On Sunday, the U.S. team lipped out putts while the Euro's lipped in putts. The Euro's hit crucial putts when they needed and the U.S. didn't. It really is that simple.
Steve Stricker: Stricker's game got better as the week went on. He carried Tiger for two days and played a near flawless singles match against Europe's #1. A-(3-1)
Tiger Woods: He seemed to fill in the blanks on holes where Stricker didn't have it. Woods wasn't great but he didn't play poorly by any means. He played like Tiger in singles. B+(3-1)
Hunter Mahan: Played a solid foursome match in session two but leaked some oil in session three. He was put in an impossible position in singles and just couldn't pull it off. This was not his fault. B-(1-2)
Jeff Overton: What a surprise this was. Overton played with more emotion than anyone else on the team. You can tell he thrives in this environment. He carried Bubba around for two days and often played holes two against his one. A (2-2)
Phil Mickelson: Phil didn't have his long game or his putter for the first three sessions. He really played poorly and cost this team. He played well in singles but it wasn't good enough. He needs to take a lot of the blame for this one. C-(1-3)
Dustin Johnson: DJ hit the ball good all four sessions but couldn't buy a putt until singles. He was clearly outmatched on the greens. This should be the first of many Ryder Cups for Johnson and hopefully he remembers this feeling. C (1-3)
Jim Furyk: Furyk does not have a great Ryder Cup record but that is not entirely all on him. He looked tired this week. He didn't play well in session three with Johnson and got behind early in singles. He looked like he had Donald on more than a few occasions only to see Donald hole a twenty-footer. Going for the pin on 18 in singles, he pushed his third shot into the bunker. C (0-2-1)
Rickie Fowler: He made a horrible mistake in session two, only to battle back and get a halve in the end. He and Mickelson played poorly together in session three but his singles comeback will go down in history. His four birdie finish to tie Molinari was brilliant. That's why Pavin chose him and this is probably the first of many Cups to come. B-(0-1-2)
Matt Kuchar: Kuchar paired well with Stewart Cink but really didn't get going until session two. He looked tired from a long season trying to win the FedEx Cup. He started to hole a few putts and played some brilliant iron shots at times. B-(1-1-2)
Stewart Cink: Cink holed a crucial putt at the end of session two to give the U.S. a feeling that this might actually happen. He and Kuchar managed a half-point in session three for the U.S. but he didn't have the magic in singles. A three-putt on 15 cost him as well as a five-foot miss on 17. He managed a halve in singles but he will think what could have been. A deserved captains pick. B+(1-0-3)
Bubba Watson: By far the worst U.S. player. Watson was carried by Overton in session one. He constantly left crucial putts short and contributed little. He played Jimenez in singles and got waxed for Jimenez first career singles win. This is where the format change hurt the Americans. Pavin may have sat Watson if it wasn't for the rain. A disappointing effort. F (1-3)
Zack Johnson: Zack was tough. He had a tough session three but he isn't afraid to hole crucial putts. He drives it in the fairway, hits a ton of greens, and makes the putts when they count. He has the perfect game for Ryder Cup competition. B+ (2-1)
It was really nice to see the U.S. rally and make the Euro's sweat. In the end, it was the best Ryder Cup since Kiawah Island in 1991. The U.S. should be proud of how they played. I felt disgusted in '02, '04, and '06. It came down to the last singles match. You can't ask for anything more.
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