That's much, much closer than many would have guessed following the European domination of Sunday's session, which the Euros won 5-0-1 to take a 3-point lead into the singles. It's certainly much closer than I imagined the Americans could make it - Team USA very nearly pulled out the halve to retain the Ryder Cup.
In the end, staging the second-biggest come-from-behind win in Ryder Cup history was one match and two holes out of reach for Team USA. After Rickie Fowler, 3-down with three holes to play against Edoardo Molinari, pulled an unlikely halve out of that match, Graeme McDowell vs. Hunter Mahan was the only match left on the course at Celtic Manor.
The overall score was 13.5-13.5. McDowell was 1-up with three to play. If Mahan could pull out a halve, the US would retain the cup.
But McDowell made a great birdie at the 16th to go dormie, 2-up with two to play. Then Mahan bogied the 17th, McDowell had the win, and the Europeans had the Ryder Cup again.
Pretty good year for McDowell, eh? He won the 2010 U.S. Open, then won the deciding match at the Ryder Cup.
Both teams acquitted themselves well on a fantastic final day at the 2010 Ryder Cup. Congratulations to Team Europe for the win.
And two years until the next round: The 2012 Ryder Cup takes place at Medinah outside Chicago, Sept. 28-30, 2012.
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