Ryder Cup

How good was that? Bernhard Langer's heartbreaker at Kiawah

Words by
Josh Coles
How good was that? Bernhard Langer's heartbreaker at Kiawah

The ‘War on the Shore’ is one of the Ryder Cup’s most iconic matches. From illegal ball changes to hotel room phone pranks, the rivalry reached boiling point.

The fate of the trophy was in the balance throughout and would only be decided in the final match between Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin. Needing to win to save the match, the German rallied hard from 2 down after 14 to be level playing the 18th. With Irwin making a bogey, the normally unflappable Langer addressed his 5-foot putt, knowing the destination of the trophy was in his hands. The ball slid past the right edge and with it the trophy went stateside. To see the putt, fast forward to 11.00 on the video below.

So how bad was that putt? Shot Quality can tell us. A Shot Quality score of 0 denotes the worst possible outcome, such as OB or a lost ball; 100 represents the expected score of the average tour player, and 200 represents statistical perfection, such as a hole in one or holing out from long distance. So let's find out.