The sport was enthralling, the climax gripping and the celebrations tumultuous as the rain-delayed 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales ended in tears for the losers and pure elation for Colin Montgomerie and his European team.

A victory by Graeme McDowell over Hunter Mahan on this day five years ago in the last of the 12 singles matches was enough to give the home team a 14.5 against 13.5 victory over opponents who refused to bow in the face of impossible odds.

That win on the par-three 17th at Celtic Manor finally turned back an American tide that had threatened to deny Montgomerie a captain’s victory

It would be Europe’s sixth victory in the last eight.

Other memorable events on this day…

1867: The first World Series since 1948 not to feature NY Yankees, SF Giants or LA Dodgers. Contested instead between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox.

1985: Henry G Perry completes 157-day, 14,021-mile bicycle tour of Australia.

2012: Michael Schumacher, the seven times world champion, called time on his second coming in F1.

2014: New Zealand wins the Rugby Championship for a third successive year as they beat Argentina 34-13 in La Plata.