Nicolas Colsaerts and Danny Willett share a laugh about the 2012 Ryder Cup.
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Danny Willett was the chief guest. 2016 Masters Winner – his the name is in the title of the podcast. And rightfully so. But it was a story from someone else that had Willett in stitches in a recent podcast appearance.
While hanging out with George Harper Jr. for an episode of Podcast Life on TourWillett delved into his Masters win, his struggles at the highest level of the game and dealing with injuries, but he took a back seat to the best moment when secondary guest Nicolas Colsaerts had to show a Ryder Cup history.
Harper’s question was simple: What’s it like to play in a Ryder Cup?
Willett knows, having experienced it 2016 Cup at Hazeltine. But Colsaerts knows this even better, having been in the 2012 European team that made an epic comeback in Medinah. He has many fond memories of that week, especially the party that followed, but what got him going recently was retelling a story about his teammate Lee Westwood.
It was Westwood who was sent out with Colsaerts in his first career Ryder Cup match, a four-ball match against Steve Stricker and… Tiger Woods. After sitting out the morning session, Colsaerts came out on fire, making eight birdies and an eagle on his putt. Golf so good it didn’t need a teammate.
“You kind of have a little ink in the history books,” Colsaerts told Harper and Willett. “Which is something to be incredibly proud of.”
“And it took you a point away from Tiger, didn’t it?” Harper said.
“Yes, good. I was helped by Lee Westwood,” Colsaerts said with a smile. Willett, relaxed in his chair, began to laugh.
“His mother tells an amazing story,” Colsaerts continued. “I haven’t seen Westwood in a while, so I’m going right in. I made eight birdies and an eagle, and he only got in one hole and he had a 12-footer for birdie to win the hole and he left it’s short .
“One day here at Wentworth … we’re doing this concert in front of everybody and it’s me and Westy on stage. I’m telling this story that his mother used to say: ‘Yes, it’s the first time my son has caddied for someone.’ Which I thought was amazing.”
“Trish just annihilated him,” Willett said, tilting his head back.
“You’ve got a multiple Order of Merit winner who has a great Ryder Cup memory and he’s caddying for a Belgian kid. It was very nice.”
Colsaerts certainly has some ink in the history books, given that his 1-up victory in that match against Stricker and Woods was the only match the European team won on Friday afternoon, preserving some competition after the Americans had gone ahead 5-3. .
For Colsaerts, that was as good as it could get. And it was as good as it was ever going to get, as he dropped fours and four-ball matches on Saturday as well. He also lost his singles match against Dustin Johnson on the final day, going 1-3 on the week. But that part of the result is largely lost to history as the Europeans won the Ryder Cup by just one point – the only time in the last nine Ryder Cups that the visiting team emerged victorious.
As for Willett, he wasn’t there for that Ryder Cup, but he celebrated. He was in St. Andrews preparing for the upcoming Dunhill Links Championship and planned to catch about half an hour of the Ryder Cup on television at Dunvegan. When the European team returned, those plans began to change.
“Here, about 15 pints of Guinness later,” he was apologizing to his wife. “I’m so sorry we’re still watching golf.”
