Ryder Cup: What the players said

The European team speaks in a press conference after being defeated by the United States at the Ryder Cup

Europe failed to overturn a three-point deficit going into Sunday’s singles matches as they fell to a 17-11 defeat at Hazeltine National.

Here is how players on both sides reacted to the result…

Team Europe

Rory McIlroy admitted he struggled in the final few holes of his epic battle with Patrick Reed on Sunday.

“It’s disappointing for us as a team and for me personally, taking on the role to go out and put a blue point on the board, I didn’t do my job,” he said.

“They deserve it. They deserve their moment. We’ll come back better and stronger in Paris.”

Justin Rose criticized the way Hazeltine was set up during the Ryder Cup, calling it “incredibly weak.”

He said: “I thought it was very much a pro-am feel in terms of the pin placements.”

“They were all middle of the green. I don’t quite understand that, to be honest with you … We want to showcase our skills. We want to be tested.”

Thomas Pieters enjoyed a spectacular Ryder Cup debut, putting four points on the board for Team Europe but was exhausted afterwards.

“I’m exhausted right now,” he told reports.

“They’ve been really long days, getting up at 4am. Dealing with these crowds isn’t easy, it takes a lot out of you.”

Sergio Garcia was left speechless after his epic battle with Phil Mickelson ended in the two sharing the spoils, “To shoot nine-under and end up tying the match, it’s obviously heart breaking,” he said.

“I gave it everything I had. I don’t think I could have done anything differently. Phil just made it from everywhere and played well.”

It was a difficult weekend for Ryder Cup veteran Lee Westwood but he was still trying to find positives after failing to take a point.

He joked: “On a good point, I got called a turd yesterday, which is the first time since I was about 12 years old, so it made me feel young again.”

Team U.S.A

Patrick Reed delivered on the course and was keen to beat the Europeans at their best and he certainly did that when defeating Rory McIlroy.

He said: “I consider everybody, whether it’s the European side, captains, vice captains … a big Ryder Cup family.

“We want to beat them at their best and they want to beat us at our best.”

Ryan Moore clinched the decisive point for Team U.S.A after defeating Lee Westwood after writing himself into the Ryder Cup history books he said: “This is unbelievable right now, to actually get the point that clinched it for us.

“I wanted to do everything I could and try to hit a couple of great shots coming in. Was able to eagle 16, which was huge. That birdie on 17 and then to win with the par on the last hole, it’s incredible.”

Brandt Snedker was quick to heap praise on captain Davis Love III and he told reports how being part of Team U.S.A was like being part of a special family.

“It was family. We had five vice captains, a captain and 12 guys that came together as a family,” he said.

“We were going to win this thing as a family or lose as a family. We were not going to have anybody shoulder the brunt.

“There’s been a lot of tears shed in the team room, a lot of joy, a lot of laughter. You can’t just manufacture that.”