GLENEAGLES, Scotland — Tom Watson walked over to congratulate Jamie Donaldson for the shot of his life, a shot that ended the Ryder Cup. He walked up the 15th fairway at Gleneagles with his arm around European captain Paul McGinley even before the final match was conceded to secure another win for Europe.

Europe left no doubt who had the best team, if not the best players.

This Ryder Cup provided a real surprise — but only after it was over. The strongest opponent Watson faced Sunday might have been one of his own.

Just as the European party was getting started, Phil Mickelson took a not-so-subtle dig at Watson — with the U.S. captain just six seats away on the dais — by questioning why the Americans have strayed from a winning formula in which the players were more involved.

Mickelson praised Paul Azinger’s captaincy in 2008 — the only U.S. victory in the last 15 years — for creating a “pod” system in which players felt invested in every aspect of the team.

“Nobody here was in any decision,” Mickelson said, which no doubt included Watson’s decision to bench Lefty for both sessions on Saturday when Europe built a lead that was too much for this American team to overcome.

“The bottom line is they kicked our butts,” Watson said.

Even amid the American bickering, there was no doubting that.

The score — Europe 16 1/2, United States 11 1/2 — was reflective of that. And so was the way Europe completed its eighth Ryder Cup victory over the last 10 times.

It began with Rory McIlroy, the best player in the world.