Sam Torrance: Europe’s Ryder Cup success tops the bill in my golfing highlights of 2018
From Europe's Ryder Cup glory to Francesco Molinari's breakthrough and a British Major winner in Georgia Hall, it has been a vintage year for golf. Here, Sam Torrance picks his highlights from 2018.
1. Pulverised in Paris
Europe didn’t just beat the United States at this year’s Ryder Cup; they outclassed, out-thought and comprehensively out-played a team who had arrived in France in late September as the hot favourites.
From Francesco Molinari taking a perfect five points out of five to the Italian’s unbeaten “Moliwood” pairing with Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia becoming the all-time record points scorer on either team, it was my highlight of the golfing year.
The way the European team played at Le Golf National was just beautiful to watch. Having gone 3-1 down in the Friday morning fourballs, they showed incredible mettle and courage to win seven of the next eight matches and wrestle the trophy back from American hands by 17½ points to 10½.
The course set-up was perfect and the home fans created a wonderful atmosphere, while Thomas Bjorn did a fabulous job as captain.
Europe’s team spirit was the best I have ever seen and that was certainly a huge factor in their success.
Thomas has to take a lot of the credit for that extraordinary unity. He stood up for himself with his wild-card picks and handled the players so well.
Each Ryder Cup is special and there have been so many great editions of the competition.
This time it was so important for Europe to win and prevent the US from retaining the trophy for the first time since 1993 – and they did it brilliantly.
2. Moli's Major
With a resurgent Tiger Woods leading going into the final nine holes and raising hopes of his first Major since 2008, I don’t think the Open had ever been at such fever pitch.
None of that fazed his playing partner Molinari, however, who quietly and beautifully went about his round with machine-like efficiency to become the first Italian to win one of golf’s top prizes.
The 36-year-old has had the game for a long time. When they show a flyover of a hole on television, with the ball landing in the perfect position 10 feet from the pin, I always think of Molinari.
But he has also had to live with the pressure of being his nation’s great hope. The final piece of the jigsaw is the self-belief that he and his team have instilled – and, following his breakthrough triumph in July, he is now a different kettle of fish.
I can’t wait to see what Molinari does next.
3. Hall of fame
Georgia Hall played some fantastic golf down the stretch to win her duel with Pornanong Phatlum and claim a first Major title at the Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes in August.
I know Georgia really well, love her to death and think she’s amazing. She proved how good she is and it was even more special to do so at such a great venue and a home tournament.
At 22, she’s still very young and has the belief as well as the game, so this win, which lifted her to a career-high sixth in the world rankings, could be the first of many.
Her success should also inspire the other promising young British golfers on the women’s circuit, such as Charley Hull and Bronte Law.
4. Rose blooms
He won the FedEx Cup in September, became officially the best player in the world and also had a great Ryder Cup – it’s fair to say that Justin Rose had another fabulous year.
The Englishman is well and truly in his prime and has now accomplished just about everything there is to achieve in golf – a Major, multiple WGC titles, topping the money list on both the European Tour and PGA Tour, Olympic gold – so now it’s time for him to start doubling up.
He might not have won another Major in 2018 but he was knocking at the door, finishing in a tie for second at The Open, 10th at the US Open and 12th at the Masters.
Rose has always tended to play so well at Augusta National – runner-up in 2017 and 2015, fifth in 2007 and top 10 in 2016 and 2012 – without quite finishing the job.
You have to plot your way around that course, where landing on the right side of the fairway makes all the difference to your birdie chances, and Rose, like a great chess player, has that strategic quality.
If he is to add a second Major to his CV in 2019 then the Masters looks to be his best chance.
5. Garcia's spark
Before receiving one of Bjorn’s wild-card picks for the Ryder Cup, Garcia had been having a mess of a year. In a run of 11 events, starting at the Masters and ending at the US PGA Championship, he missed seven cuts.
Then he lined up against the Americans, played his heart out for Europe once again and earned his own place in Ryder Cup history, becoming the all-time record points scorer for either team. It was an enormous achievement and will probably never be beaten.
Buoyed by his experience in France, Garcia then went and won his next event, the Andalucia Valderrama Masters. To win a tournament that you are hosting, with all the distractions that go along with that, isn’t easy, and to do it at your favourite course makes it even more special.
The Spaniard is a delight to watch when in full flow and he won it beautifully. He followed that with second place at the Nedbank Golf Challenge and finished the year with tw more top-10s.
We didn’t know how Garcia would respond to winning a long-awaited first Major at the 2017 Masters and we shouldn’t have been surprised that he had a quiet spell, especially as he became a father earlier this year.
But the Ryder Cup has rekindled the old fire and Sergio promises to be another man to watch in 2019.
6. Earning his stripes
After a few near misses, Tiger Woods finally ended his five-year wait to win another tournament with victory at the Tour Championship in September.
It was an extremely special moment and a very big step for him. There is no debate any more: Tiger is clearly back.
Woods actually looks a better player now than he did in his wildly successful heyday. The 14-time Major champion has great rhythm in his swing now, with both irons and driver.
When he is playing, interest in the sport increases, and when he is winning or even challenging, it spikes massively, so his return to the top of the game in 2018 was huge for golf.