He was the heart, soul and engine of the European team. My one Ryder Cup was at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, in 1991. We had a sh__tty team.
Sure, Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer played for us, but so did ... Steve Richardson! And me! Seve made you better by sheer force of his personality.
I played Payne Stewart in Sunday singles, and before the match Seve took me aside. "They put you out early because they think you will lose," he said, then grabbed me by my shirt and chest hair and pulled me close. "But I know you have this heart." I got chills. I thought, "Wow! He believes I can win — and so do I."
I went out and beat the reigning U.S. Open champion, 2 and 1. It's funny — at Kiawah, I thought Seve looked physically smaller than he did on TV. I've realized that's because he made me feel 10-feet tall.
Credit: Allsport/Getty Images
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