Team award for Ryder Cup heroes

Europe’s winners

Europe’s Ryder Cup team, which eclipsed the United States in such devastating fashion at Oakland Hills in September, has claimed the Association of Golf Writers Trophy for 2004.

Team captain Bernhard Langer was runner-up, Volvo Order of Merit winner Ernie Els was third and Annika Sorenstam and Colin Montgomerie tied for fourth place.

It follows the scribes’ and broadcasters' rather bizarre selection of Vijay Singh as European Tour Player of the Year, despite the World No.1 failing to register enough events to qualify for the Volvo Order of Merit – and despite the claims of Els, Retief Goosen and Miguel Angel Jimenez.

The Golf Writers’ Trophy is awarded each year to the individual or team, born or resident in Europe, who have made the most outstanding contribution to golf in the preceding 12 months.

Karen Stupples, the Women’s British Open champion, Jiménez, who won five times, and the English World Cup pair of Luke Donald and Paul Casey were among others to feature in the poll.

Commented Langer: "I loved the challenge of taking on one of the strongest US teams ever on their home soil. We all know that, before 2004, only twice have we been successful on American soil, but my players responded extremely well and with great enthusiasm. This historic event and the large margin we won by, away from home, will not be easily repeated."

Montgomerie added: "It’s difficult to say whether someone has been the best captain ever but Bernhard was certainly the coolest. He may have been wearing those blue and yellow shoes, which made even Ian Poulter envious, but he had the shades on and he always walked around at exactly the same pace. He was never flustered by anything. He was the epitome of cool.

"Bernhard was a fantastic leader and did a magnificent job. Thanks to him, we weren’t playing for ourselves, we were playing for each other. We left our egos in various parts of Europe and we were a team even before we got on the plane to go to America.

"On the Friday night I could sense some of the younger players might be becoming a little complacent. There was a lot of talk going on while Bernhard was trying to explain something. Eventually, I pointed out that he had won two green jackets, which were two more than any of us, and it might be worth listening to him," Monty recalled.

Montgomerie, who holed the winning putt, added: "Every shot pleases someone, whether it’s you or your opponent, and when David Toms chipped 20 feet past at the last, that pleased me. Then he holed the putt, which didn’t please me as much.

"I had a four-footer, right-to-left, which are the ones we like, but in the circumstances I didn’t want to waste any time and let any negative thoughts creep in. Looking back, you always like to hole a putt to win the match, rather than have two for it and shake hands. So now I am thankful to David for giving me the chance to hole that putt, but I wasn’t at the time."