U.S. Team Praises Lehman Despite Loss

STRAFFAN, Ireland, Sept. 24 -- Jim Furyk and most of his American teammates were at a loss to explain their inability to play well in recent Ryder Cups. And to a man, they all praised team captain Tom Lehman, even if they lost the Cup for a record third straight time, tying their record nine-point margin of defeat.

"Weeks ago," Furyk said, "I was quoted as saying I felt like we approached the Ryder Cup tight, that we didn't play loose, that our team had a different look on our faces when the gun went off in the Presidents Cup than it did in the Ryder Cup. I think a lot of us made an effort to make sure that didn't happen this week.

"Twelve of us are going to stand up here and tell you our captain has done a phenomenal job. I wish we could have played better for him. Everyone wants answers out there: what happened, why, what's the difference between 18 1/2 and 9 1/2 . I don't think there's a guy up here who can give you an answer."

One answer involved the inability of Phil Mickelson, No. 2 in the world rankings, to produce points. In 2004, he was 1-3 at Oakland Hills. This year, he was 0-4-1.

"I don't know what to say," Mickelson said. "Obviously, I expected to get more points than a half. But I felt like we were in every match. I felt like we had chances on every match to win, to get momentum, and things just didn't go our way."

McGinley's Kind Gesture

Irishman Paul McGinley was on the verge of winning the 18th hole and his singles match against American rookie J.J. Henry. But when they reached the green, with the Cup already decided, McGinley, facing a tap-in for birdie, gave Henry a 30-foot birdie putt and halved the hole and the match.

If Henry had two-putted and McGinley had won the match, Europe would have posted a record 19 points.

"It was a gesture that was done in the right spirit," McGinley said. "I'd been thinking about it before that clown, the streaker, came over. I don't want to make a big deal about it to be honest. It was a great team performance. We really thumped them."

"I'll have a word with Paul McGinley later," European captain Ian Woosnam joked afterward. "It could have been a record. Just let's say I'm very, very happy."

"I think it shows what the spirit of the competition is all about," Henry said. "What a gentleman Paul is. We all know how much it means to Paul being here, and [he's] from Ireland. I tip my hat to him. It was a remarkable thing he did."

Henry, playing in his first Cup, played in three matches and halved each one.

Verplank's Hole-in-One

American Scott Verplank won the only two matches he played this week, and his 4-and-3 victory over Padraig Harrington on Sunday included a hole-in-one at the 213-yard 14th.

"I knew I hit a good shot," Verplank said. "I just turned around and told Padraig, 'Well, it's your shot now.' He actually hit a beautiful shot to eight feet. When it didn't go in, I said, "Well, that one's good.' And we went to the next hole."

Clinton on Hand

Former president Bill Clinton was on the grounds Sunday and sat in the audience waving an American flag during the closing ceremonies. Lehman said he wasn't aware Clinton was even on the property and said he did not address the team Saturday night. . . .

The Europeans wore pink jackets to the closing ceremonies, while the Americans looked as if they were going to a funeral in dark blazers and gray slacks. . . .

Woosnam and his players were heading for a victory celebration somewhere on the grounds. "When I said we were going to have a party, we are going to have a party, boys," Woosnam said.