Local knowledge also did not hurt. The Albatros Course is the annual site of the Open de France, a European PGA Tour event where Francesco Molinari, to cite just one example, has three second-place finishes in the last eight years.

All Molinari did in his latest visit was become the first European to go 5-0 at a Ryder Cup, defeating Mickelson, 4 and 2, in the singles on Sunday.

Of the Americans, only Justin Thomas played the Open de France this year, finishing eighth, and it was perhaps no coincidence that he was the most successful American player during the Cup. He was tenacious and resilient, winning four of his five matches and defeating Rory McIlroy by 1 up in a thriller of an opening singles match on Sunday that was not decided until McIlroy splashed down on the 18th hole.

“The Americans were amazingly strong on paper,” said Luke Donald, one of Europe’s vice captains. “But Ryder Cups are just different than individual championships. They are about team chemistry, team bonding and finding the right partnerships. And we obviously had a lot of help being at home on a course we’re very familiar with.”

Ryder Cups are also about choosing the right players, and Bjorn clearly won that match within the match over Jim Furyk, the United States captain.

Bjorn’s captain’s picks — Henrik Stenson, Sergio García, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey — accounted for 9½ points. Furyk’s picks — Mickelson, Woods and the rookies Bryson DeChambeau and Tony Finau — accounted for 2 points, both from Finau.

That accounted for a difference of 7½ points — which also happened to be the margin of victory.

“When I saw the way they came in here, the attitude they came in with and the way they played in practice, I thought, ‘Hmmm, we’ve got a chance here,’” Bjorn said of his captain’s picks.