For all the efforts of Ian Poulter, who proved to be a revelation, and Graeme McDowell, who had a smile on his face all week, the United States regained the golden trophy they had last won nine years ago largely because of the failure of Europe’s strong men to deliver as many points as had been hoped.

Credit should be given to the US for some performances of sheer brilliance. Paul Azinger, the captain, did not put a foot wrong in his style of captaincy, unlike Nick Faldo. Azinger gave his men their heads when he sensed that he needed to and he led them from the front with that strong personality of his when he thought that he ought to. Azinger has spent some years in Faldo’s shadow, first on the golf course then in the television commentary booth. Yesterday afternoon at Valhalla, he stepped out of that shadow.

Anthony Kim crushed Sergio GarcÍa with inspired golf and set his team on their way to victory. On his Ryder Cup debut, Boo Weekley, 35, was an inspiration. Kenny Perry, who at 48 was the oldest man on either side and won 2½ points, may have exceeded himself and J. B. Holmes, a captain’s pick and another Kentuckian, demonstrated some thunderous hitting, the like of which is rarely seen. Weekley, Perry and Holmes were the heart of the US team on a glorious sunny day when matchplay golf was seen at its best and this exciting competition demonstrated its ability to present one surprise after another.

But consider that Padraig Harrington, the Open and US PGA champion, GarcÍa, the Players champion, and Lee Westwood, who last lost a match in this biennial event in 2002, could win fewer points combined than Poulter, the captain’s pick who was Europe’s leading scorer.

How the 2008 Ryder Cup was won

Follow the final day's play from Valhalla as the 37th Ryder Cup draws to a dramatic conclusion with today's singles matches

• Mission accomplished for United States

• Justin Rose's Ryder Cup diary: I'm heartbroken

• Analysis: misfiring big three cost Europe dear in Ryder Cup

Europe surrender under brilliant assault

The US reclaimed the Ryder Cup for first time since 1999 with a sustained performance in the singles matches at Valhalla

• Elementary approach pays off for J.B. Holmes

• Nick Faldo's bold approach backfires in failure to reclaim initiative from US

• Ryder Cup warning signs to watch out for

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• The key moments, match by match

• Is Faldo to blame for Europe's defeat?

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• Elementary approach pays off for Holmes

• Faldo's defining decisions

• Ryder Cup warning signs to watch out for

Those who feared that these men, rightly known as Europe’s “big three”, who had been so potent a trio in previous events, may suffer a reaction in this Ryder Cup found their worst fears to have been realised. All three played four games, from which Harrington scored a half-point, Westwood and GarcÍa one point each.

If these three had performed half as well as Poulter, who played in all five matches and won four, or McDowell, who rose to the occasion magnificently on his debut, winning 2½ points from his four matches, Europe might have been able to record a famous fourth victory in a row. At the end of his match against Stewart Cink, when he had given his all for Europe, Poulter’s face was a picture. Gone was the animation he had shown 24 hours earlier when he holed a putt to bring another point to Europe, a victory in partnership with McDowell. His eyes, which had been so vibrant and expressive then, were almost glazed now.

Robert Karlsson got Europe’s first point in the singles with a 5 and 3 victory over Justin Leonard. The men had presented an intriguing sight on the 1st tee when Leonard, all 5ft 9in of him, stood alongside the 6ft 6in Swede. It did not take long for the American to feel not only dwarfed but outplayed. Karlsson, who had produced some remarkable golf in the previous afternoon’s four-balls, when he had six birdies in seven holes and seven in his last nine, raced to victory.

Justin Rose has grown in stature all week, helped by his performances in tandem with Poulter, and gaining a scalp such as Phil Mickelson on his Ryder Cup debut by 3 and 2 will have given his morale a further boost. The world No 2 has not won a singles match in the Ryder Cup since 1999 and again questions will be raised about the left-hander and his commitment to this event.

GarcÍa’s 5 and 4 defeat by Kim could hardly have been bettered as an exhibition of cold-hearted, skilful, remorseless golf, just what you want from the first player out in a 12-man team. The heartbeat of Europe in his previous four Ryder Cups, GarcÍa was far from himself all week and in the match between him and the feisty, talented 23-year-old, there was only one man in it. Kim played brilliant golf and would have been a handful for GarcÍa if the Spaniard had been at the top of his form, which he was not.

For GarcÍa read Stenson, who was beaten 3 and 2 by Perry, who had said on the eve of the event that it would either be a nightmare or the week of his life. For GarcÍa read Oliver Wilson, who was simply no match for an inspired Weekley, who won 4 and 2.

Paul Casey found himself two down after eight holes, all square after 12 and had the mortification of seeing Hunter Mahan hole a huge putt on the 17th green to take a one-up lead. That was reminiscent of Leonard’s at Brookline in 1999. Such were Mahan’s celebrations that they may have affected his equilibrium. He drove into a hazard on the 18th, Casey played the hole coolly to claim it and give Europe another half-point. When Casey reflects on this Ryder Cup, he will probably conclude that two halved matches out of four is not as good as he would have liked.

The longer the match wore on, the greater the criticism there was of the order in which Faldo had sent out his men. He had placed one too many of his inform or experienced campaigners near the bottom. Europe’s last four comprised McDowell, Poulter, Westwood and Harrington. Would the match be kept alive long enough for them to make a contribution? It would not. Jim Furyk delivered the winning blow, beating Miguel Ángel Jiménez on the 17th to earn the point that took the US to 14½.

It was a victory that might be hard to accept in Europe, but in the grand scheme of things it did the competition a power of good. Having one team win repeatedly is not good for the event.