Now he knows why the Ryder Cup is such a big deal, why Ben Crenshaw scolded him and some of his colleagues, why knees buckle even though not a single dime of prize money is at stake.

	David Duval plays to the crowd after his 5 and 4 win over Jesper Parnevik.

How else do explain the reaction of his United States teammates when Justin Leonard holed the 45-foot putt? How else do you explain the reactions of the Europeans, dejected in defeat?

If this were just an exhibition, no tears would be shed, no tempers would have flared.

If the outcome didn't matter, fans would not have chanted as if it were a football game, cheering the inaccurate shots and missed putts of Europeans, going wild at the sight of an American player safely reaching the green.

Now Duval understands.

"As many people have told me, it's something you can't explain and you can't appreciate until you've been a part of it," Duval said. "The great analogy I was given was that it's like when you have your first child, you just can't explain it to somebody. You have to go through it.

"To feel the heat of it all, the magnitude, and even the history of it, is something that I can't personally put into words. I don't have the vocabulary for that."

Duval played a big role in the American victory on Sunday at The Country Club, as did every player who won or tied. They had to. Every point was necessary.

Trialing by four points entering the final day, the United States won eight matches and halved another to win the Ryder Cup 14½-13½.

Duval, who was playing in his first Ryder Cup, won his first match by drilling European star Jesper Parnevik 5 and 4. Duval took a 6-up lead by the eighth hole, administering a whipping he didn't seem capable of delivering just a day earlier.

The second-ranked player in the world, Duval has not won since early April. He's played indifferently the last several months, while Tiger Woods regained the spotlight.

And then came the Ryder Cup compensation issue, the lightning rod for controversy. Duval suggested in a magazine interview that some players might not play in future Ryder Cups if they are not paid. He described it as a corporate outing. He wondered what the fuss was all about.

Along with Woods, Phil Mickelson and Mark O'Meara, Duval was singled out at the PGA Championship last month by Crenshaw, who was angered by their comments.

Now Duval understands.

"I still think that we should have a say in the way the charity money is directed," Duval said. "My frame of reference for this event was based on two Presidents Cups. No offense to that event, but it pales in comparison to this.

"(Winning) the Players Championship was a special day for me. The final round when I shot 59 (at the Bob Hope Classic) was special. If this isn't ahead of those, it's at least tied. ... This is unlike any other event."

Duval was inspired Sunday. He played with passion and purpose. He stepped on Parnevik's neck and would not let him back up. It was Duval who gave an emotional talk to his teammates Saturday night.

"I just told them I was disappointed with a lot of things that happened, a lot of things said about me and how I was portrayed," he said. "I told them I didn't say some of those things, and I think they understood. I said, 'Let's just go out and kill them.' "

Now Duval understands.

Bob Harig, who covers golf for the St. Petersburg Times, writes a column every Tuesday for ESPN Golf Online.