WHAT should have been a glorious procession turned into this - a big ginger bloke sweating in the intense sunshine.

Shane Lowry didn’t look like the coolest dude at Bethpage Black but somehow the heroic Irishman kept his head and sank the seven-foot putt which retained the Ryder Cup for Europe .

The former Open champion looked to be genuinely struggling for breath after he had won the 18th hole to secure the precious half-point against Russell Henley which meant Luke Donald’s men had finally reached 14 points.

Lowry had held his nerve in the face of one of the most extraordinary comeback attempts ever seen in golf.

His manic celebrations belied the fact that the Europeans had been in serious danger of suffering the greatest choke in sporting history as a succession of their biggest

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