Ryder Cup 2012: the Twitter reaction

Following last night’s epic Ryder Cup finale, one thing’s for certain – this morning every office up and down the country will play host to bleary-eyed exultations (probably held over a source of caffeine) about one of the greatest sporting comebacks of all time. Because Europe’s against-the-odds victory to overhaul a 10-6 American lead resulted in 11pm victory jigs across the continent, as plucky German Martin Kaymer beat Steve Stricker to bring the holders’ points total to 14 – enough to take home the trophy.

The Twittersphere hosted the elation and jubilation of wild European fans, as well as the sunken spirits of the sheepish Americans – especially ESPN sports journalist Gene Wojciechowski who had added reason to hang his head in shame following his premature prediction of Europe’s non-existent victory hopes. According to Wojciechowski, “Team USA has the kind of two-day lead that Cup captains pray for. It is as close to insurmountable as trying to climb Mt. Everest wearing a T-shirt, cargo shorts and flip-flops.” Oh how wrong he was… and Twitter took every opportunity to goad him:

Piers and Dec weren’t the only famous faces to sing the praises of our heroic golfers as public figures from music, film, politics, soap and sport took to Twitter to share their delight in last night’s events. Labour MP and former cabinet minister David Miliband tried to appeal to voters with a spot of cockney rhyming slang:

While footballer Phil Neville appears to be suffering from all the late night excitement.

One Direction star Niall Horan’s Twitter seemed to have suffered a technical glitch when he ranked Derby’s victory 1-0 over Nottingham Forest above Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph:

While former England footballer Michael Owen reflected on a stellar year of British sporting achievement:

And Stephen Fry chose to highlight the ever-intriguing conundrum of BBC Sports Personality of the Year (you wouldn’t want to be responsible for making that decision…)

Tom Felton (aka Draco Malfoy) took a break from potions class to tweet:

While over in Albert Square, EastEnders stalwart Adam Woodyatt - who plays Ian Beale - added his take on events:

But where would a major victory against our American rivals be without some gentle teasing of our defeated friends across the pond? Chrissy Power kicked off proceedings...

While Tony Cowards weighed in with:

But the humour wasn’t just confined to the Yanks, with trophy-lifting Chelsea captain John Terry bearing the brunt of some Twitter wit. David Schneider’s Photoshop handiwork is sure to provide a few laughs:

While Richie McCormack is pinning his political hopes on Europe’s team captain:

Amongst the jubilation, many long-term golfing fans and players took a moment to remember the late Seve Ballesteros – one of the Ryder Cup’s most iconic players who sadly passed away in May 2011 after suffering from a brain tumour. The hashtag #doitforseve did the rounds and a number of famous faces paid their tributes. Prolific tweeter Piers Morgan took a break from the tension to make reference to the five-time Ryder Cup winner:

While Dragon's Den businessman Peter Jones tweeted:

And beaten Team USA golfer Bubba Watson was remarkably gracious in defeat…

But Bubba wasn't the only participant to share his thoughts on the competition. In this digital age, tweeters were treated to the reactions of Europe’s ecstatic cup-winning team who found a moment in between celebrations to share their reactions with followers. Irish world no. 1 Rory McIlroy tweeted:

While his compatriot Graeme McDowell announced:

And their English teammate Luke Donald posted:

And one hell of a party it must have been!

But for the final word, let’s look to Europe’s team captain. José Maria Olazábal may not have a Twitter account, but @K_BJones shared some of his moving speech following his team’s dramatic victory:

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