Ryder Cup 2021: How Europe’s team spirit has helped beat the United States

With Ballesteros talked round, tickets on the supersonic cross-Atlantic jet booked, and sartorial uniformity assured, Jacklin and the team headed over to Florida.

Jacklin’s leadership style was uncomplicated and effective: instilling a belief and togetherness which he felt had previously been missing.

“At the first gathering in the team room, I felt the need to introduce myself and tell them where I was coming from,” said Jacklin, who is so synonymous with the competition that the title of his new book is called ‘My Ryder Cup Journey’.

“There were some hooks outside this door. I told them ‘if you’ve got an ego, hang it on that hook before you come through this door, because we haven’t got time for egos in here. This is the team room, this is where we unite as a team’.

“The message was loud and clear from them. This is where they wanted to be.”

Reassuring his players of their quality, complemented by recruiting the revered Ballesteros to gee up a team-mate with soothing words and a comforting shoulder rub, was a key part of Jacklin’s success.

“I showed respect to the players, showing them the respect which I thought they deserved,” he said.

“They responded to that, I saw it in front of my eyes. They respected me for treating them like the great players they were.”

The US had won their previous 12 Ryder Cups at home by a margin of at least four points. Jacklin’s men lost by one.

“What we did at Palm Beach proved we were on the right track,” he said. “We talk about great Ryder Cup performances and I think that’s up there.”

“I never tried to tell any of them how to play, all I could do was take care of them and make sure they had everything they needed. The response was amazing. They dug deep.

“This is where the unity and commitment from the team was fantastic. And it has been the same ever since.”