Celebration ... (Getty Images)

The Ryder Cup is over and done with. Was it one of the greatest in history? Depends on your perspective, we suppose, but there's no denying this was an absolutely epic win by Europe and an impressive display of team and gamesmanship. Let's dig a little deeper, though, shall we? There is victory to be found even in the ashes of loss. (It's golf. We have to over-write like that.) Here we go...

Winners
Seve Ballesteros: The patron saint of the European team; his presence was everywhere and his inspiration guided the team on to a most improbable victory.

Ian Poulter: The heart of the team, a borderline lunatic whose cluch, aggressive play on the greens kept the Europeans in the match when they had every right to bail out and look to 2014.

Martin Kaymer: The most ridiculed of the European team ended up being the guy who clinched it all. It was a bit of sweet redemption for Kaymer, who hasn't had much to celebrate since his 2010 PGA Championship win.

[ Y! Sports video: Kaymer sinks winning putt for Europe ]

Sergio Garcia: After failing to qualify for the 2010 team, Garcia played his way back onto the 2012 squad and showed he deserved to be there.

Rory McIlroy: Not many guys could roll out of bed and win a Ryder Cup match, but that's almost literally what McIlroy did. The legend grows.

Jason Dufner: One of the few Americans to come through this mess largely unscathed, Dufner showed he's got the stones and the salt to be a major champion someday. Others who belong in this category include Bubba Watson and the Johnson boys.

Keegan Bradley: Nobody was more hyped for the Ryder Cup on the American side, and though he fell in singles, Bradley was nonetheless a bright spot for the USA and gives the Americans hope going forward.

The 17th and 18th at Medinah: If the Masters doesn't start until the back nine on Sunday, the Ryder Cup didn't begin until the final two holes on Sunday afternoon. And time after time, Americans arrived either 1-up or all square, and left with nothing. Unbelievable. These two holes are the reason the Cup is flying back to Europe.

Ian Poulter is rather pleased.Look, let's be honest: We all want to hate Ian Poulter. The attitude, the sneer, the frosted tips -- if he were American, he'd be a Duke point guard. But here's the thing: When it comes to the Ryder Cup, Poulter is really, really good. Like, tip-your-cap-'cause-he-just-waxed-you good.

Poulter went 4-0 in his matches, and indeed for the first two days of the Cup was one of Europe's few highlights. He defeated Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner; that's a fairly impressive lineup. And his late-Saturday victory was the key that kept Europe's hopes alive and allowed captain Jose Maria Olazabal to inspire his troops with a rousing mention of Seve Ballesteros.

"Ollie said to us at the start of the week, Ryder Cup is what memories and dreams are made of, and he's been awesome," Poulter said on Sunday after finishing his match. "And last night in that team room was buzzing.  We weren't 4‑down ...  We was all‑square.  And we just knew we had

A skywriter gave Europe a little boost. (Getty Images)

All week long, the victorious European Ryder Cup team talked of inspiration from the late Seve Ballesteros, one of the most beloved golfers in history. Turns out that it did in fact receive a message from on high ... but the source was much less divine.

A skywriter took to the heavens above Medinah, Ill., to throw some love the Europeans' way, courtesy of online casino/bookmaker Paddy Power. Among the tweets: "Do it for Seve," "Down but not out," and -- of all things -- a shot at Tiger Woods and a hashtag, "Seen Tiger? #GoEurope."

It's not the first time skywriters have reached out to Tiger from above; recall the famous Tiger-tweaking aerial signs that greeted Woods upon his return to Augusta from scandal. And Paddy Power got into a spot of trouble last Ryder Cup for building a gargantuan sign at Celtic Manor.

Whatever the reason, the Europeans had inspiration to spare this year. Perhaps in 2014, the United States should try writing on the moon.

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Medinah saw one of the great Ryder matches in history Sunday. (Getty Images)

This didn't quite go like anyone expected, but then, when it comes to the Ryder Cup, you shouldn't expect anything but chaos. And when it was over, Europe had pulled off one of the great comebacks in golf history, defeating the United States.

Coming into the Sunday singles matches, Europe faced a four-point deficit, the exact same deficit the U.S. faced in 1999 when it triumphed at Brookline. And with the Americans' acknowledged superiority at one-on-one golf, this Ryder Cup could've been over before most of the players even reached the turn.

But, naturally, it didn't play out that way. Both Europe and the United States frontloaded their lineups, Europe with some of the world's best players and the Americans with players who've played spectacularly well at Medinah. And it all broke the Europeans' way, with the first five matches ending up in Europe's hands.

