Azinger hails "unbelievable" home crowd after US win
An overjoyed Paul Azinger celebrates the USA's victory in style
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Monday, 22, Sep 2008 10:48
Winning Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger has paid tribute to a partisan home crowd in Kentucky that he claimed spurred the American players on to victory over Europe.
Azinger described the spectators at the Valhalla course as "unbelievable", especially during a thrilling final day that saw the United States reclaim the famous trophy for the first time since Brookline in 1999.
"Our guys played great, the European side played great and everyone was well behaved," he told the BBC afterwards.
"I'm proud of the crowd – I'm so happy."
Azinger admitted both he and opposite number Nick Faldo had sacrificed a great deal in the build-up to the 2008 competition.
But he said the 24 months of hard work had all been worth it.
"It's a relief right now," he added.
"I'm really happy.
"Nick and I both poured two years of our life into this thing and in the end you let go of the steering wheel and smash the pedal to the floor and hope you can do it."