If the matter were a comparison between the careers of Jack
Nicklaus and Justin Leonard, the outcome would be lopsided. But as Bobby Thomson
can attest, a single, epic play never fades, providing the defining snapshot of
an event for the ages. The respective heroes of the 1986 Masters and the 1999
Ryder Cup, Nicklaus and Leonard were at the center of two of the most dramatic,
unpredictable days in golf history, at two of the sport’s most venerable
addresses. The final-nine action at Augusta National Golf Club in 1986 was so
tension-filled that even today, it is possible to watch replays and still not be
sure that Nicklaus winds up with his sixth green jacket.
Similarly, the drama and pressure during the singles matches
at The Country Club built to such a crescendo that the impromptu American
reaction to Leonard’s improbable putt on the 17th green was as explosive as the
opening of a bottle of Champagne—gallons of which were poured in the
ensuing celebration.
Both heroes’ turns were unlikely. In 1986, Nicklaus was 46,
six years removed from his previous major win. But he somehow overtook Seve
Ballesteros and Greg Norman with a turn-back-the-clock back-nine 30 that seemed
the result of a Mephistophelean deal.
Leonard’s prospects looked bleak after the first two days of
the 1999 Ryder Cup. He played so poorly that commentator Johnny Miller suggested
that he go home and watch on TV. Not that his teammates were faring much better.
Going into the final day, the U.S. trailed Europe by four points—a chasm of a margin.
Yet the U.S. came back, as did Leonard, from
a four-down deficit, in his next-to-last singles match against Jose Maria
Olazabal. As the long day was winding down and the Matches were tied, no script
could have set the scene better: After being diffused throughout The Country
Club all day, the focus of the entire Ryder Cup arrived on the 17th green and
Leonard’s 40-foot birdie attempt.
This denouement is what gives the 1999 Ryder Cup a sliver of
an advantage over the 1986 Masters, where even after taking the lead on the 17th
hole, Nicklaus had to play the final hole, then wait for Norman to birdie the
17th then bogey the 18th before he could claim the title.
Other elements, like the great players swept away by the
occasion and captain Ben Crenshaw’s rambling yet prescient Saturday-night
soliloquy—“I have a good feeling about this”—give the Cup another nod.
The only negative is the Americans’ celebration—rushing the
green ahead of Olazabal’s own birdie attempt. But no matter which side of that
argument you fall on, there is no debating the drama, significance and legacy of
Leonard’s putt.
