Hate to say we told you so!

“We asked you not to hold onto the hand rail; We told you not to spit over the side”. Just then, the stairway to Heaven was retracted and Bart Simpson slips down the greasy pole to the warm place. Hardly surprising. Now read on…

After the first day’s action at the most recent incarnation of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black Golf Club in New York, column inches in this space were used to warn the mouthy ignorami of America that the last thing they needed to do to aid their side’s endeavours to claim the biennial team golfing event was poke the bear.

Which in that instance meant riling Shane Lowry and/or Rory McIlroy to the point of getting them angry. You wouldn’t like them when they’re angry. The Yanks didn’t. No doubt the more verbose among them will retort that Scottie Scheffler took care of the star of the Co Down in the Singles on Sunday. True, but there’s more to that than a bare fact. For one thing, Scheffler is indisputably the best player in world golf at present, and for another, McIlroy had his heavy lifting done long before then.

That, in turn, meant that, leading by 11.5 to 4.5 going into the final day’s fare was fulfill the role of the successful builder going in to check off the snag list before getting to bask at their handy work. And though it turned out to be the case that many of those whom the continental side would have considered to be surefire were upskuttled.

However, as time and tide have proven previously in the Ryder Cup, once there’s an Irish representation towards the tail end of the batting order – to borrow a degree of cricket parlance – a continental conquest of capitalism can almost be guaranteed. Go back as far as you like for evidence. Christy O’Connor Jnr at The Belfry, Philip Walton, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and now, gloriously, Shane Lowry.

All of whom to took the wheel of the Good Ship Europe past the Disunited States Of America. Of course, the fact that Shane and Rory came to the boil expertly just as the tension was just spilling out over the sides of the melting pot doesn’t take into account the arrogant, ignorant, bilious abuse directed at the dynamic Irish duo from American players, tournament officials and obnoxious Neanderthals of fans.

But, yerra, they made their own bed, let them lie in it. I hate to say we told you so!