I’m worried about Fergus. He’s hardly spoken in the 45 minutes that have passed since Jim Furyk holed the winning putt and the only time he did speak was, when looking at the reflection of his sunburned-red face in a mirror, to ironically say, “Oh well. At least I’ve got a tan.”

As Fergus and I are crestfallen so many of the British press tapping away in this vast media centre are adopting an “I told you so” attitude towards Nick Faldo’s tactics. They never trusted our Captian to get it right and I suppose, in the end he didn’t. As for Azinger, he could probably run for President and take it by a landslide.

The final word should really go to the Americans and I don’t mean the players but the fans. They were hugely vociferous but always good-natured. Fergus and I cheered the European boys all the way through the final round and were only ever greeted with smiles and the odd amusing comment. The fact that they are so jubilant offers me (but maybe not Fergus) a small crumb of comfort.

At the start of the week we were all worried about the health of this amazing tournament but in the end it appears the Ryder Cup is stronger than ever. Here’s to Wales in two years time!

bugger.

Reading through all the blogs posted by Fergus and I over the course of the last week this morning, I sensed a slightly self-congratulatory, ‘I can’t believe we’re actually here’ tone. Well, I’m now going to redress the balance by telling you about all the little annoying things that have got on my wick over the last few days. Here goes:

1. Telecommunications. The two vast televisions in the media centre have no sound so you have to listen to the action through a small handheld radio. The ESPN commentary finds it’s way into your ears about three seconds ahead of the live feed to the big screen. This is means that you know what’s going to happen before you’ve seen it, if you get my drift. This is massively annoying.

2. Some of the US fans. At the start of the week I found the local fans quite charming. They were almost apologetic in their support. Over the last two days however, they’ve become louder and louder and the shouts of ‘You, go get’em Ben’ or ‘It’s all you baby’ are becoming rather tiresome.

3. The pessimism of the UK golf press. As I mentioned in a blog yesterday, it takes something monumental to impress some of the older journalists. Sergio Garcia could shoot 58 this afternoon and you’d still hear a grizzly old British voice say, “well, the course IS ridiculously easy”.

4. The weather. Ok, so I’m not going to get too much sympathy on this one but take it from me, it’s bloomin’ hot out there. After an hour of walking around outside, I return to the media centre with the Batman logo on my back. In more ways than one, this is not cool.

5. Some of the British fans. Sorry, you might not like this one either but there are one or two groups of British men who are treating the Ryder Cup like a Merseyside derby. This is golf, don’t you know. We don’t sing “who are ya? who are ya?”

6. Our luxury roadside accommodation. This week our living quarters are actually far better than we originally expected but the hotel is still situated in the biggest car park I’ve ever seen. There’s no way to cross the main road to find a decent bar and restaurant without calling a cab to take you literally 50 yards away. This is painful.

7. US television. After a long day at the course on Friday, Fergus and I decided to kick back and watch a bit of TV. Bad idea. The only thing we found to watch was a US version of You’ve Been Framed. To be fair, watching extremely fat people fall off pogo sticks was mildly amusing at first but the appalling one-liners from the toothy host was too much to take.

8. The prospect of coming home. On the flight out, Fergus sat in the aisle seat and refused to move for the whole duration. This gave me little option but to remain motionless for 8 hours and 45 minutes. I’m sorry, but that’s just unnatural. And of course, when we do board our flight tomorrow, it will mark the end of this amazing Ryder Cup odyssey. Sorry, couldn’t help that one.

Early yesterday afternoon Neil and I were feeling a little jaded and were considering watching the fourball action on the big screen in the comfort of the media centre. But, girding our loins, we forged out to catch half an hour of live action. This proved to be just about the greatest decision since a bored caveman picked up a couple of sticks and decided to start rubbing.

We walked to the hill behind the 10th green from where we had a view over to the 11th tee and 11th green. As the first match – Boo Wekley and JB Holmes vs Lee Westwood and Soren Hansen – approached, we got the first hint of a feeling that something exciting was going to happen.

