Ryder Cup 2014: Europeans Make Easy Work of US for Third Straight Victory

GLENEAGLES, Scotland - In the last 20 years, the Americans have lost the Ryder Cup with Tiger Woods and without Tiger Woods. They have lost it at home; lost it on the road; lost it by an agonizingly small margin and by a demoralizingly large margin.

Their visit to the exclusive Gleneagles Hotel brought no relief as a powerful and united European team, cleverly led by its Irish captain Paul McGinley, rolled to its third straight victory and its eighth in the last 10 editions.

The last two Cups were decided by just 1 point very late on the final day of singles play. But though there were plenty of exceptional shots on Sunday in Scotland, there was no great suspense as an early American charge soon faltered.

The Europeans, who needed to win just 4 points out of the 12 singles matches, got an overwhelming early victory from world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who defeated Rickie Fowler, 5 and 4, and then a comeback victory from Graeme McDowell, who rallied to defeat Jordan Spieth, 2 and 1.

The Cup-clinching 14th point came shortly after 4:30 p.m. when the rookie Jamie Donaldson's birdie putt on the 15th hole was conceded by the American Keegan Bradley. That finished off Donaldson's 4 and 3 victory.

'You can't really put words to it I suppose,' Donaldson said. 'Obviously I knew it was all getting tight there at the end.'

Not that tight. The lead for Europe heading into the singles was 10-6: a score that carried plenty of psychological baggage. In 1999, the Europeans lost a 10-6 lead and the Cup at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass. In the last edition in 2012, the Americans lost a 10-6 lead at Medinah Country Club in the Chicago suburbs.

But the Europeans have yet to squander that big an advantage on their own turf, and the PGA Centenary Course, designed by none other than Jack Nicklaus, was certainly home territory: packed with over 40,000 fans for each day of the competition.

Most of them did not have American accents, although a small group of them were wearing kilts decorated with American flags.

That was a nice touch but it would have taken something extraordinary for the Americans to snatch the Cup away from the hosts.

Needing momentum early, American captain Tom Watson chose to favor youth and form over experience in the singles. He put Spieth, the 21-year-old rookie, in first position, the 24-year-old rookie Patrick Reed in second position and the 25-year-old Fowler in third position.

But the United States ended up getting just 1 point out of those three matches as Reed, fiery and demonstrative, managed a one-hole victory over Henrik Stenson of Sweden, a victory in which he put a finger to his lips early in the match to quiet the European crowd (it didn't work).

Spieth took a 3-hole lead over McDowell after five holes and still had it at the turn, but the Northern Irishman, who has not had his best season, found his form and putting stroke on the back nine and ended up teary-eyed in victory.

By then his countryman McIlroy already had finished off his friend Fowler in grand style after starting the match with four birdies and an eagle in the first six holes.

There has been concern that McIlroy's legal dispute with his former agency, which still represents McDowell, might have driven a wedge between the two men. But both have dismissed that concern, and McIlroy was there to hug McDowell after his victory, and by late afternoon there were European hugs all around.

As usual.

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