Is Mickelson right about Paul Azinger formula?, was Watson plan a bad one?, has Europe simply better players than the US at the moment?, etc,etc...... very complicated issue here and we could use thousands of post to discuss it to end up with nothing relevant.
To me, "Europeans golf players are better at fitting in new situations", whether is terrain (course), weather, time difference, crowds noises & reactions, new partner, new captains; mentality, language, golf background, views, etc. European players travel more and they have to deal, again with different cultures, etc...new environment....American simply don't do that and if so, it is seldom, like coming over to Europe to PERFORM, not only to perform but to perform your best under new everything.
Golf is very personal, but not when it comes to play as team, as a group with one goal altogether...europeans were better than the americans at that.
To me Bubba was a real example, amazing player, I really love him, very charming, very motivated in tee 1...but as soon as things were not working well, he was simply not able to overcome his bad golf and started to collapse easily, again, new course, new crowds, new grass, new moist (humidity), etc. He never felt "comfortable" when he suddenly was "under" in the score.
I had the feeling that the americans were at the Closing Ceremony a bit like; "what the hell, we lost so what?, this is not so important anyways, let's go back home & forget about it". Well, it was very important for the Europeans, not because of the win, because of the Ryder Cup was in play!!
.....I even myself (I'm all for europe) wanted the american players to win more single matches and was hoping some european players were missing fairways or putts....just to make it more "even" at the end. and see the american players more "motivated".
Longing for Minnesota already and hoping the Ryder Cup is defined at the very last putt in hole 18 of the very last match!!!!!!
Eric