Europe won that buzzy Ryder Cup in Rome, but only just. After clashes broke out between the two teams on Saturday night, the United States bowed out of the singles competition on Sunday and threatened to pull off a miracle in Marco Simone. Game after game turned red on the board, but Europe held back the sea, leaving it to one of the team’s most famous members, Tommy Fleetwood, to finish the job in a simple moment on the 16th green.

Rickie Fowler found the water off the tee, so when Fleetwood hit the shot of his life into the heart of the green and rolled his eagle shot close to the ball, the American conceded the hole, and with it the Ryder Cup. This was match number 11 out of 12, showing how deep America is in the competition. “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 group of people to do this. We are one big family and the bonds you have last a lifetime.

Shane Lowry’s par with Jordan Spieth was the final act on the 18th green, but by then the European team had already started and Lowry just wanted to join in. The match ended with a score of 16½ – 11½, but this score did not tell the story of tension. – A devastating day. “At some point, it seemed dodgy, but I had faith in the boys to get it done,” Lowry admitted.

This Ryder Cup was a fierce and often emotional battle that lasted three days, ending in tears on both sides, but it was already won on the first morning. Scores from Friday afternoon onwards were almost at dead level, but that 4-0 scoreline in the opening four-rounder gave USA a hill that was almost impossible to climb. The post-mortem results will be revealing, but Europe appears to have been more united and better prepared, and that gave them a winning platform.

It was a marked reversal after they were brutally dismantled in the Hyacinth Strait two years ago. Luke Donald will receive huge credit for his calm and leadership of the team, which Rory McIlroy described as instilling “quiet confidence” in his players. “Not a lot of people gave us a chance, especially after a couple of years ago,” Donald said. “We proved them wrong.”

So does Edoardo Molinari, the stats guru in the background who matches Europe’s ideal duo. Ryder Cup leaders come and go, but there will be calls for Donald and his backroom team to stay and lead again in New York in a couple of years.

However, the biggest credit will rightly go to the players. Just a few months ago, they were considered outsiders, but a string of wins and high finishes on the Tour have changed the narrative heading into Rome. Rookies Ludwig Aberg, Bob McIntyre, Nicolai Hougaard and Sepp Straka all played their part, and the leaders – world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, No. 3 Jon Rahm and No. 4 Viktor Hovland — delivered performances worthy of their star status. Europe simply did not have that heavyweight force in the Sfeir Strait.

Sunday delivered the Ryder Cup we’ve come to expect from the start: two teams facing off against each other on the scoreboard and in the body. There were several thorny moments: Justin Thomas took off his fancy hat in reference to “Hatgate” and covered his ears in front of a crowd after hitting a long putt on five; Justin Rose put his finger to his mouth, silencing American fans in his bout with pantomime villain Patrick Cantlay; Lowry was a constant source of energy, rallying the crowd after every hole he won.

The tone was set from the first match: Jon Rahm vs. Scottie Scheffler, two Predators butting heads. Scheffler is world No. 1 and 2022 Masters champion; Ram is the reigning Masters champion. For most of the day, they offer masterclasses.

Scheffler was nearly immaculate from tee to green, splitting each fairway with his driver and hitting the heart of each green with his irons. When he finally missed the green in regulation, on the eighth hole, it was about three inches. His stats in this department were like a tiger this year, but the story of his season was his disastrous putting and that injury cost him dearly here, as he dropped a string of short stats to lose holes.

Rahm made a birdie to win the final hole and cut the match in half, on a day when half points were of little use to the Americans. “I’m a little upset about that ending,” Schaeffler said, after a torrid week that saw her shed tears after a crushing defeat in the four-legged matches on Saturday. “The team needed a full point so I’m disappointed.”

Behind Rahm, the other two stars have emerged in Europe once again. The inspired Hovland demolished Colin Morikawa 4&3 before McIlroy overcame Sam Burns 3&1. The Ryder Cup format allows a leader to rely on big hitters and Donald did just that. Hovland and McIlroy were the only Europeans to play all five matches, each earning four points.

McIlroy appeared emotional after the end of the match, which raised Europe’s lead to 13 points, and choked up while speaking to the American network NBC. “Since Whistling Straits I’ve been very disappointed in my performance there. I’m very happy that I was able to come here and get it done.”

Asked if he had buried the hatchet with Joe LaCava, Cantlay’s saddler, with whom he clashed on the 18th green on Saturday night, McIlroy said: “I haven’t met Joe. I used that little incident last night to my advantage. What happened put a fire in our bellies.” “.

Meanwhile, Cantlay was an American totem on the course. He picked up where he left off, closing the first bar of red near the top of the scoreboard after defeating Rose in an emotional match. The crowd kept reminding him of his lack of headgear and there were plenty of jokes at Lacava’s expense, with one fan loudly warning Rose to be careful not to step on his line, causing such frustration for McIlroy.

“This is how this tournament should be,” Cantlay said of the hostile atmosphere in Marco Simone Stadium after defeating Rose 2&1. “This is exactly what I expected, and how it should be. I was just trying to use it as fuel.”

When asked again about the report that he had chosen not to wear a hat this week in protest at not being paid to play in the Ryder Cup, he replied: “Unfortunately, there was one media story from one person, the public took that and ran.” With them and it’s okay, I had fun with them today. This is completely not true. “It’s just outright lies.”

Next came Matt Fitzpatrick and Max Homa, with the American leading when they stood on the 18th tee. He could have won half a point in the Ryder Cup for Europe, but Homa denied Fitzpatrick the winning moment with a stunning shot from 6 feet to take the full point and confirm his credentials as one of the USA’s standout players in Rome. “It was an out-of-body experience,” Homa said of the hit that European fans were prepared to miss.

But it only delayed defeat. US captain Zach Johnson was tearful and compassionate. The Europeans played great golf. My men have shown sincere heart, true determination and great character. love them. But hats off to Luke.

Results in singles Sunday

Jon Rahm (Spa) cut in half with Scottie Scheffler

Viktor Hovland (Noor) defeated Collin Morikawa 4&3

Patrick Cantlay defeated Justin Rose (Eng) 2&1

Rory McIlroy (Nl) defeated Sam Burns 3&1

Max Homa Bit Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng) 1up

Tyrrell Hatton (Eng) beat Brian Harman 3&2

Brooks Koepka defeated Ludwig Aberg (Sweden) 3&2

Justin Thomas defeated Sepp Straka (Otto) 2up

Xander Scheufele defeated Nikolai Hougaard (Dn) 3&2

Shane Lowry (Ayr) made the cut with Jordan Spieth

Tommy Fleetwood (The Engineer) defeated Rickie Fowler 3&1

Robert McIntyre (SCO) defeated Wyndham Clark 2&1

Singles points: Europe 6 USA 6

Match result: Europe 16.5, USA 11.5