Fred Couples delivered another magical moment. Chris DiMarco provided the clinching point with the biggest putt of his life. Best of all, the Americans sent captain Jack Nicklaus into retirement as a winner.
Right when it looked like the Presidents Cup might end in another tie, DiMarco capped off a sensational week with a 15-foot birdie on the 18th hole on Sunday, giving him a 1-up victory over Stuart Appleby, the final points the Americans needed to win the cup.
"Every piece of my body was shaking," DiMarco said. "My caddie says before I hit the putt, 'This is the moment you've waited for your whole life, so go ahead and do it.' And you know, I did."
DiMarco knew it was good as the ball was still a few feet from the hole. He charged toward the cup, and then into the arms of Nicklaus as the players hugged everyone they could find.
It was a great week for DiMarco, who went 4-0-1.
But ultimately, this was more about getting a win for their captain, the greatest champion in golf.
"All I thought about was to get him a win," DiMarco said.
Nicklaus already said farewell to the majors this year at an emotional British Open. He doubts he'll be a Presidents Cup captain again, wanting someone else to get a chance, so this likely was his last time in the spotlight, and his last chance to get a victory in this event.
"It feels a lot better to have a win, there's no question about that," said Nicklaus, whose team had lost badly in Australia in 1998, and tied in South Africa two years ago. "As far as being something special, I may never captain another team, I may never play another round of golf, and if I end my career this way, it's a pretty good way to end it."
Nicklaus put Phil Mickelson and DiMarco in the final two matches, and they came through in the clutch.
Mickelson thought he had earned the clinching point when he stuffed a wedge into 4 feet and made birdie on the 18th hole to square his match with Angel Cabrera. But under new rules this year, every match had to go extra holes until one team had enough points to claim the cup.
Someone apparently forgot to tell Mickelson.
With the Americans already at 17 points, Mickelson pounded his fist when the putt fell, removed his cap to shake hands and was ready to start the celebration when European tour rules official Andy McFee broke the news _ the match wasn't over.
Mickelson looked on with utter shock, and headed to the first tee.
But he never had to finish the extra hole. A massive roar behind him told him all he needed to know.
"For Chris to win it was so fitting this week," Mickelson said. "It's a memory that we'll have a lifetime, and we'll never forget."
DiMarco was the star of this American team, not only by going 4-0-1, but for emerging from a titanic duel with Appleby over the back nine. Both exchanged clutch putts to halve three straight holes and keep the match square. Both gave away a hole with bogey, DiMarco on the 16th, Appleby on the 17th.
DiMarco put himself in trouble on 18 with a tee shot into the right rough, forcing him to play it with his feet in the bunker. But the shot came out clean and settled 15 feet from the cup.
Appleby missed his birdie putt, and DiMarco settled in for a putt he won't soon forget.
The crowd chanted "U-S-A!" after it was over, then turned their praise to DiMarco and yelled, "M-V-P!"
The only other match that reached the 18th hole was equally important, and produced the loudest cheer of the day.
Couples already has made his own highlight reel from the Presidents Cups, having won the clinching point in 1994 with a 9-iron from the bunker that spun across the green to within a foot, and with a 35-foot birdie putt to beat Vijay Singh for a one-point victory in 1996.
Couples got Singh again under different circumstances. He is an aging star at 45, while Singh is the No. 2 player in the world who has won more on tour than anyone in the last three years.
Tied coming to the 18th, Couples summoned one more piece of magic by rolling in a 20-foot birdie putt. He turned as it fell, dropping his putter, raising his arms and screaming toward the gray skies, unable to contain his joy.
"I figure if I beat him, there might be a small, golden rainbow out there, and I did," Couples said. "I hope my point means something."
Did it ever.
Davis Love III closed out an easy victory behind him, assuring the Americans at least a tie and turning the stage over to DiMarco and Mickelson, who never lost a match all week.
Tiger Woods lost for the first time in a Presidents Cup singles match, falling to Retief Goosen on the 17th hole. Goosen also went unbeaten for the week at 4-0-1. But the Americans got loads of help, from Jim Furyk (3-0-2) beating Adam Scott, and Kenny Perry and David Toms getting their first points of the week.
It was another tough loss for the Internationals, who battled the Americans to a tie in team matches the first three days and fought back from early deficits throughout the 12 singles matches.
The scoreboard was filled with American red for most of the day, and at one point the Internationals were not leading in any of the matches. Goosen holed two long putts and pulled ahead with a birdie on the 16th to finish the week as the only unbeaten International player.
"All day long I was like, 'Let's hope it doesn't come down to our match,'" DiMarco said. "And sure enough, it came down to our match."
Wrapped in the arms of his teammates and Nicklaus, he wouldn't have had it any other way.
Fred Couples delivered another magical moment. Chris DiMarco provided the clinching point with the biggest putt of his life. Best of all, the Americans sent captain Jack Nicklaus into retirement as a winner.