A new dawn for the Ryder Cup had arrived with players from Europe, and not just Great Britain and Ireland, challenging America for the first time.
Yet another new format meant the first two days now comprised of eight foursomes and eight fourballs, leaving 12 singles matches on the final day.
The Americans grabbed a handy three-point lead on the first day, with Ryder Cup new boys Seve Ballesteros and Antonio Garrido bouncing back from an early defeat to win their foursomes in the afternoon.
Not everybody was enthused with the new landscape, with Mark James and Ken Brown in particular incurring the wrath of officials for refusing to wear the team jacket or attend meetings.
Nick Faldo was in inspired form, finishing up with three victories, but Larry Nelson was the main factor in yet another American triumph as he notched up five wins.
Injury forced James out of the afternoon singles on the final day, but as the home team claimed five out of six matches in the morning singles, the match was effectively all over.