Big Macs! Graeme McDowell (left, bottom) and Rory McIlroy (right, bottom) were the early stars of captain Paul McGinley’s (centre, bottom) side Sunday. While McIlroy destroyed Ricky Fowler, McDowell came from behind to beat Jordan Spieth to secure the first two points of the day. Source: Reuters

Europe maintained their Ryder Cup stranglehold over the United States with a crushing 5-point victory Sunday as rookie Jamie Donaldson had the honour of securing the decisive point to make it eight wins in the last 10 matches. Starting the day 10-6 up, Europe needed four points to retain the trophy they won after coming back from the same score two years ago and got there with plenty to spare, winning the singles battle 6.5- 5.5 for an overall 16.5 – 11.5 victory.

Rory McIlroy set the tone with a 5&4 demolition of Rickie Fowler and Graeme McDowell soon added a second point. American rookie Patrick Reed completed a wonderful personal weekend when he got his side’s first point on the board, with Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar also victorious, but there was no real tension around Gleneagles as Europe were well placed in so many other matches.

Martin Kaymer, who sunk the putt to complete the Miracle of Medinah two years ago, chipped in for an eagle to beat Bubba Watson 4&2 and Justin Rose, Europe’s stand-out performer with four points from five matches, came back from four down to halve with Hunter Mahan.

Then began the biennial Ryder Cup game of trying to work out who would secure the decisive point, and it turned out to be the 38-year-old Welshman Donaldson, who never trailed all day. Four up with four to play he had already ensured Europe would at least half the match and retain the cup but he made sure he finished in style by hitting a stunning approach to within two feet on the 15th.

‘Pick it up. they’ve won’

Unsure whether to concede the putt, the match and Cup, his opponent Keegan Bradley looked to his captain Tom Watson, who said: “Pick it up. They’ve won.”

Those simple words, delivered with the customary dignity of one of the most respected men in the game, sparked the usual pandemonium of celebration as the green disappeared beneath a mass of humanity. “It’s unbelievable,” said Donaldson, who won three points out of three over the weekend. “You can’t put words to it. Just a perfect yardage and wedge shot of my life to close the game out.”

Victorious captain Paul McGinley, who sunk the putt that won the cup for Europe in 2002, said: “It’s been a real honour to get these 12 players, they have all been colossus, and all of them, the caddies, the backroom team, five vice-captains, it’s been a huge team effort.”

“The Ryder Cup has evolved. I’ve seen the mistakes we’ve made over the years and I’ve changed things a little bit. This sense of pride for the players and the happiness of the people in the stands, that is what you do it for. I told the players to enjoy it because these days go quick.”

Watson, who remains the last man to lead the U.S. to victory on foreign soil 21 years ago, was out-thought by McGinley and was already coming in for widespread criticism for his tactics even before the final match ended. “We made them think about us early in the singles and then they turned it on,” he said. “They’re stacked with great players, but we came in here thinking we could beat them. The foursomes play is what separated the two teams.”

Awesome foursomes

Europe’s combined 7-1 victory in the two foursomes sessions, after losing both fourballs, indeed gave them the cushion they wanted, and though there was some red on the board after the early holes on Sunday, it all soon turned blue for the visitors in every sense.

McDowell, sent out first by McGinley because of his fighting spirit, needed to summon all of it as he fell three holes down after nine to inspired rookie Jordan Spieth but he fought back to secure a 2&1 victory and give Europe their second point moments after McIlroy had dusted Fowler.

The world number one stamped his authority from the start and after four birdies and an eagle he was five up after six holes and cruised home.

Stars don’t shine for USA and captain Watson

The United States were once again left scratching their heads after losing the Ryder Cup to Europe for the eighth time in 10 years on Sunday, the killer blow being their poor display in the foursomes. While the three U.S. rookies gave their team a major boost with inspired play over the three days of competition, the American struggled in the alternate-shot format where they were outplayed 7-1 by hosts Europe.

U.S. captain Tom Watson was widely panned for his decision to rest in-form rookies Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth from the opening foursomes and Phil Mickelson felt the team missed a trick by not trying to replicate their winning recipe from 2008. “We had a great formula in ‘08 and I don’t know why we have strayed from it,” American left-hander Mickelson, a veteran of 10 Ryder Cups, told Golf Channel. “I don’t know why we don’t ever try going back to it. What Zinger (Paul Azinger) did was really a good format and maybe we ought to relive that.”

Six years ago, Azinger’s imaginative captaincy paved the way for a first U.S. Ryder Cup victory since 1999 after he revamped the selection process to give him the hottest players and switched the opening Cup session from fourballs to foursomes. However, his most successful ploy was implementing a ‘pod’ system whereby his team was split into four groups of three players who gelled superbly that week at Valhalla after practising and playing together.

Watson, who was also captain when the U.S. last won the Ryder Cup on foreign soil in 1993, singled out the woeful display by the Americans in the foursomes as the decisive factor this week at Gleneagles.

“The combined scores for our team in foursomes were really, really high compared to theirs,” the 65-year-old said. Cup veteran Jim Furyk, beaten one-up by Spaniard Sergio Garcia in the singles, was dumbfounded by Europe’s dominance in the foursomes at Gleneagles.