Best-laid Ryder Cup plans do pay off, says Europe's Rose

ROME : When Tommy Fleetwood raised his arms on Marco Simone's 16th green having ensured that Europe would reclaim the Ryder Cup it marked the culmination of a plan hatched two years ago after the worst drubbing in the competition's history.

Europe's 19-9 defeat at Whistling Straits was a hammer blow to the continent's top golfers but days after that debacle thoughts had already turned to Rome.

Over three days on the outskirts of the Italian capital, the plan came to glorious fruition, even if there were a few bumps in the road en route to a 16-1/2 to 11-1/2 win.

Justin Rose, the oldest member of Europe's team and surely a future skipper, said captain Luke Donald's attention to detail had been a key factor in Europe's win.

"You know, nothing was left to chance on that front. Every opportunity that we could have, we took to get forward and get more prepared. I think when you give people clarity, they can kind of sink their teeth into something."

Team bonding weeks and the use of detailed analytics were all part of the preparation to make Europe, in Rose's words, 'almost unbeatable' in the foursomes format.

Europe were 7-1 in those two sessions of alternate shot golf on Friday and Saturday, and it was no accident.

"When things are reactive, it feels like you're kind of hoping for something to change versus when there's a plan, it's just about execution then," Rose said.

"So if you give us a plan, something I'll say to my caddie, if you have good information, there's a good chance we're going to hit a good shot. We got a lot of good information this week ahead of time, so kind of kept us all pretty calm."

The 43-year-old Rose fully justified his pick with 1-1/2 points from his three matches.

He said the team culture in Europe was