The 41st Ryder Cup had all the drama, the quality and the excitement we have come to expect from one of the worlds foremost sporting occasions, and Ewen Murray has been reflecting on the best and worst of the week in Minnesota. The 41st edition of the Ryder Cup had it all. Just when you think Medinah in 2012 and Gleneagles in 2014 raised the bar, alongside comes Hazeltine National which, over the course of three frenetic days, provided the good, the bad and the ugly. The vast majority of the Hazeltine crowd were well behaved, but there were a few who spoiled the party The ugly was a tiny minority, and I emphasise the word tiny, of 50,000 fans who overstepped the line in golfing etiquette. When you have that amount out of people watching a spectacular sporting event along with a fully charged atmosphere, there is always going to a few who will spoil the party. American fans, whether it be NFL or baseball, basketball or golf, are noisy. They shout and roar. They have huge passion and they support their respected teams and individuals vigorously. Take that away from sport and you lose a lot of enjoyment, and 95 per cent of the fans in Minnesota were genuinely, good golfing fans. Ian Poulter points out a troublemaker on the second day In modern society, its expected and sadly acceptable for fans to cheer when a putt is missed or a tee shot is errant. One must move with the times or be classed a dinosaur. The thing that is not acceptable is when the antics of the small circle of fools interrupt the golf.That did happen a couple of times throughout the event and it was dealt with by the 95 per cent who were there to watch two teams go head to head. They singled the idiots out and the security officers escorted them off the property. Danny Willetts brother hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons Pete Willett, brother of Danny ... oh dear! Why a magazine would interview Pete would be my first question. Secondly, his brother is the Masters champion and will play a fair amount of golf in the United States. What was there to gain in slating Americans and their lifestyle?Now he knows how much there was to lose. Willetts golf was far from what hes capable of and the next few events in America for him will not be a breeze, but he has a strong mind and a good work ethic. Hell bounce back. Lee Westwood was short of form heading into the Ryder Cup, and struggled from the off at Hazeltine The bad? The performance of some of the experienced players in the European side. With six rookies in the team, the onus was on the experienced players to produce and in Westwood, Kaymer and Rose, they failed. I would say at this point, golf is not a tap and you cant turn it off and on. Westwood had struggled in the run up to the event and some will say this was one Ryder Cup too many.For Matthew Fitzpatrick and Andy Sullivan, it was perhaps one too early. However, they along with Chris Wood, will be older and wiser in the run up to the 2018 edition in France. The experienced gained in Minnesota will be most valuable to them next time round. Darren Clarke brought back Westwood for Saturdays fourballs and left out Rafa Cabrera Bello When a captain loses, hes classed as poor. In victory, hes a genius. Darren Clarkes use of Lee Westwood and his resting of an in-form Rafa Cabrera Bello will no doubt be criticised. So, too, will be the omission of Russell Knox, and the fact that five Europeans played in all five sessions will also scrutinised. These may have been his only mistakes and they are easy to point out in hindsight.Personally, I think Paul Casey would have made a difference, but Darren couldnt pick him as he is not a European Tour member. Russell Knox would have qualified for the side had he played in and performed well at the Wyndham. If Kaymer and Westwood, two of his three wildcards, had excelled, it would have been a different tale. Sadly, they didnt. A lot of ifs and buts, there always is when theres an inquisition. Thomas Pieters was a revelation in his first Ryder Cup The good? The big problem here is, where do we start? For Europe, lets begin with Thomas Pieters. The Belgian star was exceptional alongside McIlroy and looked equally comfortable on his own in the Sunday singles. He already is one of Europes finest players. He will challenge for majors and he will be a Ryder Cup player for many years to come. Give Captain Clarke some credit there, Thomas was his other wild card.The quality of golf on show over the three days was, at times, outstanding. A week during which the game of golf had lost Arnold Palmer, it seemed the players wanted to play Palmer style. Shots they are wary of week in week out, they threw caution to the wind rising to the challenge. Rory McIlroys clash with Patrick Reed was pure theatre The first eight holes of the opening singles match was like one of Spielbergs finest scripts. McIlroy and Patrick Reed going hell for leather, trading blow for blow, putt for putt while trying to outdo one another with their celebrations. Reed copied Rorys bow, Mcllroy copied Patricks quietening tactics made famous at Gleneagles. Their golf and sportsmanship was brilliant.Yet it wasnt the match of the tournament. The clash of Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia will be remembered for years to come. Trading birdies from the off, they were both round in an approximate 63. You got the feeling they could have played another round and still they would be all square. Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson blitzed Hazeltine on Sunday in a match of outstanding quality With Phil rolling in a 20 footer at the last, Sergio followed him from a third of that distance to record half a point each. The number 63 features a lot in Mickelsons year. The lip out at Royal Troon for a first 62 in a major and Stenson shooting 63 the final round of the Open to stop Phil winning his second Claret Jug. At Hazeltine, Phil and Sergio served up a Ryder Cup treat.It was victory for Davis Love III, heaven knows how he felt four years ago at the closing ceremony in Chicago. His team had blown a four-point lead in front of Americas loyal fans. The son of one of the most respected PGA professionals in the USA is one of the good guys. His players raised their games and played their hearts out for him. The score flattered the US a touch, but best team won by the Twin Cities. Atonement for Davis Love III after his heartbreak of Medinah This win for the United States is good for the Ryder Cup as its their first win since 08, and only their third since 1993. When the European bruises and egos heal, the hype will begin all over again. France has a tough act to follow, but Le Golf National is one of the best courses in Europe. Its just over 700 days to the Friday morning foursomes.I close with Sundays final words: The US stars earned their stripes. And yes, it was a glittering show in Minnesota. