Kim set the tone with a 30 on the front nine that demoralized Garcia. Weekley galloped off the first tee using his driver as a toy horse, drawing laughter for his antics and cheers for his five birdies and an eagle he holed from the bunker.

Mahan, who criticized the Ryder Cup earlier this year as a money-making machine, was the only player to go all five matches without losing at Valhalla. 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.

He wound up with a halve against Paul Casey, and a new appreciation for this event.

“It’s an incredible, incredible experience,” said Mahan, who went 2-0-3 and tied a U.S. record for most points as a captain’s pick. “I wish every golfer could experience this, because it’s amazing.”

Ben Curtis and Chad Campbell, the final player picked for this U.S. team, won the final two matches against Lee Westwood and 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 U.S. 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.

And those six U.S. rookies? They went 9-4-8.

“I poured my heart and soul into this for two years,” Azinger said, his voice cracking. “The players poured their heart and soul into this for one week. They deserved it. I couldn’t be happier.”

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.

“I’m disappointed for the guys,” Faldo said. “We’ve all given 100 percent. I will decide how long I wish to think about it.”

Faldo at least was validated by taking 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, the biggest surprise was Europe’s best players.

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 PGA Championship, has gone nine consecutive matches without winning. He is 0-7-2 the last two times.

2008 Ryder Cup At Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. Final leaderboard  |    Slide show Final day: U.S. takes back the Ryder Cup Opinion: No substitute for inexperience   Video: Americans' winning moment Opinion: Azinger gave heart, soul  |    Video New breed carries Americans  |    Video: Boo! Kim concedes nothing to Garcia  |    Video Notebook: Perry finds his defining moment Video: Highlights and memorable moments VOTE: Who played biggest role in win?

Down early in eight matches, Europe chipped away, however, until it was clear the Ryder Cup could 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 left, 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.

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