Golf: `You've got two putts, why not use them?'

Nick Faldo, whose dramatic victory over Curtis Strange set up Europe's Ryder Cup triumph, said of his winning shot: "That was the biggest putt of my life."

Faldo added that the European team tried to turn the two-point deficit going into the singles to their advantage. "Nobody talked about it last night. Everybody knew we had to go out and win our points. It might have been an advantage, because we had nothing to lose. Everyone just tried to win his match."

Despite having two putts to win the Ryder Cup, the Irishman Philip Walton admitted his nerves were jangling on the 18th green. "I said to myself `Just calm down, you've got two putts to make it, why not use them'. It was an unbelievable moment," said the 33-year-old, who was the last automatic qualifier for the team.

Asked whether he knew the four-footer he missed on the 17th green was for the Cup, he replied: "I had a feeling it was. There were a lot of people around the green and I just pulled it a bit. I just tried to hit the fairway at the last and make him score three. It didn't work out that way but I still managed to hold on.

"The support all week has been absolutely fantastic and there have been a lot of people over from Ireland. There is a lot more pressure on you when you are playing for a team."

As the celebrations got under way, Seve Ballesteros gave David Gilford a piggy-back ride while Ian Woosnam pointed to Howard Clark and told the fans: "You know he had a hole-in-one today. Well now he's going to buy a round of drinks."

Bernard Gallacher, the European captain, told them: "You were all fantastic. We'll see you at Valderrama. I have kept saying there is nothing between the teams; the best team on the day will win. Today was our day."