Shane Lowry secured Team Europe's historic Ryder Cup title defence in New York, having been concerned about victory slipping through their grasp during a nail-biting Sunday.
Luke Donald's side ended a run of home dominance in the biennial contest with a thrilling 15-13 victory at Bethpage Black, the first away victory - from either team - since the 'Miracle at Medinah' in 2012.
A dominant first two days from Team Europe gave them a record seven-point advantage heading into the final-day singles, before the half-point awarded for Viktor Hovland - following his withdrawal through injury - left them requiring just 2.5 more points to retain the trophy.
The prospect of Europe winning by a historic margin turned into a battle to close out victory after a remarkable Team USA comeback, with Lowry noticing the switch in momentum as he took on Russell Henley in the eighth match of that extraordinary Sunday.
"I remember walking down over the hill on the sixth and there was a big scoreboard on the left, over by the seventh fairway, and I could see it was all blue," Lowry recalled to Your Site. "I said to Darren [Reynolds, caddie] 'look at that scoreboard, it looks great'.
"Then I play seven, eight and nine and I get up onto the ninth green and Russell [Henley] has hit it in really close. I've got like a 30-footer and when I see the scoreboard it looks horrific! I'm like, 'oh my God, where are we going to get 2.5 points from'?!
Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood both suffered final-hole losses in the top two matches and Matt Fitzpatrick squandered a five-hole lead against Bryson DeChambeau, with Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm also beaten as Team USA set up a thrilling finish.
"Fitzy [Matt Fitzpatrick] was still up in this match, and I'm hoping Fitzy's going to do it," Lowry said. "Rosie [Justin Rose] had clawed his match back to all-square. Tommy [Fleetwood] could've maybe and at one stage, but there were like eight matches all-square and it didn't look amazing."
Ludvig Ã…berg claimed Europe's first - and subsequently only - full point by beating Patrick Cantlay, but Europe were still short of their required target as Lowry tackled his final few holes.
"Russell won 13 and 14 to go two up and by then I was just hanging on for dear life," Lowry added. "I was looking at the board wondering who was going to do it.
"You're thinking 'surely we're getting two and a half points', but you're still focusing on your own match. Then when I went two down, I just said to Darren, going down the 15th, that we just have to try and get him down the 18th hole.
"A lot of times, when you're two down with four to play, you almost give up a little bit because it's a hard [thing to do]. I wasn't trying to win every hole, but if I could win one of the next three holes and get him down 18, you never know what could happen from there.
"I played the last four holes unbelievably well!"
Lowry won the 15th hole and capitalised on a missed birdie chance from Henley at the 17th to tie the hole, before sinking an eight-foot birdie at the par-four last to secure the half-point required for Europe to retain the trophy.
"It's funny, because you just go into autopilot," Lowry said about his finish. "I was aiming middle of the green on 15 and I pushed my second shot but hit it stiff. Then I stood up in the next and hit the most perfect eight-iron, again, stiff.
"I stand on the 17th tee, I've got 178 down to the left - the most perfect eight-iron number for me - and I'm thinking 'here we go!' I'm licking my chops, but then I hit one of the worst shots I've hit in the whole week! What a bad time to do that!
"Then Russell hits it in close and I'm thinking I'm probably going to lose the match from there. When walking up 17, I went right around the bunkers and all the boys were coming back, Justin Rose, Rory, Fitzy - there were a few lads coming back down to watch the games behind me.
"Rosie said to me, 'just get him down the last'. It kind of refocused me, then I had an unbelievable two-putt and he missed his putt. Going down the last, you're just trying to make birdie and hoping he doesn't make birdie!"
Lowry's putt sparked wild celebrations around the 18th green, with the Irishman receiving huge hugs from his caddie and several of Donald's players and backroom staff as he broke down in tears of joy.
The 38-year-old's success came in his third Ryder Cup appearance and adds to a career that saw him win The Open at Royal Portrush in 2019, with Lowry debating whether his Team Europe win means more than his maiden major triumph.
"I've obviously thought about it [what is bigger] a lot since," Lowry explained. "I wake up thinking about it all the time. Honestly, I'm not messing, but I've thought about it a lot and what's better.
"It's hard to separate them. It's hard to talk about them in the same sentence but I just think, with the way everything's gone on and how much I put into it, I do think that is the coolest thing I've ever done.
"You think back to Christy O'Connor Jnr to Eamon Darcy, Philip Walton, Paul McGinley, Graeme McDowell - all the Irish players that have done it. I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it - it was unbelievable."
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