Team USA Celebrates after winning the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine

Chaska, Minnesota - In the 41st edition of the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National, Team USA

was in desperate need of a victory. A Task Force, 5 vice captains, the inspiration of The

King and a young hero culminated in a decisive 17-11 victory over Team Europe.

That young hero was Patrick Reed, playing in the first match out of the gates on Sunday

this would be perhaps the most epic singles match in Ryder Cup history. Birdie were

abound in this duel where putts dropped from everywhere in a "what you can do, I can

do better" type of tilt, each continued to top each other and the volume reached a fevered

pitch among the Minnesota faithful. The match came down to the last with Rory in tight

for birdie. Reed had a must make to take down Europe's giant, and poured in the final

roll to take down the road team's alpha and seal the momentum going forward throughout

Sunday. In doing so, Reed upped his Ryder Cup record to 6-1-2 and 2-0 in singles for his

career (The team of Reed/Spieth also improved their Ryder Cup career mark to 4-1-2).

Another match that will one day become legend was the Mickelson vs Sergio Garcia.

Each player made clutch putts down the stretch to shoot 63 and gain a halve - 19 birdies

in all. Mickelson who played with perhaps more pressure than anyone this week, showed

up big with a 2-1-1 record. For Captain Davis Love III it was sweet redemption for Medinah

in 2012, where the biggest lead was lost in a Seve inspired performance by the Europeans.

After the matches, Spieth summed up the thoughts of many calling his playing partner

Patrick Reed an "American Hero" this week . . . and that's exactly what Team USA

needed. Just as the Euro's channeled Seve at Medinah, The Yanks were fueled by the

memory of Arnold Palmer.

The 2018 Ryder Cup Matches will be resume at Le Golf Nacional in Paris, France.

Match scores: http://www.rydercup.com/

By Jason Bruno

Chaska, Minnesota - It's won't be long before the 41st Ryder Cup matches begin at Hazeltine Golf Club.

There is no better drama in golf and perhaps in sports than these matches between the United States

and Europe. If you're an American pulling for the stars and stripes you've been disappointed in the

result of 8 of the last 10 editions of Samuel Ryder's creation that started out as a friendly exhibition

between America and Great Britain. In 1953, Ireland and it's players were included in an effort to

make the matches more evenly contested, but the addition of the republic had virtually no impact

on the result. America continued it's winning ways.

During those years, the results were already known before the first tee shot was struck. When the

rest of continental Europe and it's players came into the fold in 1979, it all changed. In the 18

matches since European golfers have taken part, Europe has won 10, U.S 7 and one match was tied.

So how does America shift the momentum and reverse the recent trend in this the 2016 edition? The

new "task force" is the start to an era of continuity, something the Euro's have had since Tony Jacklin

and Bernard Gallacher pulled the strings for the Blue & Gold. Winning Captains like Seve, Langer,

Montgomerie and McGinley were all groomed from the European Tour as vice captains in past cup

matches. It won't be easy for Team USA to overcome the successful formula that Europe has created,

but if they are to get it done in Minnesota this week - look to the younger generation of Spieth, Reed,

Koepka and Fowler to take charge. Gone are the scarred run out of gas geritol set of Furyk and

Stricker (now Vice Captains). If the young guns do their thing, 12th man Ryan Moore continues his

solid play, and DJ can dominate as usual - then vets Mickelson, Kuchar, Snedeker, and Zach Johnson

may only need to be the supporting cast. All big ifs for sure. Can having Tiger, Furyk, Stricker,

Lehman and Bubba as Vice Captains make a difference? Perhaps, but I see the Euro's as much more

formidable than most do. Don't sleep on the Europeans, they have the Masters Champ (Willet), Open

Champ (Stenson), Olympic Champion (Rose) and Fedex Cup Champion (McIlroy).

Captain Davis Love and the task force would take anyone that steps forward and leads the charge,

but I suspect once again it will likely come down to a clutch putt down the stretch. Who will be that

hero for the stars and stripes when it's all on the line?

Prediction: Europe 14  USA 14 (Europe retains the Cup).

Here's to another Ryder Cup, every other year it's the best week in sports.

Rory celebrates at East Lake with both the Fedex Cup and Tour Championship trophy

Atlanta, Georgia - In the most exciting and dramatic Tour Championship of the Fedex Cup era

Rory McIlroy outlasted Ryan Moore to win both the Tour Championship and the season long

Fedex Cup.

Both McIlroy and Moore fired 64's on Sunday to reach 12 under par along with Kevin Chappel

who all squared off in a sudden death playoff. After Chappel was eliminated on the first

playoff hole McIlroy and Moore would play three more. On the sixteenth - the fourth playoff

hole (where Rory had earlier holed his approach from the fairway for eagle) it came down to

a 17 ft par putt for Moore. McIlroy was 14 ft away for birdie, so Moore was on the ropes just

trying to survive for another hole and perhaps a Ryder Cup birth. Moore stepped up and drained

the improbable par putt forcing the Ulsterman to make his birdie to win it all. Not even a slight

flinch from McIlroy after the American threw the haymaker, Rory got over the putt and wasted

no time. McIlroy poured his birdie right in the heart. $11.53 million earned! GAME OVER. Season

Over.

Afterward McIlroy was elated: "There's a lot of things that had to go well for me today, along

with me playing well," McIlroy said. "Everything just sort of aligned for me - I took advantage

of that opportunity."

Dustin Johnson who was in the best position to win the Fedex Cup leading the points standings

(and was atop the leaderboard for most of the week) struggled at East Lake on Sunday shooting

73. If Ryan Moore or Kevin Chappel had won the Tour Championship, Johnson would have won

the Fedex Cup.

Shortly after the championship ended, Ryan Moore was named as the 12th man of the 2016

Ryder Cup Team.

Scores: http://www.pgatour.com/leaderboard.html