Into the Bear Pit

European team captain Mark James offers the inside story of the Ryder Cup tournament that became known as the "Battle of Brookline". He lifts the lid on events that were not reported at the time, providing answers to questions surrounding one of the most controversial stories in golfing history.

---

Sunday 26 September 1999. The 17th green at Brookline Country Club near Boston, Massachusetts. It's the closing stages of the 33rd Ryder Cup tournament and the USA and Europe have been battling it out for three days. Then American Justin Leonard holes a monster 45-foot birdie putt and, before his opponent - Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal - has the opportunity to prepare for his own putt, all hell breaks loose. As Leonard's ball drops, American players, caddies, wives, even officials prematurely invade the green in triumph, in the belief that Leonard's putt has just delivered the prize they have been craving. Olazabal still has a putt to keep the Ryder Cup alive, but by this stage several jubilant Americans have already run straight across his line, destroying his concentration in the process. When he eventually is permitted to take his putt, Olazabal inevitably misses. Sir Michael Bonallack, secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and guardian of golf's rules and etiquette, likened the scenes to a "bear pit". But, the disgraceful episode on the 17th green constituted only one skirmish in what has become known as the "Battle of Brookline".
In this volume, European team captain Mark James has chosen to speak out, to give a hard-hitting, blow-by-blow account of the tournament that made the headlines around the globe. His story lifts the lid on events that were not reported at the time, providing answers to the key questions surrounding one of the most controversial stories in golfing history.