The European team’s hero, who secured the winning points at the Ryder Cup, Graeme McDowell has described the moment he won the competition as “bananas”.

McDowell holed a pressure putt on the 16th and then won the match at the 17th, told the Guardian newspaper "That was absolutely amazing. The putt on the 16th was stuff I have dreamed about all my life."

He also admitted that he was much more nervous than he had been before his victory at the U.S. Open in June, earlier this year.

"The US Open felt like the back nine with my dad back in Portrush compared to this...That was different. I was really nervous. Wow. It's a different feeling, there's so much pressure,” he said.

The Portrush man paid tribute to the European team capatin, Colin Montgomerie. “He was amazing for the last two years, he's been right up for this...There's nothing like Colin Montgomerie, he is the Ryder Cup for Europe and to do that for him today was something special."

In return Montgomerie praised McDowell. He siad “Graeme McDowell was put there for a very good reason. He's full of confidence and that showed. That birdie on 16 was quite unbelievable.

"I'm very proud. It's a very proud moment for us all here in Europe. They all played to a man magnificently, they all gave 110% and that's all you can ask.

"At one stage there were eight blue names on the board and it was over. But they weren't two-, three-up, they were one-up. It's a dangerous position to be in. They [the USA] came back extremely well. All credit to them. Tiger showed he was No1 in the world. Phil Mickelson did brilliantly."

Padraig Harrington had been one of Montgomerie’s wild-card picks. He said that the feeling of winning such a massive competition was “phenomenal”. He said “Every Ryder Cup's the same. There's nothing like it in golf."

Lee Westwood siad “I've never been slapped on the back so often. We are really delighted. It's been a great team performance against a strong American side."