The crowd following Weekley was boisterous – we stood beside a group dressed in camouflage gear screaming “Booooo” at the top of their voices every five seconds or so. We were wondering what would happen if Boo ever did something that met with a crowd’s disapproval – what would they shout at him then?

As the groups came through the atmosphere began to build and, by the time the last fourball – Mickelson and Mahan vs Stenson and Karlsson played into the 10th green, Neil and I were more excited than a troop of cub-scouts on an outing to the Cadburys factory. Any thought of going back to our desks had gone totally out of the window.

We joined a throng of people and jogged and jostled our way down to the 15th green where the cries of “Booooo” told us the US team’s talisman was approaching. We got there just in time to see him fire an incredible shot from out of the fairway bunker in to about two feet. The cheer that greeted the ball’s arrival was phenomenal. We waited there until Garcia and Casey arrived then followed them to the 17th green. There we found a media stand from where we could also see a TV screen. This was where we stayed to watch the remainder of the action.

I can sometimes be a little cynical, some may even say dour, but even I was totally caught up in the electric excitement sparking and crackling around that green. By the time play had finished Neil and I had to sit down in the bleachers for a while to regain our composure.

This is a fabulous course for spectators – particularly on the back nine. Every hole is banked by huge slopes meaning you can see pretty much all of the action, no matter how many people are standing in front of you. It all adds to the incredible atmosphere.

As a journalist I should try to give both sides of a story but I simply can’t think of anything negative to say about the experience of being at this Ryder Cup. Maybe Neil can……

IT'S ON! Only just maybe but it's on. We're talking victory for Europe
here. Still unlikely, still not the way to bet but with just today's
singles left for us to savour Nick Faldo's battlers have hauled themselves
back into this Ryder Cup, two points adrift of the USA.

Thirteen years ago Europe went into Sunday two points adrift and pulled in
a bucket of points but historically it remains unlikely. What is certain is
that these matches have returned to a good place, a close place, a
compelling place.

Those of us who have delighted in the easy-peasy victories over the last
few years but who have missed the old closeness have reason to rejoice
again. Once more the nerve-ends will be on display, once more take care how
you drink that glass of wine or beer because there are going to be a lot of
tipping moments now to savour.

What all is now beyond question is the wisdom of Nick Faldo's decision to
select Ian Poulter ahead of one or two rather more obvious - to many of us
anyway - captain's picks. Faldo failed to make a compelling case for
Poulter's inclusion when he revealed his decision in Scotland a fortnight
ago but the man himself has let his clubs deliver an irrefutable case for
his participation over the last 48 hours.

His match, partnering Graeme McDowell against Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk,
was one of the great duels and Poulter's deal concluding putt on the final
hole was every bit as relevant to the lippy one's career as the longer putt
he holed during The Open this year.

But then there were so many heroes on view yesterday. Sergio Garcia
returning to form and hauling Paul Casey up there somewhere with him, the
Spaniard's heartbeat passion illuminating a captivating day of sublimely
hard-fought golf.

And then there is Robert Karlsson. The tall Swede, either eccentric,
interesting or nuts depending on your point of view, produced golf of an
impossibly rare brand as he offered six birdies over Valhalla's daunting
back nine. That this was only good enough to secure a half point against
Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan merely underlines the quality on view here
in Kentucky.

And whatever else is true of this 37th Ryder Cup it may now safely be said
that the years of total European domination are over for a while. The
Americans, ritually humiliated whenever they played the old match this
century, may no longer be studded with legendary names but the new
generation have proved already this week at Valhalla that, mostly, they are
made of the right stuff.

Pumped up by the crowd, many thousands of Louisville lips yelling their
encouragement, and focused on the victory that has been sought since the
dust finally settled on the embarrassment that had been Brookline in 1999,
Paul Azinger's players are on their way to showing that the sum of the
parts is more relevant than the individual components. Enjoy.

