Team Europe has lost the Ryder Cup for the first time since 1999 in an exhilarating tournament at the Valhalla golf club, Kentucky. A resurgent United States team led after every session of play, proving that Paul Azinger’s eclectic team of rookies can survive without the injured Tiger Woods. The final result: 16½ - 11½.

Europe was 'expected' to win. The Times Online even went as far as publishing five different reasons why the USA was fated to bite the dust with the ‘pathetic’ Phil Mickelson key to their demise. On paper, Team Europe did indeed seem like the better side.

Nick Faldo’s Ryder Cup experience made him a logical choice for the captaincy, but his decision to leave his best and most experienced players until the bottom of the tournament was a fatal mistake. By the time the likes of Pádraig Harrington and Ian Poulter stepped onto the green the game was already lost.

Paul Azinger surprised everybody by selecting six rookies in his team, but his foresight ultimately paid off. On the final day, youngster Anthony Kim silenced critics by beating Sergio Garcia in the first match of the tournament, while fellow US debutant Boo Weekley hammered Oliver Wilson and finished 8-under-par after 16 holes.

World number two Phil Mickelson fell to Justin Rose in what was perhaps the biggest shock of the tournament. The Englishman was jubilant with his performance but disappointed that Team Europe failed to defeat the Americans overall: 'I may have won three points out of four on my debut, but this week is not about individuals, it is about the team.' He also claimed that the score didn't reflect the play, and that it was actually much closer than it seemed.

Unfortunately, the tournament was not without incident. Ian Poulter told reporters that rookie US golfer, Anthony Kim, ‘body-checked’ him on the 14th green. Kim was apologetic: 'I wasn't out there to bump anybody. That's not the spirit of the Ryder Cup. This isn't football. I'm sorry he took it personally.' Poulter performed well in his match against Steve Stricker but, despite scoring the most points overall, he was unable to tip the scales in Europe’s favour.

Lee Westwood lost to Ben Curtis on the final afternoon but explained that he had been distracted by the behaviour of the American crowd. He blamed US captain Paul Azinger for inciting the fans and ‘involving outside agency’ in his first match against Boo Weekley. Westwood, who hails from Worksop, claimed that he was the victim of early-morning prank phone calls and a string of abuse from the American crowd.

The 2008 Ryder Cup has drawn a great deal of praise from both sides of the Atlantic with many believing that America’s victory over Europe was necessary to keep the tournament alive. Nick Faldo has borne the brunt of the media’s distaste, but few can deny that the result has enlivened the competition once again. Ian Poulter and Justin Rose both played exceptional golf for their team and were rightly disappointed with the overall result.

Written by Chris Illingworth