A Ryder Cup rookie from Ireland, McGinley dropped a 9-foot putt at the 18th hole to halve his singles match with Jim Furyk of the U.S. and give Europe its third championship in the last four. He was mobbed by teammates and thrown into the lake that fronts the final green, before holding aloft the Irish flag.

The seventh European qualifier for golf's premier team event, also earned a half-point with Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke in yesterday's afternoon fourballs, after losing the foursomes with countryman Padraig Harrington Friday afternoon.

``To have the opportunity to hole the winning putt was magnificent, and to actually hole it was even better,'' the 35- year-old McGinley said. ``Standing over the putt, it wasn't a mixture of nerves I felt, it was excitement and adrenaline. I hope this will be the turning point for me.''

Europe, which lost the Ryder Cup at Brookline, Massachusetts, three years ago amid hostile galleries and accusation of unsportsmanlike behavior among the U.S. team, began the day tied at 8-8 after the pairs matches. Before today, Europe had won one singles segment of the event in the last seven.

U.S. captain Curtis Strange sent out Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson -- the first- and second-ranked golfers in the world respectively -- as his last two. Europe captain Sam Torrance, though, sent his best players out first to try to win the 6 1/2 points it needed to win the match early. Ultimately, it was McGinley in the ninth match that settled the title.

``He came up with some big putts when he needed them,'' Furyk said, also referring to McGinley's 15-footer for birdie on the 17th, which squared the match.

McGinley was the only member of either team to play the Belfry during Ryder Cup week last year, when it was postponed because of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. He said that despite an eerie atmosphere and empty grandstands, it was good to see how the venue would have looked.

The Dubliner, who built a gymnasium at his home to improve on his fitness in 1999, is No. 71 in the world rankings. His status didn't mean his teammates had any less confidence in him, or his fellow three rookies, Pierre Fulke, Niclas Fasth and Phil Price, who overcame Mickelson 3-and-2.

``When we got here, there was all this talk about our team having weak players who were not in form and all this kind of stuff,'' Germany Ryder Cup veteran Bernhard Langer. ``It was all rubbish.''