13 reasons why the United States won the Ryder Cup

As the smoke clears and champagne bubbles settle from Hazeltine, we examine how the Americans earned their first Ryder Cup victory since 2008.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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