Guardiola spellbound by 'amazing' Ryder Cup

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola revealed on Friday that watching Europe’s ‘Miracle of Medinah’ comeback at the 2012 Ryder Cup was his “highest experience” as a fan of sport.

Guardiola was invited to watch the final day at Medinah Golf Club in Illinois by his friend Jose Maria Olazabal, the Europe captain, and watched as the Europeans overcame a four-point deficit to prevail.

With the 2016 event opening at Hazeltine in Minnesota on Friday, Guardiola happily cast his mind back to the giddy events of September 30, 2012.

“Wow. Believe me, I was a football player, I was so lucky, because it was an amazing experience, as a coach the same,” he told a press conference ahead of Sunday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

“We won prizes as football players, and as a coach, but always you remember not the prizes when you finish.

“You remember the time you spend, you have fun in the locker room with the guys, and how many times you laugh.

“I don’t think I can compare the experience that I lived in Medinah in the Ryder Cup. I think it was the highest experience as a sports guy I ever lived. I was so lucky that Olazabal invited all my family there.

“The last round we were 10 points down, in front of the ropes and following all the players, seeing the putting from two or three metres; the chipping, the putting.

“Then seeing the crowd in the USA how step by step — nine, eight, seven, six, five, four — in the last holes, it was really amazing.

“It was fantastic and I hope these three days, while I’m here in England, I can watch again this marvellous event.

“I am a big fan of golf and a big fan of the Ryder Cup and hopefully we can enjoy these amazing players, because all of them are outstanding.”