Player of the tournament

Ewan Murray Justin Rose. He has struggled at times to build on the success of the US Open win at Merion in 2013 but Rose played like a major champion and a genuine leader in the European team.

Owen Gibson Justin Rose. That borderline ridiculous run of birdies in partnership with Henrik Stenson, in a match with a record 21, that set the tone for Europe’s dominance on Saturday obviously caught the eye. However, Europe’s best player also displayed tenacity in scraping a half in his fourballs on Saturday afternoon to deny the US any hint of overnight momentum.

Kevin Mitchell Justin Rose. Didn’t lose in five outings; three wins, two halves. Putted like Bobby Locke in the Saturday fourball, perhaps the best golf he has ever played.

Andy Bull Justin Rose. Led his team from his drive off the 1st tee on the first morning through to the deft pitch and run he hit on to the 18th green in the singles on Sunday. He played 83 holes in the space of 57 hours – and didn’t lose a single game. By the time he had come back from four down to tie with Hunter Mahan he was too exhausted to talk.

James Riach Justin Rose. Produced some of the finest golf of his career. He was Europe’s talisman. Produced an astonishing shot from behind a bush to a couple of feet against Hunter Mahan in the singles.

Mark Tallentire Justin Rose. Came into the tournament as a 6-1 shot to be Europe’s top scorer but played all five games and was undefeated by the end of them, his four-point total actually making him the top scorer from either side.

Scott Murray Patrick Reed. The Ryder Cup is nothing without a few pantomime villains and imagine the state of the USA team without him.

Winner Justin Rose

Rookie of the tournament

EM Patrick Reed. The temptation here would be to nominate Victor Dubuisson but he had the benefit of playing on a dominant team. Reed emerged from Gleneagles undefeated, saw off Henrik Stenson in the singles and showed, once again, that he can walk the walk as well as talk the talk.

OG In a Ryder Cup studded with impressive rookie turns, one from each side stood out – Jordan Spieth belied his tender years and hinted at greatness to come, while Victor Dubuisson was a revelation, particularly in his approach play.

KM Victor Dubuisson. You could make a good argument for Jordan Spieth or Patrick Reed – but neither of them has the Frenchman’s sense of mystery or, maybe, potential. He is a superb striker of the ball, clever around the greens and putts, and without fear.

AB Patrick Reed. Just for the way he soaked up all the abuse he got over the 12-inch putt he missed and spat it back by shushing the crowd on the 7th the next day. The man’s a natural.

JR Patrick Reed. His zealous celebrations on the 7th green, when hushing the crowd during his victory over Henrik Stenson, may have antagonised some, yet Reed was undefeated over the three days and played magnificently. Forged a fine partnership with Jordan Spieth that will surely be a USA mainstay for years to come.

MT Jamie Donaldson. Did what was asked of him but at the age of 38 that was not such a surprise. Jordan Spieth, on the other hand, was the second youngest USA rookie ever – and so impressive was he that he headed the batting order in the Sunday singles.

SM Jamie Donaldson. Was one of five debutants to take to the Ryder Cup like a duck to water, an unprecedented return. Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth, Jimmy Walker and Victor Dubuisson were the others. Only one of that quintet hit a career-defining wedge to seal the deal, though.

Winner Patrick Reed

Best celebration

EM Rory McIlroy. The done thing at the Ryder Cup is to keep the champagne on ice until all matches have finished. McIlroy made the mistake of uncorking a bottle on live television as Victor Dubuisson was still doing battle with Zach Johnson. Cue an exit stage left .

OG Patrick Reed’s finger to his lips on the seventh in his singles match with Stenson wound up the crowd but was a welcome example of the fighting spirit that his USA team could have done with a bit more of.

KM Patrick Reed’s on day three, when he silenced the gallery after his second birdie in a row with a magisterial finger to his lips and a “shush”. The fans responded in the expected manner, of course, but the moment belong to Pat.

AB Ian Poulter, of course, after his stunning chip over the bunker and into the hole at 15. He threw back his head, buckled at the knees, and pumped both fists. We’ve seen it before but it would have been a shame if we hadn’t seen it here, too.

