RYDER CUP/Europe ... 15½ USA ... 12½: Golf correspondent Philip Reid on a remarkable day's drama at The Belfry where Ireland's Paul McGinley provided the winning touch to the European cause

When it came down to it, Paul McGinley's heart was strong and the spirit was willing.

Just as another Irishman, Christy O'Connor some 13 years previously, had etched his name into the history of the Ryder Cup with a two-iron, McGinley used the most used tool in a golfer's bag - the putter - to claim his rightful place.

The putt on the 18th green of The Belfry measured just 11 feet, but it was bigger than that.

It was huge. For European golf, and for McGinley.

By holing it, McGinley guaranteed victory for Europe - his halved match with Jim Furyk bringing them beyond the point where an American fightback would be a futile one - and ensured they would regain the Ryder Cup, the most cherished piece of golf merchandise in the world.

"Out of the shadows," remarked Sam Torrance, when the dust had settled and the heat of battle had evaporated to be replaced by the glow that only winners can know, "come heroes . . . and that's where Phillip Price and Paul McGinley came."

And, certainly, these two players - one Welsh, the other Irish - deserved to be singled out.

Price, another rookie, was a real giant-slayer in beating world number two Phil Mickelson by 3 and 2.

They were among a number of players who had come into this 34th Ryder Cup match with question marks hanging over their form.

The answers were delivered yesterday, as they formed the rearguard action in a battle plan orchestrated by Torrance who had put his perceived heavy hitters out first in an attempt to gain the early momentum for Europe.

It was a ploy that worked brilliantly, as Europe rebuked the traditional theory that they were inferior to the Americans in singles play. Europe won the singles by 7½ to 4½, and took the match by 15½ to 12½, the biggest winning margin in the contest since 1985.

McGinley, who was unbeaten in his last two matches, was one of three Irish players in the team, all of whom were unbeaten yesterday.

Padraig Harrington won his match with Mark Calcavecchia by 5 and 4, and Darren Clarke halved his match with former British Open champion David Duval.

At breakfast in the morning, the four rookies in the team had breakfast together. One of them, Niclas Fasth, had remarked, "one of us is probably going to be a hero".

It was a sign that they had faith in the men placed higher in the order to deliver the points that would make their matches critical.

Last evening, Pierre Fulke recalled that breakfast table conversation, adding: "I know there are 11 heroes on the team, and one who is a slightly bigger hero . . . Paul McGinley!"

The Dubliner - who won the World Cup with Harrington in 1997 - was, indeed, entitled to his moment of glory.

He shook his head, and said: "I don't know what it is about the Ryder Cup and Ireland, but it is an event that really inspires us.

"Look, Christy's done it, Darcy's done it, Philip Walton's done it and, now, I had the opportunity to do it and I took it.

"First of all, it was great to have the opportunity and, secondly, that you can do it, to have the nerve . . . it is magnificent."

McGinley was made aware on his way to the green that he had the opportunity to win the Ryder Cup.

"When I got to the green," he recalled, "Sam said, 'do it for me.' And I did. But I thought the support out there was tremendous. There were so many Irish people, it was like playing in the middle of Ireland."

Europe's win was inspired from the front by Colin Montgomerie, who was to finish Europe's top points scorer with four and a half from a possible five.

"I thrive on team competitions," insisted the Scot. "I love the matchplay format, and I love the role that I was given. It was as an unwritten law that I was the on-course captain of this team, and I loved it.

"I love competition and that's matchplay more than it is strokeplay. I tend to get up for team competitions more than I do for myself. I'd say that is probably best I have played under pressure.

"I like the competitive nature, and I look forward one day to being in Sam's position, as a captain. I've made it known I would like to be captain in Ireland inn 2006, but that is up to the European Tour Board," said Montgomerie.

The Americans were gracious in defeat, even if Curtis Strange, the US captain, felt he had been outsmarted by Torrance's decision to load his perceived top players at the front.

"I thought Sam took a hell of a gamble but it turns out to be smart," said Strange.