Bill Elliott: struggling to take it in

Golf Monthly editor-at-large Bill Elliott reports on the 39th Ryder Cup from Medinah Country Club

DID you see it? Can you believe it? I am here in Chicago and I'm struggling to take in this win.   And it WAS a win. Tiger Woods' concession on the 18th green to Francesco Molinari meant Europe won. Probably they would have anyway, the trophy already secured but I'm not sure Tiger's team-mates appreciated his picking up of Molinari's coin three feet away from the hole. There is a mountain of difference between a tied match and one that was lost and the Italian is not the best from that distance.   But by then Woods' brain was scrambled along with his team-mates' and especially his skipper's. Davis Love is a gentle man but he was struggling to retain his natural grace as he surveyed the wreckage of a day that was supposed to end early with the USA cantering to an easy victory.   Suddenly yesterday those Europeans who had struggled over the first two days rediscovered their real form. Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Molinari were cast down the pairings, the skipper's trust in their talent dented by their earlier mediocrity. But a perfect autumnal Sunday saw them reignite their core belief in themselves.   Meanwhile, the first five Europeans out did what Jose-Maria Olazabal hoped they would. When Luke Donald, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose and Paul Lawrie won their matches, the leaderboards smothered in Euro blue began to suffocate the noise that had been coming out of the massed home fans.   Medinah went quiet and Europe knew that they were on their way.   It was, however, still a long way, still an unlikely path. The Americans were four points ahead going into this final day because they had played better. Most of all they had putted better.   Few, if any, really believed that these European players could come back from a four point deficit on foreign soil. Totally unprecedented.   Eventually I will take all this in and reflect properly in the magazine on this astonishing week in the mid-west.   This was my 17th Ryder Cup and quite probably my last in the USA but, if so, what a way to go out. When Jose-Maria cracked up as he tried to talk about Seve's distant influence on his captaincy and his team, his tears were not solitary ones believe me. What a day, what a night in prospect.

Nick Bonfield
Features Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, writing, commissioning and coordinating all features across print and online. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x