Europe wins back Ryder Cup in Italy; rookie Hae Ran Ryu gets first LPGA Tour win

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — Europe won back the Ryder Cup on Sunday, just like it always does before its raucous crowd, with Rory McIlroy leading the way and Tommy Fleetwood delivering the decisive point to extend his team’s dominance over the Americans on home soil.

The outcome was never seriously in doubt at Marco Simone. Europe started the final day with a five-point lead. McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton put the Europeans on the verge of the cup, forcing the Americans to win the remaining five matches on the course.

Just like everything else this week, there was little chance of that.

McIlroy was still fired up over what he perceived to be bad behavior by Patrick Cantlay’s caddie on the 18th green the previous evening. He won his match to cap a 4-1 week and was Europe’s top scorer for the first time in the Ryder Cup.

And then Fleetwood hit a signature shot on the signature hole, a drive to 25 feet on the reachable 16th. Rickie Fowler hit into the water and eventually conceded a short birdie to Fleetwood that assured Europe the 14 1/2 points it needed to claim the 17-inch gold trophy.

The celebration was on, just like it always is on European soil, with one exception. The first Ryder Cup in Italy brought its share of chaos as fans raced toward the edge of the 18th green to watch the final match that only decided a result for the record book:

Europe 16 1/2, United States 11 1/2.