The Ryder Cup returned to American hands in Muhammad Ali's home town as Nick Faldo's plan to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" went up in smoke.

Trailing by two points entering the 12 closing singles at Valhalla, Faldo went with sting in his tail, putting Padraig Harrington out last despite the danger of the Open and PGA champion's clash with Chad Campbell becoming irrelevant.

So it proved and the final scoreline was a resounding 16.5-11.5 to the United States.

Paul Azinger's side, ending a run of three successive defeats, clinched victory with four games - those involving not just Harrington, but also star-of-the-week Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowell - still out on the course.

With the wind taken out of their sails Poulter managed to make it four wins out of five to be the week's top scorer and debutant McDowell won as well, but Westwood and Harrington lost and so ended the event without a win between them.

For Harrington a mere half-point to his name was the same story at The K Club two years ago. His two major wins made it a fantastic year, of course, but as far as the Ryder Cup is concerned he peaked too soon.

As for Westwood, he finished with an attack on the Kentucky crowds.

"Some of the stuff that has been said to me has been shameful," he commented. "I have been abused from start to finish and I don't think that's golf."

Faldo said his singles order was a team decision, but it was only six years ago that Curtis Strange sent Tiger Woods out 12th at The Belfry and that did not matter either.

The lesson was not learned.

Faldo stated: "We are talking about fractions between these two teams.

"If we could get it to the last four guys ... that was the risk I guess we took.

"We gave our heart and soul. The golf was fantastic and this particular week they have done us.

"Everybody has given 100% and that's all you can do."

America had won, of course, without world number one Tiger Woods, but what Azinger did was find 12 players who gave their all for the cause.

"We just had a plan and stuck to it," he said. "We created a 13th man with the crowd and they were beautifully behaved.

"The guys had an 'everything to gain' attitude and they came together as a group. In the end it comes down to putting and heart and our guys had a lot of heart."

Europe's leader, criticised before the match for his choice of Poulter over Darren Clarke, had gambled - again - by putting big guns out late, but for them to influence the outcome the others had to keep the match alive.

Lead-off man Sergio Garcia simply could not live with the superb start made by Anthony Kim, however.

The American birdied three of the first four holes and although he

won only one of those a par was good enough at the sixth.

European Tour chief referee John Paramor was called in there when Garcia hit into thick rough by a bridge. Kim came over to check what was happening and left with the words to the official: "You do what you have to do."

The time Garcia took to play the hole raised some eyebrows - so much so that a PGA of America statement was released to say "there was no issue".

Garcia dumped two balls in the water on the next to waste a 330-yard drive, and a chance to get one back went by when the Spaniard missed from seven feet at the short eighth and Kim got up and down from sand.

As they started the back nine Harrington was just teeing off - and did so with the Americans up in eight games and down in only three.

The Dubliner, who asked for the anchor role in the hope that if it came down to him (the big question) he would be able to cope with it better, had said: "I have to hope for a really ugly game - the uglier the better.

"I need the most intense, pressure-filled match I can find. A match where it's more about who handles the situation better rather than who plays great golf."

Garcia three-putted the 11th and 12th, bogeyed the next as well and his fourth defeat in five Ryder Cup singles was just around the corner.

Not that Kim realised - he was off to the 15th tee before he was told it was over.

"The most exciting day I've ever had," he said, whereas Garcia, without a win all week, stated: "I played against a guy who played awesome and unfortunately I just couldn't get anything right."

Robert Karlsson had sparkled on Saturday, albeit in only halving a fourball, and he sparkled again to beat 1999 American hero Justin Leonard for what his first victory since coming into the side two years ago.

It then became 10-9 with Justin Rose repeating his 2007 World Match Play victory over world number two Phil Mickelson.

Rose, taking three points out of four on his debut, finished it off with a 30-foot birdie putt on the difficult 16th and said: "I wanted to end that game as quickly as possible.

"I had putts to win on 14 and 15. I'm glad it's over, man. My short game was razor sharp early on and coming in I couldn't leave the flag alone."

The one-point gap was maintained when Paul Casey won the last to halve with Hunter Mahan, who after making a thrilling 45-foot putt on the 17th could not bring himself back to earth in time and drove into the lake off the next tee.

"I thought I had a good chance on 17 and he just threw a bomb on me," said the Englishman, Faldo's other wild card. "Then he let the door open and I took advantage.

"I wanted a full point, but I battled my guts out."

Home state hero Kenny Perry needed painkillers after hurting his shoulder, but a three and two victory over Henrik Stenson, followed by Boo Weekley claiming the scalp of Oliver Wilson, took only two points from their target with six games still going.

Then came a win for the other Kentuckian JB Holmes over Soren Hansen and the winning point came from Jim Furyk when he beat Miguel Angel Jimenez on the 17th.

Faldo added: "We are talking about fractions between these two teams. "If we could get it to the last four guys...that was the risk I guess we took.

"We gave our heart and soul. The golf was fantastic and this particular week they have done us.

"Everybody has given 100% and that's all you can do."

America had won, of course, without world number one Tiger Woods, but what Azinger did was find 12 players who gave their all for the cause.

"We just had a plan and stuck to it," he said. "We created a 13th man with the crowd and they were beautifully behaved.

"The guys had an 'everything to gain' attitude and they came together as a group. In the end it comes down to putting and heart and our guys had a lot of heart."