Episode 26 - The Ryder Cup

Episode 26: The Ryder Cup - Golf Like No Other

"When you play for so many, it makes you strong." - Seve Ballesteros, Ryder Cup legend.

Team golf hits hard. The roar of a partisan crowd, fists pumping against chests of blue or red, the one shot that changes the momentum and turns the contest on its head, the final putt it comes down to that can win or lose it all. The Ryder Cup is truly golf at its very finest, the best 24 players on the planet with no money at stake and no ranking points on offer, just the pride of a nation or continent and the chance of history to play for.

Jack talks about the legacy and impact of Spanish golfers since the competition was widened to all Europe - Ballesteros and Olazabal individually and together, Sergio Garcia's longevity and success and now Jon Rahm's power and impact, Europe simply wouldn't have had all the success they have had without the contribution of Spain's finest.

Ben unashamedly talks down the Americans for their lack of class on the Kiawah Shore in 1991 and Brookline in 1999, and brazenly recounts the European Miracle at Medinah in 2012, where the men in blue recovered from 10-4 down on US soil, with the memory of the sadly departed Seve inspiring them to triumph. The Ryder Cup isn't a time for impartiality, after all.

Between that we, of course, cover the basics and recount other stories of years past - concessions, squabbles, redemption and records amongst them. There is simply no golf competition like it, and no trophy so craved for its history and prestige alone in the sport.

WARNING: Apologies for the poor sound from Jack's mic, technical gremlins that won't be repeated.