Luke Donald puts on clinic

At every Ryder Cup, there are winners and losers and also praise and second-guessing. In this 45th edition at Bethpage Black, where Europe retained the Cup with a 15-13 victory despite a spirited U.S. comeback attempt, here’s a look at 10 winners and 10 losers from the week.

Winners

1. Luke Donald: The European captain should be demanded back for a third Ryder Cup in two years, because he pushes every right button — from the things he does in preparation to the week itself. He schooled U.S. captain Keegan Bradley on the art of captaining a Ryder Cup.

2. Tommy Fleetwood: Even for the select idiots in the pro-American crowd, how can you boo Tommy? He’s the most likable player among the 24 who played this week. And, oh by the way, he had a 4-0 record into Sunday singles before losing to Justin Thomas. Tommy is the soul of the European team.

3. Rory McIlroy: Sure, he’s the most polarizing player on the European side, but how can you not admire the way he played in the face of constant vulgarities hurled his way all week? McIlroy is the alpha dog on the European team and he brought it all week before losing his Sunday singles match to Scottie Scheffler to finish 3-1-1.