BLOOMFIELD TWP., Mich. – Bernhard Langer and his band of brothers in arms smirked all the way to the Detroit airport and back to Europe yesterday, deep down knowing that they bamboozled the Americans yet again en route to another Ryder Cup victory.

Langer and his European side, which dusted the Americans by a record margin of 18½ to 9½ in the 35th Ryder Cup over the weekend, did a brilliant job of marketing themselves as the “poor-little-old-us” underdog in these matches.

As that premise snowballed, so did the pressure on the Americans, who were sure to be seen as underachievers if they didn’t defeat Europe – especially on home turf.

Meanwhile, the tact completely took the pressure off the Europeans, which was, of course, their plan all along.

“The Europeans have taken a great attitude the last decade of trying to come in and say, ‘We’re the underdog; we have nothing to lose,’ as they did this year even though this was a very even-matched event,” Phil Mickelson said. “They try to take the pressure off that way.”

Mission accomplished.

Langer also quietly made an ingenious move before the practice rounds even began by instructing his players to play to the U.S. galleries during the practice rounds, signing autographs in-between shots and hamming it up with the fans.

The players on both sides were told by the Ryder Cup officials before the week began that they didn’t have to sign autographs, and the fact that the Europeans went out of their way to bond with the crowds by signing autographs irked some on the U.S. side, because it made them look bad when the Americans didn’t sign.

U.S. captain Hal Sutton, perhaps viewing this issue through rose-colored glasses, blamed the media for building the Europeans up as underdogs.

“The media did a hell of a job marketing them as an underdog, not the Europeans,” Sutton barked.

Sutton obviously wasn’t listening to or paying attention to any of the press conferences involving the European players and Langer. All week, they trumpeted themselves as the David in this match against Goliath.

The Europeans lamented about everything from the world rankings and how they have only one player on their side in the top 10 to major championships and how the U.S. side was stacked with major winners and the poor Euros didn’t have a single major amongst them to no haggis on the dinnertime menu.

Then, of course, there was the home-soil argument. How could the Americans lose on their home course, especially one that has hosted U.S. Opens?

“There’s no way they’re underdogs; they’re winning this tournament pretty consistently. It’s always either close or they win,” Davis Love III was saying Sunday night.

“If you know anything about golf and you watched [the Europeans] play this week, you would know that they are very good players,” Sutton said. “These guys are grand. You all make the Americans feel like they have really done a poor job if we get beat by these guys.”

That’s absolutely the tact the keen Europeans took. It’s surely one of the reasons why the U.S. players let the pressure of this competition eat them up on Friday and Saturday as the noose tightened.

“Theses guys are darned good,” Sutton said.

Absolutely right again, and the Europeans know it.

The fun will start again in two years when the Europeans will again try to convince the world and themselves when then two sides meet again at the K Club in Ireland.

“I don’t think we’ll be the favorite next time,” Mickelson said. “No matter what the world rankings say, I think we’ll be the underdog. And hopefully, we’ll play like they have.”

Added Woods: “Why don’t you market us as the underdog? Start now.”