September 23, 2008	Tuesday	Ramazan 22, 1429

LOUISVILLE (Kentucky), Sept 22: The Americans rode the emotion of a flag-waving crowd and their Kentucky heroes on Sunday to reclaim the Ryder Cup with a 16-11 victory over Europe.

Kenny Perry, the 48-year-old local who dreamed of playing a Ryder Cup before a home crowd, delivered a 3-and-2 victory that was part of an early push that swung momentum toward the US team which lifted the cup without their best player, Tiger Woods.

“I figured this was going to define my career,” said Perry. “But you know what? It made my career.”

J.B. Holmes, legendary in these parts for making his high school team in tiny Campbellsville at 8, showed off his awesome power with two final birdies that set up the Americans for victory.

The clinching point, appropriately, came from Jim Furyk. He felt hollow six years ago at The Belfry as Paul McGinley made a par putt that clinched victory for Europe, the first of three straight victories that extended its domination of a passionate event that America once owned.

For all the birdies and spectacular shots over three inspirational days at Valhalla, the Ryder Cup ended with a handshake.

Miguel Angel Jimenez conceded a short par putt, giving Furyk a 2-and-1 victory and the Americans the 14{ points they needed to show they can win on golf’s biggest stage — and without Woods, out for the year with a knee surgery but staying involved by text messaging Azinger throughout the final day.

Azinger was proud of his team’s effort. “They just took an everything-to-gain attitude into this competition,” Azinger said. “And I couldn’t be happier.”

Anthony Kim set the tone by handing Sergio Garcia his worst loss ever in the Ryder Cup and keeping him winless at Valhalla. Boo Weekley galloped off the first tee using his driver as a toy horse, drawing laughter for his antics and cheers for his birdies.Hunter Mahan, who criticized the Ryder Cup this year as a money-making machine, was the only player to go all five matches without losing. His match was the only one to reach the 18th green, all because of a 60-foot birdie putt from Mahan that slammed into the back of the cup on the 17th hole.

Ben Curtis and Chad Campbell, the final player picked for this US team, won the final two matches against Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington for a lopsided score that for the last three years had been posted in European blue.

It was the largest margin of victory for the Americans since 1981. Despite his misfit collection of stars — from the backwoods Weekley to the street-smart Kim — perhaps no one made a greater impact on the US victory than Azinger.

It was his idea to overhaul the qualifying system, which he felt was keeping the Americans from fielding their best team. He also doubled his captain’s picks, and those four players produced one-third of the points.

European captain Nick Faldo won’t get off that easy. The British press blistered him for benching Garcia and Westwood — the most successful European tandem — on Saturday, the first time either of them had ever missed a match in the Ryder Cup. Even more peculiar was putting three of his strongest players at the bottom of the lineup — Ian Poulter, Westwood and Harrington.

The Ryder Cup was decided as their matches were in progress. Their points never had a chance to matter.

“It always hurts,” Faldo said. He at least was validated by taking Ian Poulter, who had only two top-10s all year. The brash Englishman was the only European to play all five matches and went 4-1, tying the record for most points by a European captain’s pick set last time by Westwood. Even so, there was something missing from this European team.

Garcia and Westwood failed to win a match for the first time in the Ryder Cup. Harrington, coming off a summer in which he won the British Open and US PGA Championship, now has gone nine consecutive matches without winning.

Phil Mickelson had another losing record in the Ryder Cup, winning only one hole in his 3-and-2 loss to Justin Rose. But he spent the first two days showing the ropes to Kim, the youngest player on the US team at 23.

Kim took it from there. He birdied three of his first four holes and annoyed Garcia — another turnaround — by refusing to concede even 2-foot putts and challenging a ruling on the sixth hole. He went 3 up through seven holes, and the scoreboard was filled with red scores belonging to the Americans, who led in eight matches early on the final day.

Europe chipped away, however, until it was clear the Ryder Cup could go down to a big-hitting rookie.

Holmes was all square with Soren Hansen after they traded birdies through the 15th hole and tension began to build. Holmes tugged on his black glove, waggled his driver and hammered a tee shot on the 511-yard 16th that set up a birdie and a 1-up lead. On the next hole, he sent another powerful drive well to the right, but it bounced up a slope, through the gallery, over a cart path, and kept right on rolling back into the short grass. His wedge spun back to 3 feet to set up the victory.

Azinger, riding around Valhalla in his cart to applaud the crowd and pump them up, jumped off the grassy slope with a look on his face that suggested he had never seen anything like this.

It had been eight long years since the Americans could celebrate like this, and they get two years to enjoy it.—AP