Great Britain & Ireland's spirited bid to retain the PGA Cup ended in the narrowest of defeats as they came up an agonising half a point short at the Oconee Course in Georgia.
Gary Alliss's team, seeking an historic first win on American soil, emerged with all guns blazing during a pulsating final day's play to win the singles 5½-4½.
But the US's two point overnight lead proved decisive, sparking jubilant scenes on the 18th as Roger Warren's team celebrated reclaiming the Llandudno Trophy by a 13½-12½ scoreline.
The match hung on a knife-edge for much of a gloriously hot afternoon at the Reynolds Plantation but Ryan Benzel's gritty comeback against Paul Wesselingh plunged a dagger into the GB&I bid.
Benzel, the baby of the US team at 28, came back from three down including birdies on 17 and 18 to snatch a vital half.
Despite George Ryall, Andrew Barnett and Craig Goodfellow all being up in the later matches and points already in the bag from Jon Bevan and Danny Taylor, it wasn't long before the trophy was officially back in American hands when Chris Starkjohann holed out in the final singles to defeat Duncan Muscroft 4&3 and earn the decisive point.
America had already notched points through a 2&1 win for Don Yrene - let off the hook when Ashbourne pro John Dwyer missed a short putt on 17 to send the game down the last - Chip Sullivan, a 5&4 winner against James Whatley and Ron Philo Jnr who squeezed out Michael Nesbit 3&2.
Afterwards Alliss admitted to being bitterly disappointed but was proud of his team's display.
"They've done their best, battled away to get the point they were in control of but there's not much else they can do," he said.
"But they're golf pros, they know how cruel the game can be and they'll be back. Next week they'll be teeing it up somewhere and this will be I think a happy memory for them."
"We've come out of the singles having won - that is fantastic, it really is," he added.
"Perhaps if you look back to where we lost it we just gave ourselves exactly what it shows - a half a point too much to do to retain the trophy.
"Obviously it's bitterly disappointing, I would have loved to have taken the trophy home but we gave it our best shot and it's a cruel game."
Bevan's IUP win against Tim Thelen took his points tally to three-and-a-half and he felt the difference between the two teams could be measured in fractions.
"We came up short, just," he said. "We have lost to a great team, but we are a great team too and we could have won it sounds like it's down to a few small breaks."
Speaking after his 2&1 win over Alan Schulte, Goodfellow said: "We really believed that we could win and getting to this stage and only losing by a point it is very hard to take. Everyone's probably got points they should have won, but it's nobody's fault. We're all gutted."
Star performer again was Ryall who secured a maximum points-haul from his four games, after his defeat of Butch Sheehan 1UP.
"Their guys played some fantastic golf to win it, which is what the tournament is all about," he said.
"I tried to do the best that I could and get as many points as I could and I'm delighted I got as many as I did, but I'd rather have lost every game and won."
Midland pro Taylor delivered the biggest surprise of the day by shooting down the powerful Mike Small by 4&3 and the Swingers Driving Range teacher is drawing plenty of positives out of the experience.
"We can take a lot from this performance," he said. "These guys have all got two arms and two legs - they're not unbeatable - and we came so close to doing it and we will beat them again in the future. We've shown what a good team we are."
24 September, 2007