Veteran Paul Lawrie, playing in his first Ryder Cup since his maiden appearance at Brookline, was a revelation on Sunday, trouncing FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker, while Justin Rose doused the Phil Mickelson party on the dangerous 17th with a 35 foot slider to square the match before finishing off the sporting Mickelson in sensational style with another birdie on the 18th.
Poulter kept his hot hand going from Saturday afternoon with a hard fought 2up win over the equally in-form Webb Simpson to record a perfect 4-0 record at Medinah.
That set the stage for Kaymer to capitalise on all the work he has been doing to break from a slump by closing out Stricker on the final hole. Leading 1up and under suffocating pressure, Kaymer needed to two-putt the final green from 35-feet to win the Cup for Europel, but sent his first effort a good five feet past the hole to leave Stricker a window of opportunity.
With Woods leading Francesco Molinari 1up on the final tee, Stricker made Kaymer work for the win by holing his own eight-footer for par before the German calmly stroked the putt into the hole to make history for his side.
Amid the sheer jubilation that spilt onto the 18th green, the sleep-deprived Olazábal heaped praise on his team and their inspiration for the week, Ballesteros. "This one is for all of Europe," Olazábal said. "Seve will always be present with this team. He was a big factor for this event for the European side, and last night when we were having that meeting, I think the boys understood that believing was the most important thing. And I think they did."
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