Europe claimed victory in the Solheim Cup with a 15-13 win over the US at Killeen Castle after a barren run of four straight defeats.
On a dramatic final day, the home team came back from a one point deficit to finish with a two-point advantage.
Suzann Pettersen was one of the heroes of the day, shooting three consecutive birdies to beat
Michelle Wie despite trailing by a stroke at the 16th.
Meanwhile, fellow Scandinavian Hedwall sealed the overall victory when she won the last two holes to halve her match with Ryann O'Toole.
Azahara Munoz clinched the vital point in the final match with a one-hole win over Angela ¬Stanford.
Victorious captain Alison Nicholas described the triumph as her "proudest moment ever".
"They are all champions," the 49-year-old said. "The players had such grit and I thank every one of them. I can hardly believe it; it is amazing, a huge team effort. My team played with such heart and passion. The rookies were fantastic and the experienced players have done so well."
US captain Rosie Jones said she was proud of the way her players performed, despite the contest ending in a first defeat since 2003.
"I'm disappointed to lose but I couldn't have asked for a better experience, a better team or a better course," she remarked. "They just played better than us in the last 35 minutes. They just stripped the Solheim Cup from us."
England's Laura Davies - the only European player to compete in all 12 tournaments to date - capped her appearance with a half point from her encounter with Juli Inkster.
Davies said: "This is the first time we have been dead and buried and come back to win. The other three wins were from the front. That makes this one by far the most exciting and the best."
In the FedEx Cup, Bill Haas emerged as the winner in Atlanta after beating Hunter Mahan in a play-off at the Tour Championship.
After sinking the winning putt, the American admitted at the post-round presentation he did not realise his victory on the day brought with it the $10 million (£6.5 million) FedEx Cup bounty.
"I honestly didn't know! Being 25th, all I could do was hope," he told Sky Sports. "Webb Simpson played the best
golf in the play-off series but it worked out for me the way the points were."
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