Ryder Cup 2016: Winner, Final Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

After three straight losses, the United States defeated Europe to win the 2016 Ryder Cup with a final score of 17-11 on Sunday.

In an event with only pride on the line, Team USA brought the trophy home in an emotional victory after an eight-year drought.

The PGA Tour's official Twitter account showcased the excitement from the home team at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Minnesota:

ESPN's Mike Greenberg praised the winning performance:

The United States needed to secure five points from the 12 singles matches Sunday, and they came through with outstanding individual efforts throughout the day.

USA	Europe	Result
Patrick Reed	Rory McIlroy	USA 1 Up
Jordan Spieth	Henrik Stenson	Europe 3 and 2
J.B. Holmes	Thomas Pieters	Europe 3 and 2
Rickie Fowler	Justin Rose	USA 1 Up
Jimmy Walker	Rafa Cabrera Bello	Europe 3 and 2
Phil Mickelson	Sergio Garcia	Halved
Ryan Moore	Lee Westwood	USA 1 Up
Brandt Snedeker	Andy Sullivan	USA 3 and 1
Dustin Johnson	Chris Wood	USA 1 Up
Brooks Koepka	Danny Willett	USA 5 and 4
Matt Kuchar	Martin Kaymer	Europe 1 Up
Zach Johnson	Matt Fitzpatrick	USA 4 and 3

The United States held a 9.5-6.5 lead after two days in the competition. The Americans got off to a 4-0 start in the Friday morning foursomes, and the Saturday afternoon four-ball pairings earned a 3-1 advantage for the home team.

Still, the competition always comes down to singles play, and this year was no different.

The most entertaining match was the first one, with Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy creating plenty of fireworks in the early going, as the United States' Twitter account shared:

The fan support led to a lot of emotion from both sides over the course of the match. The players also did their part on the course as Reed used five birdies and an eagle to earn a 1-up victory for the United States.

As expected, the winning putt came with plenty of excitement.

The PGA Tour shared the replay:

Another notable early match pitted two of the best in the sport against each other as Jordan Spieth took on Henrik Stenson. While both had their moments, the Swedish star earned a 3-and-2 victory thanks to shots like this, via PGA.com:

Thomas Pieters and Rafa Cabrera Bello continued the early success for Europe with their own 3-and-2 wins. Sergio Garcia also halved his battle against Phil Mickelson.

Golf writer Ron Mintz broke down the impressive showing between the veteran duo:

However, the United States continued to show off its depth as the day continued.

Rickie Fowler and Brandt Snedeker earned impressive individual wins, although Brooks Koepka was arguably the most dominant of the day, winning 5 and 4 over Masters champion Danny Willett.

Jason Sobel of ESPN.com joked about the only problem with Koepka's day:

Ryan Moore then took care of the rest with his win over Lee Westwood. The last captain's pick won the 16th, 17th and 18th holes to earn the full point over the English veteran, securing the victory for the United States.

PGA.com shared the moment Moore clinched the Ryder Cup for the U.S.:

Dustin Johnson, who had been one of the hottest players on the PGA Tour over the last few months, wasn't even needed down the stretch, but he still came through with a victory to add to the United States' margin of victory.

Sunday's win ended a period of futility for the Americans, who had lost three Ryder Cups in a row and six of the last seven. With a relatively young group, many of this year's players will likely try to retain the cup two years from now at Le Golf National in France.

Post-Match Reaction

U.S. captain Davis Love III was pleased the team he put together came through in the clutch.

He spoke about what he was most proud of, per Luke Reddy of BBC Sport:

"

That our guys handled the pressure. There was a lot of stunning golf. Phil put up 10 birdies and only got a half today. I'm proud of what [European captain] Darren Clarke did but we pulled together and put up a performance. Everybody did their part, from the people in the locker room to the guys on the course.

"

The team effort led to an impressive win over a strong opponent.

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