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London: European captain Jose Maria Olazabal hailed his team’s Ryder Cup comeback as “extraordinary” as he claimed the drama of the final day of competition made him feel “alive”.
The European team came from 10-4 down at one point, and 10-6 down going into the singles matches, to clinch a remarkable win at Medinah by 14 1/2 points to 13 1/2.
Olazabal told a press conference at Heathrow: “(Being captain) is difficult, in a way it’s torture. “It’s really tough on your nerves, but that’s the beauty of the Ryder Cup. It’s a huge adrenaline flow and that’s what we live for to be honest — the pressure, the tension the adrenaline flow makes us feel alive.
“I don’t know if it’s (the comeback) a miracle, but it’s something extraordinary to be honest. We haven’t seen that before. “What the players achieved that day was just amazing. It’s up to you to decide if it’s the greatest moment or the greatest comeback in history but they (the players) deserve all the credit.”
Olazabal added: “We have this wonderful trophy here with us because of the huge achievement of those 12 men. They didn’t stop believing and the performance they showed on Sunday was just incredible.”
The captain has been inundated by messages of congratulation from the likes of Rafael Nadal and also the King of Spain. “He was, like me, pretty much over the moon,” said Olazabal. “That was a nice one.”
Olazabal confirmed he would not be looking to take on the captaincy again, saying: “I can assure you that's going to be a no, period.”
He claimed there were plenty of other worthy candidates, pointing to the likes of Darren Clarke, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Paul Lawrie, Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington.
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