JR Patrick Reed. After nailing a putt on the 7th, Reid’s emotional fist pump was reminiscent of Ian Poulter’s celebrations of old. He then proceeded to make a shushing motion to the crowd, some of whom had already been taunting him that morning for his decisive missed putt from two feet the day before. Whatever your opinion of Reed, it was great entertainment.

MT Justin Rose went into full Poulter fist-pumping mode after he scrambled a par from eight feet against Hunter Mahan at the 4th on Sunday to prevent him from slipping to three down so early in the round.

SM Patrick Reed on the 7th took on the entire gallery, then walked it like he talked it. Good to see him win his singles match after missing that putt on Saturday evening and then suffering abuse from a giddy clown as he teed off on Sunday.

Winner Patrick Reed

Best match

EM Justin Rose & Henrik Stenson v Bubba Watson & Matt Kuchar. This was one of the finest matches in Ryder Cup history, a matter endorsed by the sheer scale of scoring. For the American pair to be nine under on aggregate and still lose 3&2 was astonishing. A combined 21 birdies from the fourball, equally so.

OG Justin Rose & Henrik Stenson v Bubba Watson & Matt Kuchar. A match of the very highest quality that had the packed galleries entranced.

KM Justin Rose & Henrik Stenson v Bubba Watson & Matt Kuchar. Not only did the Europeans finish with a record string of 10 birdies but the match total of 21, also a Ryder Cup best, reflected the quality of the losers’ golf.

AB Rickie Fowler & Jimmy Walker v Rory McIlroy & Ian Poulter. The European pair took the lead, lost it, took it again, thanks to McIlroy’s brilliance, and lost it again, thanks to Fowler’s. The USA went one up and then Poulter finally turned up for the Cup and pulled Europe back all square.

JR Justin Rose & Henrik Stenson v Bubba Watson & Matt Kuchar. The standard of this match was out of this world, with the European pair prevailing 3&2, despite some excellent play from the USA pair. Rose and Stenson were an unbeatable force, on this occasion carding 12 birdies between then, despite not playing the final two holes.

MT Justin Rose & Henrik Stenson v Bubba Watson & Matt Kuchar. The four managed a combined 21 birdies in the 16 holes completed, with the Europeans winning with a record 12 under par, with the last 10 holes all birdied as they recovered from two down after six to win 3&2.

SM Justin Rose & Henrik Stenson v Bubba Watson & Matt Kuchar. The Americans were nine under on their better ball, yet lost 3&2. Rose and Stenson birdied the last 10 holes of the match straight. If they had got to finish their round, and birdied the last two holes, they would have carded a best-ball round of 58. 58!

Winner Justin Rose & Henrik Stenson v Bubba Watson & Matt Kuchar

Worst outfit

EM Tom Watson’s opening ceremony suit. This immediately raised eyebrows. Watson was wearing a different outfit from his USA team. Some may regard this as a trivial point but the issue of unity, or lack of it, between players and captain was a constant Ryder Cup talking point. This did nothing to erase it.

OG Amid the endless costume changes, the Christmas jumpers sported by the USA team on Saturday, with a giant stars and stripes on the front, looked as though they had been picked up as a job lot in the children’s department of Gap.

KM Too many contenders – but when the organisers invited the media to a reception on the Tuesday night, recommending “golf attire” as acceptable, at least one Guardian heart sank.

AB The sky-blue blazers and banana-yellow hats sported by the self-appointed “Guardians of the Ryder Cup” cheer squad. They had a well-rehearsed repertoire of comedy songs and the same prime seats all week long. It all seemed impressively slick until you realised they were advertising a travel company.

JR Some of the USA cardigans they pulled out on the Saturday were an aberration. There was one with an American flag knitted in the centre – when Jordan Spieth combined his with a star-spangled beanie hat he resembled an unfortunate kid on Christmas Day.

MT Europe’s nod to the saltire on the first day, which made them look more like a junior school rounders side in a get-up knocked together in a hurry by one of the parents.

SM Alex Salmond’s blue tartan tie-and-trouser combo at the closing ceremony. The first minister was only missing a matching bunnet for a full house in 1970s US Tourist Visiting Loch Ness bingo.

Biggest surprise

EM It was “only” £4.50 a pint in hospitality tents (so I was reliably informed).

OG A toss-up between Tom Watson’s decision not to let Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed play on Friday afternoon after they had blown away Stephen Gallacher and Ian Poulter, and his ploy to play a clearly exhausted Phil Mickelson twice on Friday then not at all on Saturday.

