Ryder Cup: Europe's 12 Mavericks - The Real Story
Classy Sergio, Rory the warrior and the big names who flopped
Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy made the difference when Europe regained the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, but few of their team-mates contributed more than a point each and three were not even given a match.
Captain Paul McGinley’s gamble on rookies Jamie Donaldson and Stephen Gallacher paid off as they delivered two points apiece – but the failure of others to shine, most notably Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell, was a potential weakness that the Americans failed to exploit.
Here, Sportsmail’s Derek Lawrenson gives the verdict on all 12 European players and rates their performance out of 10:
Rory McIlroy - 8/10: When he was not rolling around in the rough or making reckless decisions, he produced the kind of golf that made him the world No 1, winning three points.
Sergio Garcia - 9/10: The heart and soul of the team. His putter was hot on day one and he read the greens like a book. In the singles, he showed his class to dominate Jimmy Walker.
Justin Rose - 7/10: Made a valuable contribution with two points but clearly still lacking in confidence. Why else would he hit a three-wood at the 17th in the Sunday singles when a big drive would have put him close to the green?
Jamie Donaldson - 8/10: A superb debut by the 38-year-old Ryder Cup rookie, who holed the winning putt on the 15th against Keegan Bradley on Saturday afternoon.
Victor Dubuisson - 6/10: The French rookie, 24, showed glimpses of brilliance and the kind of fiery temper that could make him a future star. But his play was too erratic over three days.
Ian Poulter - 9/10: Inspired Europe on Friday afternoon by holing that famous 10-footer at the 16th and again on Sunday afternoon in tearing into Rickie Fowler. A Ryder Cup talisman.
Luke Donald - 4/10: A shocking performance by the former world No 1. He failed to win a point and looked out of sorts in his two fourballs matches.
Martin Kaymer - 3/10: Another European stalwart who failed to live up to expectations. The former world No 1 looked hesitant and could not find a way to generate momentum.
Graeme McDowell - 3/10: One of the most disappointing players. He was tidy but not much more. The 2010 hero at Celtic Manor failed to win a point.
Stephen Gallacher - 8/10: What a story he served up. The 39-year-old rookie produced the point that clinched the Ryder Cup on Sunday and, having never won a match at Wentworth in the past, he won three out of four at Gleneagles.
Henrik Stenson - 7/10: The Swede was once the heartbeat of the team but has lost some of his verve. Was dropped for the foursomes and did not contribute a point.
Lee Westwood - 6/10: The former world No 1 won one point out of three. But the performance of the 41-year-old was so far below par that he now faces a fight to remain involved.
Europe completed their mission in the singles to win the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. Here is the final scoreboard.
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