Ryder Cup 2018: history shows us this isn’t over yet, says Europe captain Thomas Bjorn ahead of final day

Dane urges his team to look back on the close shaves of yesteryear as motivation to finish the job in Paris

Reading Time:3 minutes

Team Europe captain Thomas Bjorn has urged his players for one last push. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:33pm, 30 Sep 2018Updated: 4:32pm, 30 Sep 2018

European captain Thomas Bjorn called on his side to look back down the years as motivation to raise themselves for one last day despite taking a 10-6 lead over the United States in the Ryder Cup.

The Americans need to equal the record for the largest-ever Ryder Cup comeback to lift the trophy and win on foreign soil for the first time since 1993.

The hosts’ dominant play at Le Golf National since falling 3-0 behind on the opening morning has seen them move to the brink of a sixth straight home win in golf’s greatest spectacle.

But a four-point deficit heading into Sunday’s singles is not insurmountable, as shown by the USA’s victory from 10-6 down at the ‘Battle of Brookline’ in 1999, and the European ‘Miracle at Medinah’ six years ago.

Europe also only managed to hold on by a single point at Valderrama in 1997 on Bjorn’s Ryder Cup debut, despite taking a five-point lead on Saturday.

“You keep reminding yourself that we had a big lead at Valderrama, we had a big lead at Brookline, and at Valderrama, we won, but only just,” said Bjorn.

“At Brookline we lost. At Medinah we were a long way behind and we turned it around.