EUROPE captain Nick Faldo felt his side fell just "fractions" short as the US won the Ryder Cup in Valhalla.

Jim Furyk sealed the victory by beating Miguel Angel Jiminez on a tense day in Kentucky.

Faldo said: “It’s about fractions. I’m so proud of my 12 guys. We have come up short but not in pride and spirit.

“We can have a straight back and chin up. We did our best but America this week were just a little better.”

Faldo added: “We are talking about fractions between these two teams.

“If we could get it to the last four guys...that was the risk I guess we took.

“We gave our heart and soul. The golf was fantastic and this particular week they have done us.

“Everybody has given 100% and that’s all you can do.”

America had won, of course, without world number one Tiger Woods, but what Azinger did was find 12 players who gave their all for the cause.

“We just had a plan and stuck to it,” he said. “We created a 13th man with the crowd and they were beautifully behaved.

“The guys had an ’everything to gain’ attitude and they came together as a group. In the end it comes down to putting and heart and our guys had a lot of heart.”