After witnessing the most exciting afternoon’s golf we’ve ever been a party to, Neil and I are on a bit of a high. But that’s all in the past now and we’re looking towards more of the same tomorrow. Sorry I can't resist, I’m going to have to reflect briefly – Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell were ten under better ball to win one up. Karlsson and Stenson played the back nine in 30 to half with Mickelson and Mahan, Karlsson made four birdies in a row between the 12th and 15th. The European fourball pairings finished -19 combined - Incredible.

Anyway back to the future, we thought we would try and imagine the inside of Azinger and Faldo's minds at this crucial stage of competition and attempt to predict their line up for the Sunday singles. Here we go:

Fergus Faldo’s European 12 Vs Neil Azinger’s US 12

Ian Poulter vs Kenny Perry
Sergio Garcia vs Jim Furyk
Soren Hansen vs Justin Leonard
Graeme McDowell vs Anthony Kim
Oliver Wilson vs Boo Weekley
Paul Casey vs JB Holmes
Miguel Angel Jimenez vs Ben Curtis
Lee Westwood vs Chad Campbell
Henrik Stenson vs Steve Stricker
Justin Rose vs Hunter Mahan
Padraig Harrington vs Stewart Cink
Robert Karlsson vs Phil Mickelson

Envelope (that is the player you have to nominate to pull out should a player on the other side be forced to withdraw because of injury).

Oliver Wilson & JB Holmes

1. Uses initials not full christian name

2. Bad facial hair

3. Wears a black glove

4. Very, very very slow

5. Uses a broomhandle putter

6. As if that wasn't bad enough the head style is the biggest oversized mallet on the market (Rossa Spider)

7. Caddy lines up his putts LPGA style

8 Redneck demeanour

9 Trousers worn too high

10 Er, surely that's enough

We’ve had a few more Ryder Cup related questions posted on the Golf Monthly forum. Here are some answers:

Basher: What has been the mood in the European camp after the first day? Is their still an upbeat feel of confidence, or heads starting to drop? Secondly, if you did see him before his first round, how was Oliver Wilson looking? Absolutely terrified or cool, calm and collected?

Fergus and I sat in on a press conference with Nick Faldo last night and he was obviously disappointed. As for the other players, I don’t know but the fact that Westwood and Garcia didn’t play this morning suggests that everything may not have been well.
We saw Oliver Wilson this morning and he looked in control. I think he has a tendency to get slower and slower when the pressure mounts and to be honest we certainly wasn’t quick. Fergus has just written an excellent blog about Oliver Wilson…

Viscount 17: Just how short is that 'rough'? on some of the tv shots it looks no more than an inch.

The rough is nothing in comparison to what you usually see at the Masters and I expect the US Open and PGA. There are very few terrible places to be on this course so you can hit the ball almost anywhere and get away with it. The consensus in the media centre is that this favours the longer, wilder Americans. What it certainly dos do is add to the general level of excitement.

If you have any questions please visit the Golf Monthly forum.

I’m feeling pretty sorry for Oliver Wilson at the moment. He just put on a superb debut performance alongside Henrik Stenson to beat the star US pairing of Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim by 2&1 in the Friday morning fourballs. After not being selected to play at all on Thursday, the young man from Mansfield was under pretty enormous pressure to perform.

Stenson and he went four down through six holes and almost everybody wrote the point off. But the pair battled back admirably and, aided by a back nine meltdown from Mickelson and Kim, the European duo won it on the 17th when Wilson holed a superb birdie putt.

What a moment it was for the rookie and what a high he must have been on as he walked off the course to cheers of “Europe, Europe.” Imagine, then, how gutted he must be feeling this afternoon to not be one of the eight Europeans out on the course. The poor lad has played in just one of the four sessions so far, but he defeated the World number 2 and World number 10 to be the only European with a 100% record.

Let’s just hope the Englishman takes thoughts of his foursomes performance this morning rather than the lack of faith Faldo has shown in him, into tomorrow’s crucial singles matches.