The 39th Ryder Cup was held September 28–30, 2012, at the Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois, U.S.
This was the first time that the Ryder Cup was held in Illinois.
Europe went into the competition as the cup holders, having defeated the United States 14½ points to 13½ in 2010.
The team captains were Davis Love III for the U.S. and José María Olazábal for Europe.
European players wore the image of the late Seve Ballesteros on their sleeves, had his silhouette embroidered on their golf bags, and played with his legendary passion to match the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history.
European Captain José María Olazábal squeezed his eyes, fought back tears and looked skyward after Martin Kaymer stroked home a 6-foot par putt on the 18th green in the fading sunlight at Medinah Country Club.
With a 14.5 to 13.5 victory in the 39th Ryder Cup, the four-pound gold trophy was returning to Europe. Kaymer defeated Steve Stricker, 1-up, to cap Europe’s record-matching comeback from a 10-6 deficit, a rally that was even more stunning than what Olazábal and his former teammates experienced in 1999 in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Thirteen years ago, it was Olazábal standing on the green watching the U.S. celebrate after roaring back from the identical margin on Sunday.
The Medinah conquest was Europe’s fifth victory in the last six Ryder Cups, and seventh in the last nine.