After three thrilling days in Scotland, the European team prevailed, defeating the United States by a score of 16.5-11.5 in the 2014 Ryder Cup. The decisive victory keeps the coveted trophy overseas for two more years, and the Americans travel back across the Atlantic empty-handed.

The tournament didn't go exactly as captain Tom Watson had hoped, and he found himself under plenty of scrutiny after a couple of questionable decisions that may have played a part in dooming the United States team.

Conversely, European captain Paul McGinley executed his duties with precision. His pairings were carefully calculated, and his team flourished as a result. BBC Radio's Chris Evans had some high praise for the team's leader Sunday:

Chris Evans @achrisevans

Hats off to Paul McGinley by far and away the best prepared Ryder Cup captain of all time. Different class. Total professional.

Here's one last glance at Sunday's final scores:

With the tournament now in the books, let's take a look back at the results of each match throughout the patriotic event at Gleneagles.

Things began nicely for the Americans on Friday. The morning fourball matches saw the emergence of what would be the United States' most dominant duo—rookies Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed.

Those phenoms notched the first full point of the tournament for the Americans when they handily defeated the rookie-veteran combination of Stephen Gallacher and Ian Poulter. The win sparked a nice run in the morning's final pairing, as Phil Mickelson and Keegan Bradley earned another point, propelling the underdog United States out front by a score of 2.5 to 1.5.

That's when the American captain made his first questionable decision. Despite the impressive performance from Spieth and Reed, Watson decided to sit the duo for the afternoon. Rex Hoggard of the Golf Channel relayed a comment from the captain regarding the situation:

Rex Hoggard @RexHoggardGC

Tom Watson on sitting J. Spieth & P. Reed: “I take the blame for that. That decision not to play them was a hard decision to make."

Without the duo in action, the United States faltered in the afternoon foursomes. All Spieth and Reed could do was sit back and watch as the Europeans racked up 3.5 out of a possible four points.

Day 2 began in similar fashion. Reed and Spieth picked up right where they'd left off, pummeling the duo of Thomas Bjorn and Martin Kaymer, notching another point for the United States. With a win from Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan, the Americans got the best of their European opponents in the morning.

The United States fell apart in the afternoon once again, however. Watson decided to sit Phil Mickelson for the entire day despite his solid performance Friday. Of course, Lefty wasn't happy with the decision, and Golf Channel's Jason Sobel read between the lines of Mickelson's recent comments:

Jason Sobel @JasonSobelTAN

Those comments from Phil Mickelson can only be interpreted one way: Tom Watson was the wrong man for this job.

The United States entered Sunday down 10-6 against a talented European squad.

Spieth kicked things off for the United States on Day 3, but he couldn't keep his momentum going. Graeme McDowell continued his stellar play in this year's Ryder Cup, finishing with a convincing win.

Luckily for the Americans, Reed kept up his blistering pace. He edged out Henrik Stenson, earning a much-needed point for the United States. Reed certainly appeared to be the team's best rookie performer in Scotland this year, and he ended his tournament with an exclamation point, via PGA Tour:

PGA TOUR @PGATOUR

Patrick Reed wins No. 18 with a birdie. Point to the Americans. The rookie was 3-0-1 this week. #RyderCup

The day's marquee match between Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler didn't turn out to be as thrilling as many onlookers had hoped. McIlroy outperformed his American opponent from the onset of their match. After the world No. 1 put on a clinic against Fowler, he spoke of his performance, via Golf.com:

GOLF.com @GOLF_com

"There was no option other than to win. I played my best golf of the week." - McIlroy after defeating Fowler

With the Americans and the Europeans trading points thereafter—Mickelson and Matt Kuchar notched wins for the Americans, and Kaymer won for Europe—the home team sat comfortably at 13.5 points, needing just a half-point more to retain the trophy.

Rookie Jamie Donaldson did the honors for Europe, earning a decisive victory against Bradley and bringing his team's point total to 14.5. Here's a look at Donaldson's nearly perfect approach, via NBC Sports, which led to the rookie clinching the Ryder Cup:

NBC Sports @NBCSports

WATCH: Jamie Donaldson's spectacular approach that clinched the #RyderCup for Europe -

The final matches were a formality from that point onward, but the United States made things respectable near the end, winning one more match and halving two.

McGinley will be praised for his efforts at Gleneagles this year, as he appeared to be one step ahead of the Americans throughout the tournament. Meanwhile, Watson may have to answer some questions regarding suspect decisions that played a part in the demise of the United States team.

The trophy will be locked away in Europe for two more years; however, judging by the stellar play of the young Americans in Scotland, the United States will have a great chance to win it all on home soil the next time around.