Europe have retained the Ryder Cup after an extraordinary comeback against the United States at the Medinah Country Club in Chicago to win 14½-13 ½.
Martin Kaymer hit the winning putt on the 18th to defeat Steve Stricker in the penultimate individual match on the final day of the biannual event.
A tearful José María Olazábal was restrained in victory as he paid tribute to the memory of his late friend and former Ryder Cup-winning Seve Ballesteros, having followed in his footsteps as a successful European skipper.
Trailing 10-6 at the beginning of play, Europe mounted a phenomenal comeback to silence a boisterous Illinois crowd to win their fifth Ryder Cup of the century.
Donald was sublime against Watson
Luke Donald dominated crowd favourite Bubba Watson in the first match on Sunday while Paul Lawrie, playing in his first Ryder Cup since 1999 at Brookline, was imperious as he won with three holes remaining against Brandt Snedeker.
Rory McIlroy, who arrived at the course with just 10 minutes until he was due to tee off and via a police car having got the time zones mixed up, defeated putting cheerleader Keegan Bradley. Ian Poulter then won against Webb Simpson having not lead until the penultimate hole, but it was Justin Rose's miraculous victory against Phil Mickelson which was arguably the catalyst for the remarkable triumph.
Rose was on the verge of going 2 down to the American on the 16th, however he holed three gutsy putts on the final three holes to leave Mickelson gobsmacked. The four-time major winner even sportingly gave his English opponent a thumbs up when he halved with two holes remaining.
But on the 18th Rose, who admitted he thought of the Ballesteros for inspiration before he took his putt, sunk his effort to strike a significant psychological blow as the home galleries hushed. Mickelson remained typically magnanimous, however.
Dustin Johnson and Zach Johnson got the Americans on the scoreboard to maintain their now-slender lead with Europe needing to score eight points on the final day to retain the trophy.
Zach Johnson was one of the few successful Americans on Sunday
But victory was tangible when Jim Furyk gifted victory to Sergio Garcia on the final hole. The 2003 US Open winner was inconsolable as his putting game deserted him in the final three holes in a duel which swayed regularly, as the Spaniard won his first ever Ryder Cup singles match.
Lee Westwood won comfortably against Martin Kuchar but Jason Dufner triumphed over the erratic Swede Peter Hanson.
Kaymer, dominant against Stricker, struggled to pull away from his opponent but edged ahead on the 17th. With the score at 13-13 and with Tiger Woods facing Francesco Molinari behind him, Kaymer knew destiny was in his hands as long as he avoided defeat on the 18th.
Francesco Molinari savours victory
He and Stricker both reached the green in two, but the wind, which had dried out the putting conditions ensured both their efforts ran past the hole.
Stricker, who had struggled with his putting all week, holed nervelessly for par but Kaymer still had the opportunity to gain the magical 14th point. Memories of Bernhard Langher's failure at Kiawah Island in 1991 were dashed when his putt, firm and straight, sent the European galleries into raptures.
Olazábal, shadowing Molinari, immediately looked up to the heavens and was sombrely embraced by the inspirational Poulter.
The Spaniard did display humour in victory when he handed McIlroy an alarm clock and told him: "Don't ever be late for a team event again".
Europe also left it late after yielding just six points in two days, but it continued an exhilarating year of sport.