SUTTON COLDFIELD (England), Sept 29: Europe clinched a famous Ryder Cup triumph at The Belfry Sunday, Colin Montgomerie setting the tone as the hosts won five of the first 11 singles matches to seal victory.

Ireland’s Paul McGinley secured the win with a nine-foot putt on the last green to earn the half point against Jim Furyk that took the Europeans to the total of 14-1/2 they needed.

Needing 6-1/2 points on the final day to regain the trophy they last held at Valderrama in 1997, Europe secured early one-sided victories through Montgomerie, Padraig Harrington and Bernhard Langer to put the U.S. under pressure.

Although American David Toms edged out Sergio Garcia one up after a tight battle and Darren Clarke and David Duval finished all square after 18 tense holes, Europe were just two points short of victory when Thomas Bjorn beat Stewart Cink 2 & 1.

U.S. rookie Scott Verplank, always in control of his match against Lee Westwood, earned his team a second win by 2 & 1 before Welshman Phillip Price produced the shock result of the day, upsetting world number two Phil Mickelson 3 & 2.

Price holed a putt from 25 feet at the par-four 16th for his fifth birdie of the round to inflict upon the left-handed Mickelson his first Ryder Cup singles defeat in four matches.

Moments later, Paul Azinger holed out from a bunker at the last to halve a match against Sweden’s Niclas Fasth in which the American had three times trailed by two holes.

But that left Europe needing just half a point to win the trophy for the eighth time and McGinley held his nerve at the last to square his match against Furyk, leaving world number one Tiger Woods still out on the course in the closing stages of his match against Jesper Parnevik.

Montgomerie struck the first blow for Europe by easing to a 5 & 4 victory over American Scott Hoch in the first match out to put his side 9-8 ahead.

Harrington secured Europe’s second point, crushing an out-of-form Mark Calcavecchia by the same margin, before veteran Langer put paid to Hal Sutton 4 & 3.

With the two sides locked together at 8-8 overnight, a relaxed and confident Montgomerie holed out from 15 feet for birdie at the par-four first.

The 39-year-old Scot, unbeaten in singles in five previous Ryder Cups, reeled off further birdies on six, seven, 10 and 13 before sealing victory with a birdie putt from 15 feet at the par-three 14th.

Harrington mixed three birdies with a bogey-four to clinch his win over Calcavecchia, the American unable to find a single birdie on the day.

With 12 points up for grabs on the last day, the United States had started as firm favourites to gather the six points they needed to retain the trophy they won at Brookline by 14-1/2 points to 13-1/2 in 1999.—Reuters