Ryder Cup 2014 Closing Ceremony: Top Moments and Twitter Reaction

Europe successfully retained their Ryder Cup title at Gleneagles in Scotland, Jamie Donaldson's win over Keegan Bradley being enough to take them to the winning score of 14.5 points.    

The final score read 16.5 to 11.5 in favour of the Europeans, as shared by The Guardian:

Scotland's Prime Minister Alex Salmond was more than impressed with how the tournament played out, and he couldn't hide the hyperbole:

The Scottish weather held up throughout the event, and the closing ceremony was no different. Thousands of fans gathered around the podium set up near the 18th hole in anticipation. As this is 2014, the obligatory selfies were abundant, as shared by Ian Poulter:

Team USA captain Tom Watson congratulated the European team and thanked the fans, the staff at Gleneagles and his players. He didn't forget about the caddies, either. BBC Sport's Phil McNulty was impressed with his grace:

He was given a standing ovation by fans and players alike, but not before he was interrupted by a singing crowd. As he left the stage, fans continued singing, "There's only one Tom Watson," much to the delight of the European players.

Alex Salmond was next, and after a failed referendum for Scottish independence just one week ago, the fans' reception understandably wasn't very warm, as shared by former football star Matt Le Tissier:

Paul McGinley couldn't help himself when it was his turn to speak, taking a crack at the singing crowd, via ByTheMin Golf:

He was as gracious as his American colleague, as reported by BBC Sport:

Tour golfer Paul Lawrie loved what he heard from the European captain:

The amicable atmosphere was overshadowed by Phil Mickelson's comments in the team press conference, as shared by Golf Channel's Jason Sobel:

Mickelson's comments can only be interpreted as an attack on Watson, who took some heat on social media for being out-coached by Europe's McGinley. For his part, Watson defended his strategy:

Regardless, Europe were favourites coming into the 2014 Ryder Cup and lived up to their billing after a difficult start. The home side made the difference in pairs and entered the final day with a significant lead, and the USA never seemed likely to repeat Europe's heroics from two years ago.

Much will be written about the failures of Watson and Mickelson's comments on Paul Azinger's methods, but right now, all that matters is that Europe's recent Ryder Cup dominance continues.

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