They bungled the lyrics and were decidedly off-key, but their motivation and intentions were surely pure.

As homegrown hero Kenny Perry stood in the first tee box Sunday, a group of his Commonwealth brethren in the bleachers began blurting out the words to Old Kentucky Home, an effort that fizzled when the lava-lunged fans couldn’t remember the words.

After years of the hearing the U.S. team repeat the same sour chorus, Perry and his new Ryder Cup mates had no such trouble, giving the heavily favored Europeans a symphony of red, white and bluegrass.

After plenty of tears and jeers, the Yanks reclaimed the elusive Cup for the first time since 1999 with a stirring 16½-11½ victory over the Euros at Valhalla Golf Club, riding the efforts of two native Kentuckians and their adopted country cousin to an American antebellum reconstruction.

The lopsided score represents the largest American victory since 1981, when the Americans won 18½-9½ in old Surrey, England. That’s a long way, both geographically and philosophically, from where country Kenny lives.

The determined Perry won his match with ease, fellow Kentucky native J.B. Holmes made two brilliant birdies down the stretch to nail down a victory and homespun Boo Weekley had six birdies and an eagle to win in a rout to lead the American charge, which has been a very long time coming.

“I couldn’t hold back the tears,” said Perry, 48, who piled the pressure on himself this week. “It’s the greatest day of my life.”

Including U.S. captain Paul Azinger, there were at least a dozen others wearing the same uniform who wouldn’t have argued the point. But for Perry and Holmes, it was doubly delicious. The pair of native sons finished the week a combined 4-1-2, collecting five points. Weekley, who was embraced as a homeboy himself with his corny country quotes and crazy cheerleading antics, was unbeaten at 2-0-1.

“They took it to us the last couple of years,” the colorful Weekley said, low-balling the length of the drought by a few miles. “And now it’s time for us to take it back.”

As the champagne sprayed, the animated Weekley did a few victory laps around the clubhouse, pretending he was riding a galloping horse while whipping himself on the backside. Which beats the mood of three days earlier, when nitpicking at the underdog and overmatched U.S. team felt like whipping a dead horse.

What’s experience worth? Even in a pressure cauldron like the Ryder, it’s not always a difference-maker. Astoundingly, the veteran trio of Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and three-time major winner Padraig Harrington, who all lost on Sunday, finished the week without a victory between them.

Garcia, sent off first in an attempt to get some mojo working as the Europeans began the day trailing 9-7, was crushed by 23-year-old Anthony Kim, who was so swept up in the moment that after ending it on the 14th green, 5 and 4, he began rushing off to the next tee, oblivious that the match had just ended and he’d scored a potentially major point.

“I’m coming out of my skin right now I’m so excited,” Kim said as the Cup was clinched. “We’re obviously very proud of ourselves. Hopefully we got a lot more coming.”

The Europeans mustered a minor move through the middle of the day, but with Harrington and Westwood fading in the last two positions on the lineup card, the day quickly became a runaway for the Americans.

There’s a sentence nobody expected to read this week.

Somewhat fittingly, American veteran Jim Furyk won the clinching point with his 2-and-1 win over Miguel Angel Jimenez. Furyk had been on the receiving end of the clinching point in the American loss in 2002, so he personified the team’s utter turnaround.

“It’s an awful feeling,” recalled Furyk, who entered the week with a Ryder record of 6-12-2.

More than anyone, though, it was the two Kentuckians, Weekley and the other rookies who were at the fore. Holmes made two huge birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 to all but secure the cup that Furyk nailed down a moment later.

“Best moment of my life right now,” said Holmes, who grew up 80 miles up the road and attended University of Kentucky. “I’m just so excited. This was just an unbelievable day. I don’t know what else to say.”

Perry was likewise overwhelmed, and for good reason. The veteran won three times this year during an all-out press to make the roster, then tailored his schedule to maximize his chances, drawing stern criticism for sitting out two major championships. A moment before he teed off, as the locals tried to serenade him behind the first tee, he cast an eye into the bleachers and seemed to soak in the scene. He looked almost serene, which for a twitchy guy like Perry, was very unusual.

“This is what he’s been waiting for,” said Azinger, standing nearby.

With his family in tow all week, including his 84-year-old father riding along in an electric cart — dressed in denim overalls — Perry drilled Henrik Stenson 3 and 2 to secure the team’s second point of the day. It also ended a brief three-match European winning streak.

Only a few days before the matches, he freely admitted that, given the emphasis he had placed on the matches, he was going to be “a hero or a goat to the whole state of Kentucky.” Hey, no pressure there, right?

The Old Kentucky Homeboy delivered.

“It’s the greatest day of my life,” he said. “My dad, my wife my three kids ran up on the green — a magical day. I had such a calm and coolness about me, and the fans are just unbelievable.

“I kept telling everybody this is kind of my swan song, and what a way to go out.”

There is plenty of reason for optimism on the horizon, too. American rookie Hunter Mahan, who had famously criticized the Ryder in a magazine interview over the summer, even though he had only received second-hand reports on the event, was fully willing to eat crow after his experiences this week, which included scoring a team-high 3½ points.

Mahan, who was undefeated, had characterized the role of American players as akin to slaves for the week, but he played more like Spartacus.

“I knew what to expect, but it blows that out of the water,” Mahan said. “The people, the fans, the moments we had, I just felt a lifetime of memories right there.”

Hookscenter.com wire report.