RORY McIlroy shudders to think what the reaction would have been if he had missed the Ryder Cup singles in Chicago and Europe had lost by a point – both of which nearly happened.

Instead the world No 1, given a police escort from the team hotel after believing he was teeing off an hour later on the final day than he actually was, was able to celebrate arguably the greatest ever victory in the history of an event that has served up one pulsating contest after another in recent years.

‘‘I don’t want to imagine what it would have been like if we’d lost by a point and I’m glad that I’m not – but of course it crossed my mind,’’ McIlroy said, as the magnitude of Europe’s recovery from 10-4 down to win 14½- 13½ began to sink in.

‘‘The abuse that you guys would have given me in the papers, but I’m just glad I got here, I won my point for the team and we ended up winning.’’ The 23- y e a r - o l d then gave a b l o w - b y - blow account of his p r e - r o u n d drama.

‘‘I woke up at nine to call Caroline ( girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki) in Beijing and after that I was just hanging around.

‘‘For some reason I had it in my head I was playing at 12.25 instead of 11.25. I read the tee times on my phone – they are obviously on Eastern time and it’s Central time here.

‘‘I got a couple of missed calls from a funny number about half-ten and was thinking ‘who’s that?’, so I didn’t answer. Then I got a call from Conor Ridge, my manager, at 11 asking if I was at the golf course yet.’’ Their conversation went like this: McIlroy: ‘‘No, I’m not’’.

Ridge: ‘‘You’re teeing off in 25 minutes’’.

McIlroy: ‘‘No I’m not, I’m teeing off in an hour and 25’’.

Ridge: ‘‘No, you’re not.

You’re taking the piss, you’re at the golf course’’.

McIlroy: ‘‘I am NOT at the golf course’’.

Ridge: ‘‘Well, you’d better get there’’.

Due to play unbeaten Keegan Bradley in the third game, McIlroy admitted he instantly realised the consequences of not making it in time – five minutes late and he would have been disqualified, handing America the first point of the day and a five-point lead.

‘‘I was just lucky there was a State Trooper downstairs who could take me, get his lights on and pass all the traffic,’’ he said. ‘‘Once we got off the highway it would have taken 10 minutes without him to get through that junction.

‘‘I’ve never been so worried going to a golf course. I got to the course at 11.14, so I had 11 minutes to get ready and had just enough time to put my shoes on, have a couple of putts and go to the first tee.

‘‘In a way it wasn’t a bad thing because I didn’t have time to think about it – and I played probably the best I played all week.

‘‘Once I got out on the course I calmed down a bit. Keegan asked if everything was okay and I said ‘it’s fine’ – we had a laugh.’’ Winning 2010 captain Colin Montgomerie, commentating on television, was not so amused.

‘‘That is absolutely ridiculous at this level,’’ he said.

‘‘It’s quite unbelievable for the world No 1 golfer. How this happened I do not know – where is the captain, where are the vice-captains, where is his caddie?’’ A 2&1 victory and the match result enabled McIlroy to joke about it, however.

By then Luke Donald and Paul Lawrie had already beaten Masters champion Bubba Watson and Brandt Snedeker respectively.

When Ian Poulter, with a stunning four wins out of four in the match, and Justin Rose triumphed on the last against US Open champion Webb Simpson and Phil Mickelson – Rose with closing birdie putts of 40 and 14 feet – Europe had captured the top five singles.

Lee Westwood then beat Matt Kuchar and Sergio Garcia pounced on a bogey-bogey finish from Jim Furyk to put Europe 14-13 up.

As holders they needed one more point to retain the trophy on a tie and Martin Kaymer, left out of three of the first four sessions, rose to the occasion by holing a six-foot putt to beat Steve Stricker.

Cue wild celebrations and as they went on winless Tiger Woods, put out last by Davis Love and finding himself inconsequential just like 2002, conceded a putt to Francesco Molinari that put the icing on Europe’s cake – a fifth win in six matches.

Nobody on Olazabal’s side had any doubt what the key moment of the week was, though. Poulter’s five closing birdies late on Saturday brought their deficit down to 10-6.

It was the same position America had been in at Brookline in 1999 and they pulled it off, so Europe knew it was possible.

‘‘Ian gave us the lift we needed,’’ McIlroy added. ‘‘Ian was the catalyst for this whole thing – he was phenomenal. I was playing with him, but just sort of stood and watched.

‘‘I know all the boys put their heart and soul into this.

It’s unbelievable – I know the Americans did it in 99, but that was on home turf and to do it to them here is just incredible.’’