Europe hold off red tide in raucous Ryder Cup triumph

Luke Donald’s heroes clinch a 16½-11½ victory to win back the trophy in style – but not before a few late nerves in Rome

- LAWRENCE OSTLERE

Europe won this cacophonous Ryder Cup in Rome, but only just. Fired up by clashes between the two teams on Saturday night, USA came out battling in yesterday's singles and almost pulled off a miracle at Marco Simone. Match after match turned red on the board but Europe held back the sea, and it was left to one of the most popular members of the team, Tommy Fleetwood, to finish the job in an understated moment on the 16th green.

That was match 11 of 12, showing just how deep America took the contest. “I didn’t want it to come down to one of us at the back,” Fleetwood said. “I’m so proud. I couldn’t wish for a better bunch of people to do with this. We are one gigantic family and the bonds you make last a lifetime.”

Shane Lowry’s tied match with Jordan Spieth was the final act on the 18th green, but by then the European party had already started and Lowry just wanted to join in. It finished 16½-11½, but that score did not tell the story of a nerve-wracking day. “At one stage it was looking dodgy,” Lowry admitted, “but I had faith in the boys to get it done.”

This Ryder Cup was a ferocious and often emotional three-day battle, which ended with tears on both sides, but it was really won on the first morning. The scores from Friday afternoon onwards were almost dead level, but that 4-0 whitewash in the opening foursomes gave USA an almost impossible hill to climb. The post-mortem will be revealing but it seemed like Europe were more united and better prepared, and it gave them a winning platform.