CHASKA, Minn. — Davis Love III may not have been too far off when he called this "the best team ever assembled" before the 41st Ryder Cup started.
The U.S. cruised to its largest Ryder Cup victory since 1981 when it beat Europe 17-11 this weekend. Sunday's singles matches proved the U.S. was the deeper bunch, with five of the last six matches showing American winners.
Team Europe and captain Darren Clarke handled themselves great all week, despite an unfortunate incident regarding Danny Willett's brother writing some hateful remarks about American fans, and some unruly fans getting a little out of control with their remarks.
Yet, all in all, the vast majority of the 50,000 screaming fans lining the fairways at Hazeltine National behaved admirably and gave the U.S. team the spark it needed.
Here are the top three reasons the U.S. earned the win:
1. Patrick Reed emerged as the next great U.S. Ryder Cup performer. It had been a long time since the U.S. found a guy willing to play in all five sessions while taking on Europe's best players. Reed did that, and he played terrific golf all weekend while compiling a 3-1-1 record.
The loss came Friday afternoon when Reed and Jordan Spieth ran into a buzzsaw against Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose. Aside from that, and a late collapse that allowed Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello to draw them Saturday morning, Reed was the bulldog U.S. fans have craved in the Ryder Cup since the likes of Lanny Wadkins and Hale Irwin.
In a pressure-packed Sunday singles match, Reed defeated Rory McIlroy 1up with another huge putt on the 18th green. Love rode Reed, and Jordan Spieth, all week and the two young American stars paid him back in full.
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Reed sent crowds into a buzz all weekend long, pumping his fists, finger wagging and more while making birdies in bunches with a few eagles sprinkled in. His short game was phenomenal, and his driving, which is underrated, helped set up all his birdie opportunities. This might be Reed's favorite competition, and he proved he's more than up to the task to become America's next go-to guy.
2. The task force's game plan worked every step of the way. Whether the name sticks or not, the organization of men helping to bring the cup back to the U.S. succeeded in everything it set out to accomplish. Not only did the U.S. reign victorious, but the Americans did it in convincing fashion, too, proving to be the deeper, more balanced team.
Phil Mickelson spearheaded the new committee after feeling left out of the decision-making process two years ago at Gleneagles. Mickelson looked much more relaxed this week, despite being under enormous pressure, and it was evident the players and vice captains had a very strong role inside the locker room.
During the practice rounds, vice captains were assigned pods as they walked around with their players, helping them read greens and figure out the tough, raised greens at Hazeltine National. The U.S. lacked this kind of cohesiveness in past Ryder Cups. Love made sure that wasn't an issue this time around.
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Everything from the captains' picks, to the pairings, to the understanding of when to rest players and when to ride players throughout all five sessions, proved that the U.S. leaders made all the right decisions. Love was planning on benching Reed or Spieth during Saturday afternoon's fourball session, but Tiger Woods talked him out of it and they delivered. Something like that, by all accounts, would not have happened two years ago.
3. Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Brandt Snedeker played some near-magical golf. Mickelson, in particular, proved all the skeptics saying he was too old, or handled the task-force situation with too much aggression wrong this weekend. The 46-year-old star made 10 birdies in an epic Sunday singles match against Sergio Garcia that ended in a dramatic halve after both players sunk birdie putts on 18.
Koepka answered the call in his first Ryder Cup by finishing with a 3-1 record, including a convincing 5 and 4 win against reigning Masters champion Danny Willett. His one lone negative was a gruesome shank on the par-4 12th hole Saturday morning. Other than that, Koepka, playing with a new Taylor Made driver, striped the ball all week and made putts when he needed to. He could join Reed, Spieth and Rickie Fowler as young American stalwarts in this competition.
Then there was Snedeker. Maybe a forgotten man, or at least an overlooked man, when analysts were talking about the squad before the competition started. Snedeker proved to be a solid mentor to Koepka and took care of his own business in a 3 and 1 win against Englishman Andy Sullivan. He was a a veteran and emotional leader all week.
In honor of the passing of Arnold Palmer, one of golf's greatest legends, it's safe to say the U.S. played with an extra bit of emotion and determination this week. Winning the Ryder Cup for the first time in eight years, and doing so in a respectful manner, was a great tribute to "The King."