could, you know, people were yelling. As soon as I walked to the fairway, I think that's when they clinched the cup. So, it was a little bit frustrating.

SNELL (on camera): The balance of golfing power may have shifted, but you sense a new era of Ryder Cup spirit and friendship has been engendered here, which is just what both team captains had been after. Now they'll be hoping that can be carried forward until the next time the two sides meet, which will be in a couple of years' time at Oakland Hills.

At the 2002 Ryder Cup, I'm Patrick Snell.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com