Rory McIlroy has been a revelation on the world golf scene in the embryonic phase of what promises to be an outstanding professional career.
Considering his tender years, he has become one of the sport's most respected figures. The precocious Northern Irishman, 21, should not look back too fondly, however, at the way he conducted himself against a gallant and impeccably behaved United States team in the Ryder Cup.
The Americans were gunning for McIlroy from the moment he went beyond what is accepted as friendly rivalry and suggested that Tiger Woods would be an ideal singles opponent.
While Woods commendably kept his own counsel and responded to a severe foursomes mauling at the hands of Lee Westwood and Luke Donald by producing the best individual display in the concluding singles session, McIroy almost cost Europe their outstanding victory by failing to take heed from a painful lesson earlier in the contest.
Having thrown away a vital fourball point by going for the green at the long and treacherous closing hole and ending up in a watery grave, he committed exactly the same cardinal sin a second time by trying to get up in two when his pivotal singles battle with Stewart Cink was on a knife edge.
With most of Europe crying out for a safe lay-up to guarantee a solid par and set up the bonus opportunity of a winning birdie, McIlroy reached for his fairway wood and, desperate to carry the water, pushed his ball into one of the deepest bunkers on the Celtic Manor course.
Leaving his first attempted escape in the sand, McIlroy then found himself facing the unthinkable prospect of embarrassing defeat when moments early potential glory had beckoned. He needed all of his courage and character to hole a tricky putt for what in the end proved a decisive half.
If McIlroy had shared the last hole in conventional fashion with the impressive Cink - last year's surprising British Open champion can no longer be described as 'Stewart Who?' by United Kingdom galleries - he would have left the green with honour.
Instead, he can reflect on how lucky he was not to have put himself up as an embarrassed scapegoat if the battling American rally in the closing stages had carried Corey Pavin's team over the winning line.
McIlroy's and the rest of Europe's frustrating failure to secure the five points they required in good time, put enormous pressure on another Northern Irishman, Graeme McDowell, in the anchor role against Hunter Mahan, and how well the reigning US Open champion dealt with that burden.
With Europe holding a commanding three-point overnight advantage it appeared misguided for Colin Montgomerie, the captain, to send out McDowell in what was in all probability a dead rubber.
Montgomerie's fear that the contest would not be as clear-cut on the final day as it had been on Sunday afternoon for Europe proved painfully accurate and it was just as well the tactically-solid McDowell was there for the moment of reckoning against Mahan, who, sadly, was unable to cope with the situation.
McDowell indicated over the four weather-interrupted days that he should perhaps be acclaimed as the hottest property in Ireland ahead of his more flamboyant Ulster friend McIlroy and the fading force from south of the border, Padraig Harrington, the triple major winner and wild-card pick. Harrington's reputation should not have been taken into account when forming a line-up for what was always going to be the tightest of battles.
But he was handed one of Montgomerie's three wild card selections after a prolonged spell of indifferent form.
Speculation has already begun, especially in the European camp, about who will be responsible for dealing out those wild cards in advance of the 39th staging of the biennial transatlantic tussle. Montgomerie felt justified in declaring that his successor will come from one of his vice-captains and that assertion can hardly be questioned as the contenders rose from the initial three nominations of Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley to five following the addition of Sergio Garcia and Jose Maria Olazabal to lieutenant status.
Forget Garcia for the time being. He is far too young and much more likely to re-emerge as a player.
The honour, it seems, is Olazabal's to turn down. The experienced Spaniard, who learned so much from his Ryder Cup exploits alongside his revered compatriot Seve Ballesteros, was considered to be first in line for this year's job but did not pursue his claims because of serious fitness doubts.
His unforeseen high-profile role at Celtic Manor suggests the worst of those problems are behind him and a captain's welcoming speech in Chicago in 2012 should already be occupying his thoughts.
wjohnson@thenational.ae