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Ryder Cup home Shots of the week Clarke: No regrets Golf live on Sky Sports Cheap Wholesale Jerseys .com) - No Sidney Crosby, no problem. Cheap Jerseys . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (5) – He had a brilliant game; it was a huge response for his average games before. http://www.authenticwholesalechinajerseys.com/ .Those stars, most notably the top line of James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel, struggled against the Montreal Canadiens and must be better as the Leafs look ahead to facing the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers this weekend. Cheap China Jerseys . Thaddeus Young scored seven of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Turner added 22 points, and the 76ers hung on for their first road win since Nov. 1, beating the depleted Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 on Sunday night. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Louis Cardinals a hard-fought victory. The Colorado Rockies intentionally walked Yadier Molina with one out and runners on first and third to load the bases for Kozma.TORONTO – Fighting rising adversity and stalled growth, the Leafs will get a little help on the back-end in the coming days. Mark Fraser is ready to return from a left knee injury and hopes to play against the Devils, his former team, on Friday. The 27-year-old has been sidelined for all but two games this season with a grade-2 MCL tear. "I think I can say today was my best day yet," said Fraser, following an hour-plus practice on Wednesday morning. "There really wasnt any concerns today in practice. I think thats a pretty good green light indication for myself." Randy Carlyle wasnt ready to say if Fraser would immediately rejoin the lineup, but did at least concede to the looming possibility of change on a defence thats had trouble this season. Guardedness from the coach aside, Fraser figures to find a place upon his return from injury. He was among the teams top-6 defenders when the season began in Montreal – he played with Paul Ranger that night – and offers the kind of meat-and-potatoes defensive game his team has lacked early this season. Where he fits and who exits the lineup in the interim is more the question and one Carlyle and the coaching staff have surely been pondering. "We have decisions to make," Carlyle said, revealing little in the way of plans. The odd man out when the season opened on Oct. 1, Morgan Rielly played a season-low 14 minutes in Vancouver on Saturday. The 19-year-old has had the predictable ups and downs of a rookie defender, averaging nearly 18 minutes alongside Cody Franson in the slot Fraser occupied last season. Like Rielly, Jake Gardiner and Paul Ranger have also been inconsistent options to date. Theyve offered limited patches of good on a third pairing, but nothing sustainable. Their troubles with the puck and in the defensive zone have been an obvious concern. Much like last season, the Leafs have struggled to find consistency beyond their top pair of Dion Phaneuf and Carl Gunnarsson. Carlyle has typically employed Franson and Rielly against second-tier offensive options (often subbing the rookie with Phaneuf), but theyve proven uneven in the role, both players more refined offensively than defensively. Carlyle found success teaming the 6-foot-4 Fraser with the 6-foot-5 Franson last season; though the pair had difficulty at times with greater competition as the year wore on. Because of Riellys inexperience and the inconsistency of Gardiner and Ranger, this may be the best option for the Leafs at the moment – with any one of the aforementioned three exiting the lineup initially, likely on a rotating basis. Ultimately, Carlyle will have to determine where Fraser fits best in helping to stabilize the defence. "Youre going to make the decision that you feel is best for your hockey club, whats going to give you the best chance to win," said Carlyle. Frasers return, needed as it is, highlights the instability of a Toronto defence that received no external upgrades in the offseason.dddddddddddd Leaf management had limited options via free agency and ultimately stood pat on the trade market, adding only Ranger from the Marlies. It was and remains a hope for the club that Gardiner rounds into playoff form, that Ranger continues to improve after a four-year NHL absence and that Rielly continues to show growth. The results remain inconclusive to this point. Fraser exuded a workmanlike effort in snatching a spot with the Leafs last season; he led the defence in both blocked shots and hits. Though the pain and discomfort in his left knee have subsided, he will be required to wear a brace upon returning from long-term injured reserve, one that hell likely keep for the remainder of the season as a precaution. "Finding some sort of comfort in it," he said of the adjustment. "It just feels like a very restrictive piece of equipment that seldom stays in the same spot so its just getting beyond that. Like anything it just takes some getting used to." More constrictive than the brace is the medical tape he must wear, stretching from the thigh to below the knee. The protective equipment, he said, wont affect his skating stride nor does it restrict him from any typical movements. Though he figures to help a club that has had difficulty defending – 37 shots against per game – his addition is just one small piece to a group that has yet to play anywhere near its best hockey (10-5-0). In what was likely their worst performance of the season on Saturday, the Leafs allowed 40-plus shots for the third straight game, shut out for the first time all year in a 4-0 loss to the Canucks. "I think we need physical," said Carlyle, asked if Frasers physical presence was needed. "I think we need puck-moving. I think we need to quit the turnovers. I think weve got to get back to more a workman-like game versus the cute game I think weve been trying to play." Theyll be challenged to do so without two of their top centres. Tyler Bozak (hamstring) is out for the foreseeable future (Nov. 21, his earliest return date) and Dave Bolland (ankle) has hit injured reserve for a period that remains unknown and figures to be longer rather than shorter. Hoping to plug the holes and survive in the meantime, the club signed 34-year-old Jerred Smithson for the remainder of the season, also bumping James van Riemsdyk to centre. Previously with the Marlies on a pro tryout, Smithson spent last season split between Florida and Edmonton. "We look at our team to play a tighter brand of hockey and to continue to show some growth," said Carlyle. "We think the growth has stalled for our team. We dont think that weve played to the template that weve created and some of the things that were struggling with are things that we have to overcome or were not going to give ourselves the best chance for success." ' ' '