RYDER CUP Europeans hand U.S. record-setting rout

It was the seventh time in the last 10 matches the European team prevailed.
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- Colin Montgomerie sauntered down the 18th fairway, a blue-and-white Scottish flag slung over his shoulder.
Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley unfurled the Irish tricolor, posing for pictures with members of the gallery, splashed in orange, white and green.
Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jimenez broke out the Spanish colors -- red and yellow -- after they were hoisted into the air by teammates.
Different countries.
Different banners.
One amazing Ryder Cup team.
Played as a team
This was the ultimate testament to teamwork, a historic victory over the Americans by a group of 12 that came from Ireland and Scotland, England and North Ireland, France and Spain -- all molded together by their German leader.
"We are all good friends, and that's important," Irishman Paul McGinley said. "When you have a bond like that with people, it's kind of hard to break."
There will be no disagreement from the Americans, who spent a lost week trying to mesh as teammates and wound up taking their worst Ryder Cup loss ever.
Europe 181/2, United States 91/2.
"I don't think we'll be the favorite next time," Phil Mickelson said, looking ahead tepidly to the 2006 matches at The K Club in Ireland. "No matter what the world rankings say, I think we'll be the underdog."
The numbers sure back up that assessment. The Europeans have won or retained Samuel Ryder's chalice in seven of the last 10 meetings, the sort of dominance the Americans used to have in the 77-year-old event.
An event that's supposed to wring out the drama to the very end turned into the long, long party for the Europeans. With six other matches still on the course, Lee Westwood made a putt at No. 18 to assure the Europeans would keep the Cup. A few minutes later, Montgomerie arrived at the final hole, rolled in a short putt and clinched an outright victory.
Sensing the inevitable, just about every European fan had staked out a prime spot around the 18th green for the celebration. As they came in one by one -- Jimenez, Thomas Levet, Harrington -- all were feted by boisterous fans who turned the gallery into a mosh pit.
Americans independent
Everyone agrees the United States produces the most talented golfers, but they're all independent contractors who tailor their games to win on the PGA Tour. On the other side of the Atlantic, a more cohesive, imaginative group is coming together every two years -- even if they're only known to Americans who watch European tour events on The Golf Channel.
"We spent a lot of time together, practice together, a lot of us live beside each other," McGinley said. "The makeup of the European tour makes you sort of stay in the same hotels, travel more or less at the same time and play practice rounds at the same time."
The United States still leads the series 24-9-2, but the Europeans are closing in. They made sure there was no rally like Brookline five years ago, when the Americans stormed back from a 10-6 deficit by putting their best players at the top of the lineup and riding a tidal wave of momentum.
Tiger Woods finally did his part, the only player not to lose a hole in an easy victory over Paul Casey. The Americans had early leads in the first five matches as the crowd trying to urge them to pull off another improbable comeback.
But just as it had gone all week, the Americans simply couldn't keep it up.