GLENEAGLES, Scotland -- Be honest. It was difficult to see this coming. Not another United States loss in the Ryder Cup, of course. That was widely predicted and all but decided but for the singing and dancing Sunday afternoon at Gleneagles.
But amid the din of another disappointing defeat rose Patrick Reed, an unlikely U.S. points leader who few could have predicted would even be on this year's team, let alone fist-pumping his way around the course, wearing shirt sleeves like a lineman on a cold day in Green Bay.
Reed, 24, took down Sweden's Henrik Stenson -- who won the FedEx Cup and European Tour's Race to Dubai last year and is ranked fifth in the world. In Sunday's singles, Reed gave the Americans hope for a time in a long-shot comeback bid.
The 1-up victory was aided by a missed Stenson putt at the last hole, but at least Reed got there. His was one of just five outright U.S. victories on a day when 8½ points were necessary to regain the Cup.
The U.S. fell short, losing to Europe, 16½ to 11½, for the third straight time. Reed was barely born the last time the Americans won in Europe, and searching for answers has become a biennial occurrence.
But his performance this week, although not nearly enough to overcome numerous other flaws in the U.S. effort, ought to be a glimmer of hope as the Americans, again, try to figure out how to get it right in this competition.
"In the end, we didn't get it done," Reed said beside the 18th green, taking in the European celebration that raged before him. "But this was everything I expected and more. I loved it. I very much want to be a part of this again."
Reed exhibited a passion, a resolve, that many think is missing from U.S. squads that now have lost eight of the past 10 Ryder Cups. One of those American wins required a remarkable comeback in 1999. Other tournaments have been very close, could have gone either way. This one was lost on Saturday, when the U.S. got waxed in the afternoon foursomes session.
The "doesn't care" narrative is often overblown. That is typically trotted out as an excuse for lack of U.S. success, but anyone who witnessed the American news conference Sunday would see that it is not the case. It also wasn't the case in 2012 at Medinah and 2010 in Wales.
Phil Mickelson was clearly frustrated as he wondered why the U.S. has abandoned a formula that was successful during the 2008 victory. The Americans haven't won since.
But it is true that few have shown the kind of spunk exhibited by Reed, who went 3-0-1 this week and, were it not for a short miss in Saturday's foursomes, might have been perfect.
"This is the best event I've ever played in my life," said Reed, who has three PGA Tour victories. "Just to get to know these guys and to be out here means a lot to me. I definitely want to be back, and I'll definitely be trying even harder just to come back."
Reed's defeat of Stenson was no small feat. The Swede had been 3-0 with Justin Rose. And when Reed drained a birdie putt on the seventh hole, he raised his index finger to his lips and shushed the vocal European fans.
To do so was a bit cheeky, as they say in these parts, but the likes of Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia have been known to do the same thing. For an American team lacking in positives, it was a welcome sight.
"It was a lot of fun," Reed said. "Of course they're going to heckle me. I missed a putt [Saturday] I probably could make on one foot left-handed, and so they gave me a hard time about that.
"I got the crowd fired up on both sides and it was a lot of fun. The crowd loved it. They were heckling me all day, yet we were being respectful on both sides. It was a lot of fun."
Reed didn't figure to be this guy. His brief time as a pro has been highlighted by his "top 5" comment in the aftermath of his victory earlier this year at Doral. Reed had an excellent college career at Augusta State, where he helped win two national titles, but few on the team knew him, and his play in the latter part of this year had been sporadic.
Yet he had an impressive attitude for a Ryder Cup rookie who in no way could approximate what this week would entail. But he handled it beautifully and perhaps provided a lesson that experience is overrated.
Jordan Spieth, who let slip a 3-up lead to Graeme McDowell on Sunday, still finished 2-1-1. Jimmy Walker, the third rookie, went 1-1-2. Combined they went 6-2-4 and helped account for 5½ of the team's 11½ points.
"They were awesome," Mickelson said.
Not enough to help the U.S. overcome the European juggernaut, but perhaps the start of building something toward 2016 at Hazeltine.
After so much failure, the Americans have to find something. Perhaps Reed is it.