The key to this Ryder Cup came not on Sunday, but on Saturday night. The United States was up 10-4 and apparently on the way to a

Bubba and Webb ain't here to cause no trouble. They're just here to do the Ryder Cup shuffle. (Getty Images)

As the sun dropped low over Medinah, so too did the birdies of the Americans. As the temperature cooled, so too did the chances of the Europeans. All right, you get the idea: despite the late charge from Europe, the USA is putting on a clinic at this Ryder Cup, and it's going to take some impressive singles play from the Europeans to stave off defeat. Here's how the afternoon shook out in the Ryder Cup:

Match 13: D. Johnson/Kuchar def. Colsaerts/Lawrie, 1up: This was one of several matches that appeared headed the United States' way until late in the afternoon, when the Europeans regained their touch and very nearly threw a little scare into the Americans. The Europeans squared the match at 16, but on the very next hole, Johnson poured in a putt from somewhere near Wisconsin. On 18, the Europeans were not able to halve, and the USA escaped with its key 10th point.

Match 14: Watson/Simpson def. Rose/Molinari 5 & 4: This was an efficient dismantling of one of the stronger European

Celebration time for Keegan & Phil. (Getty Images)

The Saturday morning foursomes didn't quite go according to Europe's plan; three of the four turned the USA's way, including one of the most decisive thumpings we've seen in quite some time in Ryder Cup play. This one's going to leave a mark.

Match 9: Rose/Poulter def. Watson/Simpson, 1-up: The first foursome of the day was one of the best, a match that varied back and forth between two outstanding Ryder Cup players and two of 2012's major winners. In the end, Poulter and Rose were just too much for the Americans to handle.

Match 10: Bradley/Mickelson def. Westwood/Donald, 7&6: The best pairing of the Ryder Cup is Mickelson and Bradley, and this was the absolute drubbing of the Cup so far. The two former No. 1s had absolutely nothing for the Americans, who relentlessly closed out the match hole after hole.

Match 11: Dufner/Z. Johnson def. Colsaerts/Garcia, 2&1: Colsaerts was a putting wizard on Friday afternoon, but didn't quite have the same mojo on Saturday morning. Dufner and

Denny Time, with drawn butter. (Getty Images)Welcome to the latest Happy Hour mailbag! You know how these work: You write us with your best rant/ joke/one-liner at happyhournascar@yahoogroups.com or on Twitter at @jaybusbee, we respond to your messages, everyone goes away with a smile on their face.

Yeah, we're late this week. Sorry. Anyway, right now in golf there's the Ryder Cup, which I know you probably don't care about but hear me out. It's a team-vs.-team competition. How awesome would that be for NASCAR? Two-on-two battles, head-to-head showdowns? Tell me you wouldn't want to see a 20-lap showdown between Jimmie Johnson/Kasey Kahne and Denny Hamlin/Kyle Busch. Brad Keselowski vs. Kevin Harvick for all the marbles? Make this happen, NASCAR.

Also, update on our Last Chaser Standing competition: Greg Biffle came in last among eligible Chasers last week, so he joins Jeff Gordon on the virtual sidelines.

All right, your letters:

Seriously, why is the media playing up Denny Hamlin's supposed "called shot" so much? If anything, it was a balk at best. He kept saying in all of his interviews heading into the race, that he didn't mean it as a called shot and only meant it like every other driver that says "we'll go get 'em next week." But then after he won, because the media hyped the false intention of the statement, he plays it up like he really did call the shot with his antics after getting out the car and pointing, then swinging.

Either own it or don't, but don't take credit for it after you retracted your call, Denny.

— Nick J
Los Angeles, CA

OK, look, I'm biased here, but is there ANY chance that both drivers and fans won't default to the tired "it's the media's fault!" every time a storyline doesn't play out exactly the way they want? I thought Hamlin not only did a great thing by guaranteeing a win at Loudon, I thought he shot himself in the foot by backing off of it.

Here's the thing that both athletes and fans are realizing, now that they've got instant access via social media: maybe the media does serve a purpose after all. Denny wasn't misquoted when he guaranteed that win; that was straight from his phone to your eyes. Every time an athlete says something dumb/provocative/misguided on Twitter, the whole "the media twists our words" argument gets that much weaker.

But enough Journalistic Whining. Hamlin should've owned the guarantee from the start. Playing it tentative is what people hate about NASCAR these days; what's the harm in talking big at a track where you know you have success?

Well...that didn't quite go according to plan.

Tiger Woods played well enough to redeem himself from his morning loss, but Ryder rookie Nicolas Colsaerts played absolutely out of his mind, throwing down eight birdies (winning five of them) to give the Europeans their lone afternoon victory.

It's not that Tiger was bad, necessarily; it's just that Colsaerts was absolutely out of his mind with his playing. Woods carded six birdies of his own, four for winners, including a monstrous 19-foot putt on 16 that drew the Americans to within one...but they would get no closer.

Whether Woods is tired or not is irrelevant; shortly after this round finished, Davis Love III announced that Woods would sit out Saturday morning's matches. Woods and Stricker are now responsible for two of the US's three lost points, and they'll need to get back on their horses quickly.

Standings after Day 1: USA 5, Europe 3.

Follow Yahoo! Sports and Devil Ball all weekend long for Ryder Cup updates from Medinah, on