In 12 Alfred Dunhill Cup matches here between the opening day in 1996 and last Saturday evening, Mark O'Meara was a stunning 42-under-par - a stroke-average of 68.5. All of which made his collapse to a 76 so devastating for the US cause in their overall defeat by Spain in yesterday's semi-finals.

At 9 to 4 last Wednesday, there had never been hotter favourites for the tournament. But the ultimate demise of the Americans hinged on amazing putting lapses by Tiger Woods on the 17th and 18th, in his crucial match with Santiago Luna. So it was left to John Daly, the perceived weak man of their line-up, to salvage American pride at the top of the order.

Suddenly, O'Meara's observation of Friday last took on a fresh, bitterly ironic relevance. "Everybody thinks if you're a top-ranked player it should be a cake-walk to go right through this thing," he said. "But it's not the case." No indeed. Still, the Masters and British Open champion emerged with his dignity intact after calling a penalty on himself when his ball moved at address on the 16th green.

"I could see what was happening up ahead," said the reigning Masters and British Open champion, who was in the anchor position against Jose-Maria Olazabal. "I knew Tiger's match was of the utmost importance but, unfortunately, he couldn't quite pull it off."

Despite a decidedly scrappy homeward journey, Daly's clash with Miguel-Angel Jimenez effectively ended as a contest on the ninth green. Daly had moved three strokes clear by hitting a wedge within inches of the pin for a birdie at the seventh; went a further shot ahead through a six-footer at the next and then eagled the ninth, where he drove the green before holing a 20-footer for a six-shot lead.

Later, he could afford the luxury of taking a double-bogey six after being unplayable against the back wall at the 17th and still have a two strokes in hand. "When you're six shots up you get defensive, and if I'm to lose, I'd rather lose aggressively than conservatively."

The nature of Woods' failure was a real shock, especially in view of a four-stroke lead over Luna after 10 holes. Two holes later, when the Spaniard had carded par, birdie to successive bogeys from the American, the gap was down to a stroke.

Then the 190th ranked player drew level with the world's number one through a birdie at the long 14th, and they stayed that way going to the treacherous 17th. There, after being short of the Road Hole bunker in two, Luna played the most glorious, open-faced sand-wedge pitch which cleared the top lip of the trap by only a matter of inches, before coming to rest a few feet from the hole.

While the Spaniard made par, Woods took a bogey five by three-putting from 40 feet, leaving his first effort fully six feet short of the hole. Down the last, both were short of the green, Luna in the Valley of Sin while Woods was to his right, having failed to make proper contact with an attempted, hard cut off the tee, with the green in his sights.

The American then putted to four feet left of the hole. Luna, meanwhile, seemed likely to lose the match with a bogey to a birdie when his first putt ran up the slope and back down again. His caddie urged him: "Relax and take two putts." At the second attempt with his broom handle, he got the ball to two-and-a-half feet above the hole.

"With my birdie putt it was a matter of picking my line and trusting," said Woods afterwards. "But I pulled it." It was an honest admission about the sort of left-to-right breaking putts that professionals hate. In fact Woods could hardly have made a poorer stroke at the ball.

Generously, Luna said: "I think it was more difficult for Tiger than for me. He is number one and has to beat me and when I am four behind I just wanted to make a good score." In the circumstances, it was unquestionably the best 71 the Spaniard had ever played.

Even the South Africans were caught totally unawares by the Spanish triumph. "We were trying to figure out what way the American order would work out for the final," said David Frost after their semi-final victory over Australia. "That's a measure of what a great effort the Spanish put in to win. Obviously they played great."

In the holders' morning triumph, the key match came in the middle of the order where Australia's Stuart Appleby was level with Retief Goosen after nine. Over the next three holes, the South African went par, birdie, birdie against bogey, par, par, to open up what proved to be a decisive, three-stroke lead.

"Retief was unbelievable," said Ernie Els. "He's been the player we've relied on all the time and I can't praise his contribution highly enough." Goosen was the only member of the side to have won all four matches on his way to the final.

Meanwhile, Woods, with rounds of 66, 70, 66, 72 for a four-round aggregate of 274 - 14 under-par - put together a highly impressive if unavailing four days' work. But for the beaten golfer there is always another event, another challenge to lift the spirits.

So it was that, before departing here, he was already thinking of an impending debut in the World Match play championship in which he will be seeded through to the second round on Friday. "I'm looking forward to the tournament," he said. "I haven't played Wentworth so I don't know a lot about it, other than the fact that it has a lot of trees."

There are no towering pines on the Old Course. It's hazards are more subtle - as the Americans found to their cost yesterday.