Irish Mist Filled Every Eye: The 2006 Ryder Cup

Ed. note: This remembrance is the fifth and final installment in a series to highlight noteworthy Ryder Cup matches, during the week the biennial event was to be played at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.

All eyes, many of them filled with tears, were on the scenic 16th green nestled on an island at the edge of the River Liffey. This was the spot where destiny seemed the likeliest to merge with sentimentality. This was where the Emerald Isle’s own Darren Clarke – only six weeks removed from the death of his wife, Heather, from cancer – would add the final glorious punctuation on an emotional homecoming at the K Club.

The well-lubricated and full-throated fans in the heart of that arena were blissfully oblivious to the fact that the 2006 Ryder Cup was already over. Well, everyone knew it was pretty much over before Sunday’s singles ever started and the lopsided outcome had been obvious for hours. But one minute before Clarke could clean up his fairytale finish, the Cup was well and truly over.

The actual conclusion happ...