KM That the shuttle buses ferrying journalists and fans from Glasgow 40 miles away managed to find a shortcut on the final morning, cutting the journey to a bearable 60 minutes. Earlier expeditions involved experiencing several dead-end lanes and some lovely countryside around Gleneagles, took up to two and a half hours and were embroidered with some choice swearing and head-scratching.

AB Phil Mickelson’s precision scalpel work in the end-of-tournament press conference, when he neatly filleted Tom Watson’s leadership after being asked an innocuous question about Paul Azinger’s captaincy back in 2008.

JR Ian Poulter’s form. The Englishman was supposed to be “Mr Ryder Cup” but even he could not replicate the magic of previous tournaments at Gleneagles. Poulter was a shadow of his usual self alongside the rookie Stephen Gallacher, although he did offer glimpses of brilliance when playing with McIlroy, chipping in wonderfully from 35 yards.

MT The Texan rookies Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed being put out together on day one and the same pair being sent out at the top of the order in the Sunday singles, when Captain Watson knew he had to turn the scoreboard red quickly and keep it that way.

SM Looking back and realising poor Rickie Fowler didn’t win a single match. He ran out of steam, yes, but deserved to celebrate something after his contribution to those three Homeric 18-hole odysseys with Jimmy Walker on Friday and Saturday.

Funniest moment

EM Ivor Robson’s opening day, opening game mix-up between Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson was a classic. The poor starter doesn’t seem to have made an error in what – only feels like – decades on the microphone. Ivor won’t live this one down but it was amusing rather than anything to get wildly upset about.

OG Plenty of knockabout fun in Europe’s slightly drunken post-victory press conference. Not least when Lee Westwood was paying tribute to Paul McGinley’s captaincy by saying he had been the best of all the captains he had played with, only for Sergio García to interrupt and say: “Do you think he asked Nick Faldo?” One of the themes of the weekend had been Faldo’s criticism of García for his contribution in 2008.

KM See above.

AB Watching the response of a couple of dozen po-faced Scottish golf fans when an enthusiastic American lady pounced on Bubba Watson’s ball after a wayward drive. She picked it up and went to put it in her pocket, then dropped it like a hot rock as everyone started shouting at her.

JR Ivor Robson calling out the wrong name on the opening tee on the opening day. If ever there was a time not to make a gaffe …

MT Ian Poulter “riding the bull” Boo Weekley-style after holing from a bunker at the 18th for eagle and winning the money from his Tuesday practice partners Justin Rose and Stephen Gallacher.

SM The collective look of horror slowly creeping over the USA team’s faces at the closing ceremony, as they realised the interminable version of the European anthem wasn’t going to end any time soon.

I loved Gleneagles because ...

EM Europe won. Having spent so much time around Paul McGinley and the European contingent in recent times, both their bond and desire for success was clear. Added to that, they are all genuinely good people. It would have been incredibly cruel on such a dedicated man as McGinley had the USA staged an upset.

OG The setting was beautiful, the organisation immaculate and after a curiously flat start on Friday the crowd came alive, as it always does, and imbued the Ryder Cup with an atmosphere almost unique in sport.

KM We, the Europeans of all our ideals and dreams, internationalists brought together in harmonious goodwill for a common purpose, setting aside narrow parochial concerns and chauvinism, gave the Yanks another bloody good hiding.

AB Well, aside from the golf and the view, there was a lot to hate about it actually, such as the fact the merchandising shop stocked £100,000 watches and that the waiting staff were on a minimum wage and staying in converted cargo containers. Still, the golf, though. And the view.

JR This tournament produced some golf of the highest quality. On the tours there are few occasions when players are forced into situations where they have to play with such aggression. It is what makes the Ryder Cup so special.

MT Not only did I get to watch top-level golf in a country and on a course that fully respects the game, but standing around in the countryside and hearing and seeing formations of wild geese going about their business and kicking up a real fuss as they did was mind-blowing.

SM Sergio’s snap hook on the tee at the 5th. Jim Furyk thinning one from a thicket on 14. Jimmy Walker chucking his ball 20 yards up the fairway at the third. Webb Simpson skying his opening drive. These guys are geniuses – but golf’s a great leveller sometimes.