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Published 23:01 26 Sept 2021 BST
Updated 23:12 26 Sept 2021 BST
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"Of course we're disappointed, but the US played well. They out-played us. Strong team. They got their plan right, got some momentum going. They started well and just outplayed us. "It's been good [in Wisconsin]. The fans played their part. It's tough when you're going away and you have no Europeans... there was obviously a lot of momentum for the Americans. The silence was a little bit off-putting for us, at the start, and maybe that put us off a bit. But we were very much welcomed by the Wisconsin people."As the reporter thanked Harrington for his time, the European captain choked up and could only manage a brief "You're welcome". The pain of defeat was etched in his face. [caption id="attachment_237086" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Team Europe captain Padraig Harrington watches on with Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry as Patrick Cantlay lines up a putt. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)[/caption]
Sky Sports caught up with Harrington, soon after, and he was more composed.
"It was always going to be a tall order," he reflected. "This is a strong US team."
https://twitter.com/SkySportsGolf/status/1442249084891435011
As it all turned out, Daniel Berger beating Fitzpatrick on the 18th hole delivered Team USA a record-breaking final score of 19-9. This is the highest total since the format changed from 32 matches to 28.
It is the largest winning margin in the competition, for either America or Europe [previously Great Britain & Ireland], since 1975.
Next up for both sides is a Ryder Cup in Italy, in 2023. European gold fans will be hoping some young guns emerge and push for places by the time that event comes around."We took away a lot of the fluff," US captain Steve Stricker told Sky Sports. "I don't come in with a big ego, everyone of those players has a better resume than I do, we just try to make sure they have a good time, put them in pairings they enjoy, get them to bed early, rest, they want to work out - it's a different era of golf, they came here for a mission and they did it.
"Padraig is a friend and tremendous competitor. I am always worried about their team. Yesterday afternoon was a big session for us, we had a good lead going in but if they had swept us its a tight match. Getting two points was big and then the guys stepped it up today."
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