Europe's finest golfers, sparked by a record-setting victory for Italy's Francesco Molinari, recaptured the Ryder Cup yesterday, denying a dramatic United States fightback to complete an emotional 17.5-10.5 upset victory. Reigning British Open champion Molinari defeated five-time major winner Phil Mickelson 4 and 2 as Europe took an insurmountable edge over the favoured Americans in the biennial team showdown at Le Golf National.

"It was amazing," Molinari said. "It's an incredible achievement. We did just an amazing job." In the process, Molinari – who had been winless in six prior Ryder Cup matches – became the first European and only the fourth player ever to go 5-for-5 in a Ryder Cup and did so just two months after hoisting the Claret Jug.