Leonard lauds British fans

The golfer whose putt precipitated the biggest controversy in Ryder Cup history today backed British fans to restore sanity to one of sport's most prestigious team competitions.

Justin Leonard sealed victory for the United States two years ago when he sent his ball on a 45-foot uphill roll to glory at the Brookline Country Club's 17th hole.

But the outrageous display of celebration by Leonard's team-mates and their wives, some of whom invaded the green even though Jose Maria Olazabal still had an outside chance of keeping Europe in the tournament, marred what should have been an amazing achievement in clawing back a four-point deficit on a dramatic final day.

That incident, combined with abuse hurled at European players by a fiercely partisan American gallery, cast doubt over the integrity of the Ryder Cup and has caused a state of mounting tension to surround next month's match at The Belfry.

As most the players who will take part in that clash prepare to contest the £3.6 million NEC Invitational World Championship at the Firestone Country Club here, Leonard insisted that the traditional values of the Ryder Cup must be restored.

"And if that's going to happen, I think it has to happen in England this year," he said.

Leonard, who endeared himself to British supporters with his victory in the 1997 Open Championship at Royal Troon, went on: "I believe they have the ultimate golf fans. They don't just enjoy the game, they enjoy the traditions of the game, the history of the game, the way we're supposed to behave around the game."