“The Arrival of the Golf Hooligan” - a podcast by Andrew, Ed, and Zak

Welcome back to the Bill Bradley Collective, where it is a bonus week! That’s right, join us for the newest addition to our catalogue of critically acclaimed Dollop-inspired installments. This week Andrew submits the definitive history of the 1999 Ryder Cup Matches. The bi-annual golf exhibition/corporate outing, profiled in broader strokes on a recent Collective episode, hit an unprecedented fever pitch in ’99 at the Country Club of Brookline, Massachusetts. On the course it is a tale of two events. The underdog European side rode sublime play in the team sessions to get out to a seemingly insurmountable lead by the eve of the concluding singles session. But the Americans flipped the script on that final Sunday, matching the European level of play at the start of the week and then some en route to a historic come-from-behind victory. Yet the golf is merely part of the story, as this Ryder Cup is remembered well beyond the 14.5-13.5 outcome. The major talking points include: financial grievances from top American stars in the run-up to the event; the abhorrent conduct of some patrons in the direction of the European contingent; the putt that ensured American victory and the indecent celebration that followed, and American captain Ben Crenshaw deploying a video message from fellow Texan and future president George W. Bush for inspiration on the eve of the final day. The 1999 Ryder Cup will forever have a complicated legacy in the annals of golf history, and the legacy of that week is the story here, on the Bill Bradley Collective.

Further episodes of BBCollective

Further podcasts by Andrew, Ed, and Zak

Website of Andrew, Ed, and Zak