AMERICA ended eight years of hurt by finally winning the Ryder Cup – for just the second time this century.
Here are seven things we learnt from the Horror of Hazeltine as Davis Love masterminded a thumping 17-11 victory over Darren Clarke.
Patrick Reed is an all-American hero
The fiery Texas native announced himself on the Ryder Cup scene two years ago with his infamous ‘Shh’ celebration to the European fans at Gleneagles.
But Hazeltine this year was where he truly came into his own.
Reed and McIlroy played out arguably the best match in Ryder Cup history in the singles, trading birdies, bows and miracle shots.
He got 3.5 points from five and whipped the boisterous crowds into a frenzy with his brilliance.
The highlight probably came on the eighth hole on Sunday.
McIlroy holed a monster 70ft putt for birdie, went wild and then Reed poured his putt in right on top of him.
Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters are a duo for years to come
McIlroy was Europe’s leader and originally asked to be paired with England’s Andy Sullivan.
But they lost one down to an out-of-sorts Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler in the Friday morning foursomes.
Skipper Clarke then paired McIlroy with the 6ft 5ins Belgian – and what a move it proved.
They won three of three matches and never made it to the 18th once. Pieters earned four points, the most ever by a Ryder Cup rookie.
Mark them down for Paris 2018.
This should be Lee Westwood's last Ryder Cup as a player
One of the defining moments of the 2016 clash will be Westwood's missed tiddler for a halve against JB Holmes and Ryan Moore on Saturday evening.
One down on 18, Westy stuffed an iron shot to no more than three feet but then saw his putt race by.
He is one of England's most successful ever golfers, but had to rely on a pick from big pal Clarke this time.
That was understandable given how many rookies there were, but it looked a mistake to leave out the red-hot Russell Knox.
His next appearance will probably be as a vice-captain, then the main man.
Captains should have two bites of the cherry
Love did little wrong when going down to the Miracle of Medinah in 2012. He was overtaken by an unstoppable force out of his control
But there was no doubt he looked a more assured, confident captain second time round.
Anything would have been better than Tom Watson, who was openly blasted by Phil Mickelson after defeat two years ago.
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But Love was given time to re-evaluate and it worked wonders for the US team.
The much-derided task force, it can be said, finally came good.
It won't happen, but it would be fascinating to see how Clarke would fare given another go two years from now.
Fans will forever more be an even bigger part of the Ryder Cup
The tone for a raucous week was set by an incendiary article from Danny Willett's brother.
But it was McIlroy who became public enemy No 1 and had to get an abusive fan booted off the course for his "suck a d***" taunt.
But there were also new levels of playing to the crowd.
McIlroy got the most animated he has ever been in his singles match against Reed.
Arnold Palmer's sport-defining legacy is alive
The first hole was a loud place on Friday morning.
But tucked in the corner of the tee, unassuming, was Palmer's Ryder Cup bag from 1975, the year he was captain.
That was the same year America completed a 4-0 whitewash in the first session, a feat not repeated until the first morning at Hazeltine.
With Arnie smiling from above, the US raced out the gates into a lead they would never relinquish.
No wonder the crowds chanted his name during the closing ceremony.
Tiger Woods can actually do a job in the Ryder Cup
The sport's biggest name took a backseat, refusing to do interviews and largely working behind the scenes.
But work he did, constantly texting skipper Love and working late into the night on pairings and plans.
This was just the second winning team Woods has been a part of - and still he has experienced victory as a player only once, at Brookline in 1999.
But with his return to competitive action coming in 11 days time, this may whet the appetite for another shot at glory on the only stage where he's failed.
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