Ryder Cup Ending Poll: Should Europe Have Conceded Tiger's Putt?
/I don't want to nitpick an otherwise fantastic day of golf and positively brilliant play by both sides. However, there is something bugging a lot of people in the social mediasphere and probably in the betting worlds: the 18th hole ending between Francesco Molinari and Tiger Woods.
Europe had clinched a tie. Both players faced three footers for par. The 18th hole setting was noisy and "awkward" according to Captain Davis Love, therefore many have suggested Molinari should have conceded Tiger's par putt to end the Ryder Cup in a halve.
One could easily have envisioned a nice sporting moment. Instead it was a bit of a mess.
Many are suggesting that Molinari should have done something, but I would contend that Captain Jose Maria Olazabal standing just off the green should have stepped in and explained the situation to Molinari before they reached the green. I point this out not to take away from the tremendous win, but simply to ask if the situation might have been handled differently? I'm guessing if the roles were reversed, the UK press would be asking the question.
Please vote...
**Turns out Molinari wanted to concede, he was told not to by Captain Ollie. Molinari rises in my book, Captain Ollie takes a plunge.
Q. Francesco, were you surprised to be given that putt on 18 by Tiger in the last match? I know you probably would have got it, but it changed the match to a European win ‑‑
SERGIO GARCIA: Not probably. He would have definitely got it.
FRANCESCO MOLINARI: He's an optimistic.
No, I mean, I don't know, I was a little bit ‑‑ not surprised; I was getting ready to hit the putt. You know, I thought about giving him the halve on the fairway, but then the Captain was there, the Chairman was the there, they told me, it's not the same, winning or halving, so get focused and do your best, and that's what I did. So I just tried to win the hole, to win the tournament, basically.
I was getting ready to hit the putt. I wasn't expecting him to give it to me.
As it was, Woods seemingly felt that a 14-14 tie didn't matter once Europe was assured of retaining the Cup. He made a sloppy bogey at the last to salvage his only half point when a par would have meant a 14-14 outcome.
"After all that went down, my putt was useless," he said. "It was inconsequential. So I hit it too quick, and gave him his putt, and it was already over."
