Bush Welcomes Winning Ryder Cup Team To White House

November 18, 2008 10:42 p.m. EST

Washington, DC (AHN) - The U.S. Ryder Cup team that defeated Europe last September met Monday with President George W. Bush at the White House.

Team captain Paul Azinger, assistant Raymond Floyd and seven members of the 12-member squad-Stewart Cink, Ben Curtis, Hunter Mahan, Chad Campbell, J.B. Holmes, Jim Furyk and Boo Weekley-visited the Oval Office and posed pictures with Bush.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also welcomed the team, which stunned Europe 16 ?-11 ? at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucy in a victory that erased European dominance for almost a decade.

What made the championship sweet was the fact that the Americans did it with half of their lineup comprised mainly of rookies.

Pulling it off right in their own country also added to the drama and excitement of winning the biennial prestigious event.

Azinger and company presented Bush with a personalized Ryder Cup golf bag, a tournament money clip plus a golf shirt and sweater vest that the team wore in the event.

"This was the icing on the cake for me and the players," the team captain said in a statement. "I said to the president how much I appreciated the joy that he and his staff had for us."