13 reasons Why the United States Won the 2016 Ryder Cup

By Joel Beal

1 Patrick Reed played like a man possessed by the spirits of Arnold Palmer, George Washington and Davy Crockett

2 Hazeltine was configured to reward aggressive play, favoring the American's length

3 The Friday morning sweep delivered a haymaker from the U.S., sending an early message to the Europeans

4 Though the Europeans said the boisterous pro-American crowd didn't affect their play, it at least galvanized the U.S. team

5 Bill Murray, the hands-down coolest cat in the world, was orchestrating American cheers

6 Russell Knox, the rising Euro star who captured two PGA Tour wins last season, watched from home...

7 As did Paul Casey, who went 2nd-2nd-4th in the final three FedEx Cup events...

8 While Darren Clarke's two veteran picks -- Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer -- recorded just one point in seven matches

9 Brandt Snedeker seemingly didn't miss a putt inside 50 feet

10 Phil Mickelson, the so-called "power behind the throne" of the U.S. task force, backed up his bark, scoring 2.5 points in four matches

11 Brooks Koepka, one of the two U.S. rookies, didn't play like a newcomer, winning three of his four matches

12 Danny Willett spent half his week apologizing for a satirical piece by his brother, then went scoreless in three matches

13 The European players own just one Masters win, while the U.S. had two guys with six green jackets delivering them sandwiches