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https://scmp.com/sport/golf/article/2024532/tears-flow-emotional-united-states-win-ryder-cup-hazeltine-finally-end Golf
Tears flow as emotional United States win Ryder Cup at Hazeltine to finally end losing streak
USA end a long wait for US Ryder Cup redemption after clinching a rousing win over Europe at Hazeltine to reclaim the golden trophy in golf’s top team competition.
Captain Davis Love III of the United States celebrates with his team and their caddies during the closing ceremony of the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. Photo: AFP
Ryan Moore ended a long wait for US Ryder Cup redemption when he clinched a rousing win over Europe at Hazeltine on Sunday, beating Lee Westwood to allow the Americans to reclaim the golden trophy in golf’s top team competition.
With Westwood in for bogey at the 18th, Moore rolled his birdie putt to within one foot and the tap-in was conceded to seal a 1-up win and clinch a 15-10 lead for the United States, with 14 1/2 points required for their victory.
Teammates, families and friends poured out onto the green to celebrate what ended as a 17-11 thumping.
Emotional US assistant captain Bubba Watson wept on the shoulder of captain Davis Love III as the two hugged on the 18th green.
“I’m super proud of them,” Love said. “We all pulled together for this one.
“We’ve been kicked around for so long, if you keep on losing you feel you’ve got to do something different,” he said about changes the US team made to increase continuity in the team hierarchy and allow more input from the players.
“Our guys handled the pressure. Europe came in and played unbelievable golf. The great thing is we didn’t battle between all of us, we all pulled together.”
The Americans had last won the biennial match play event in 2008 as Europe ran off three Cup victories in a row, extending their domination to eight of the last 10 meetings. 
Justin Rose of Europe plays his shot from the 17th tee during his singles match. Photo: AFP
“At the end of the day, the American guys played better than we did,” said European captain Darren Clarke. “They holed the putts when they had to, and we lipped out. But that’s happened the other way around for quite some time.”
Brandt Snedeker, who registered a 3-0 record, set Moore up for the winning point by claiming a 3 and 1 victory over English rookie Andy Sullivan.
On a brilliantly sunny day, the US side capitalised on their greater depth to close out victory as they faced four of Europe’s six rookies in the late matches, winning all of them. 
Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth of the United States celebrate with champagne after winning the Ryder Cup. Photo: AFP
The US victory charge came after some titanic early matches in which Europe, who front-loaded their best players at the top of the order, closed the gap to one point after entering the deciding 12 singles matches trailing by three.
Sensational shot-making and scoring made for great theatre in front of some 50,000 roaring fans.
Patrick Reed and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, the hottest players and most demonstrative competitors on their respective teams, staged an outrageous contest of can-you-top-this in their opening nine. 
Patrick Reed of the United States celebrates during the closing ceremony of the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. Photo: AFP
Reed’s 1-up win gave him a US-leading 3.5 points from his five matches.
Later in the day, Cup veterans Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia waged an epic battle, with 19 birdies between them.
After a rousing finish in which the Spaniard closed with four birdies in a row and Mickelson birdied four of the last five holes, they appropriately ended up all square.
Henrik Stenson and rookies Thomas Pieters and Rafa Cabrera-Bello closed the gap for Europe, narrowing the US lead to 10 1/2 to 9 1/2, but the Americans held a big edge in the later matches.
Sweden’s Stenson beat Jordan Spieth, Pieters of Belgium topped J.B. Holmes and Spain’s Cabrera-Bello defeated PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker – all by 3 and 2. 
United States players speak during a press conference after defeating Europe to win the 2016 Ryder Cup with the champagne on ice. Photo: AFP
The 24-year-old Pieters set a European rookie record by registering four points and became the first Ryder debutant since 1999 to play in all five sessions.
Reed and McIlroy set the tone for a brilliant day of golf, with the eighth hole producing an outstanding Ryder moment.
McIlroy rolled in a long birdie bomb and roared in delight, playing to the suddenly silenced crowd by putting his hand to his ear and shouting, “I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you,” in extravagant fashion.
Reed then matched McIlroy by pouring in his 20-foot birdie putt to an explosive celebration by the crowd, and wagged his finger at McIlroy and waved his arms to whoop up even louder cheers.
As he walked off the green, Reed was met by a smiling McIlroy, who bumped fists with his rival in a classic Ryder Cup tableau.