U.S. team pulls off victory in Ryder Cup

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - So who needs the best player on the planet anyway?

After Tiger Woods and his injured knee return, the Americans should just let him go about the business of winning more and more majors. And leave all the Boo Weekleys and J.B. Holmes of the food chain to take on those dreaded Europeans every other September.

The only contributions the reigning U.S. Open champ made this week were the text messages he kept sending to captain Paul Azinger from his home in Florida.

When, of course, he wasn't busy communicating with his good bud Michael Jordan, who was here hanging with the peeps.

Even Mr. Euro himself, Seve Ballesteros, said he'd be rooting for the stars and stripes - to save the Ryder Cup. Because it had become too predictable. A venomous rivalry had gone stagnant. And that's a hard sell, on either side of the Atlantic.

Well, consider the game back on.

Yesterday at Valhalla Golf Club, it felt like old times. The Americans - who'd led after the opening day (by three points) for the first time since 1991 and at the end of the second (by two) for the first time in 13 years - were able to finish things off in front of a stoked-up home crowd that relished every tingle almost as much as they did.

They took the singles, 7 1/2-4 1/2. Pennsylvania's Jim Furyk provided the winning point, when Miguel Angel Jiminez conceded a 2-foot par putt that closed out their match, 2 and 1. That made it 14 1/2-9 1/2. There were still four other matches on the course, but they became details. The final was 16 1/2-11 1/2. And for the first time since 1999, the U.S. holds the trophy. After getting absolutely skewered in the previous two meetings.

"I poured my heart and soul into this for 2 years," said a misty-eyed Azinger, who treated the event like a crusade. "The players poured their hearts and souls into it for a week.

"Once it started, I was feeling [the pressure] real bad. But here we are. I could not be happier."

It's the largest margin of victory for the Americans in 27 years. And the first time they've led wire-to-wire since 1979.

Euro captain Nick Faldo, Azinger's former broadcast partner, took a gamble by putting three of his best players (Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington) at the end. It never got that far. Even if it had, it might not have made a difference.

Faldo will no doubt have to answer to the Euro media. But his controversial captain's pick, Poulter, turned out to be his top weapon, finishing with four points.

"Look how close it was," Faldo said. "You're talking about fractions. We came up short, but not in pride. [All Ryder Cups] are special. I wish we could have had a few more cheering us on."

That won't be a problem in 2010, when this thing goes to Wales for the first time. For a change, the Euros will get 2 years to think about what went wrong. The U.S. hasn't won on foreign soil since 1993.

Sergio Garcia (who got torched by Ryder Cup rookie Anthony Kim in the opening match), Westwood and Harrington didn't win once among them. That's simply too much to overcome. Harrington, who's won three of the last six majors, is 0-6-2 in the last two Ryder Cups.

The U.S. certainly knows that feeling. Azinger got some unexpected mileage out of his six Ryder Cup first-timers, most notably Kim and Hunter Mahan. Weekley turned into a cult figure. The two Kentuckians, Holmes and Kenny Perry, lived out their dreams. It was enough to make you forget that Phil Mickelson has one win in his last 12 matches, and has lost four straight singles.

But . . .

"It's not about individuals this week," Poulter duly noted. "It's all about team."

It's what defines this competition. And makes it unique. Nothing else produces these kinds of reactions.

"It's the best moment of my life," said Holmes, who beat Soren Hansen, 2 and 1. "Just an unbelievable day."

Perry understands. At 48, he built his season around these 3 days.

"They said this was going to define my career. It made my career. It's something I'll never forget. The greatest experience I've ever had."

And in the process, helped restore some juice to a gathering that was noticeably leaking.

"I'm trying to contain myself," said Kim, who was so into the moment that he didn't realize he'd actually closed Garcia out (5 and 4) until someone informed him as he was heading to the next tee. "Right now, I'm coming out of my skin."

His exuberance conjured up comparisons to Garcia when he first came along.

"We're obviously very proud of ourselves," Kim went on. "Hopefully, there's a lot more coming."

From his mouth to Tiger's cell phone. *