(Peter Thomson was a five-time British Open champion and International team captain in the Presidents Cup in 1996, 1998 and 2000.)

In all the chatter of the post-mortem of the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, nobody I can find has hit upon the obvious - that the Internationals were beaten by a stronger team from the USA in a fair fight, that was played over an unusually prepared set of holes in four different weather moods.

That in itself was worth dwelling on. Can there ever have been an event of that status that shoved up such a variety of tests for the two teams' skills and temperaments?

Conditions of play were altogether strange for all of them, and it is to their great credit that each team mastered the examinations set - the losers no less than the winners.  

Concrete-like greens running at 14 on the stimpmeter was a daily fare. It might have been a relief to the majority of them to have finished with all their wits and clubs intact. John Daly might not have made the distance!

It was a marvellous spectacle. Modern balls, fully dimpled by technology, made the Composite course look short yet even the smallest of approaches around the greens made for fascinating watching.

As for the putting, it took what seemed endless time for them to make up minds which way to send the putts but for Tiger Woods, in particular, the results were astonishing. From far and near, his efforts had purpose, and even though many of his putts lipped out and not in, he kept his cool until they finally dropped during Sunday's singles. making his young opponent Aaron Baddeley's round a hopeless task.

Woods I think would have been "man of the match" if they had set one. His presence in the USA team was a powerful influence over mates and the opposition. One would have to conclude he is back to his majestic best.

The International Team might have pulled it off but for their doleful performance in the foursome matches. It is a mystery why they succumbed in a form of play that they might have learned as young amateurs. Most top professionals say goodbye to foursomes when they turn pro. However that doesn't explain the debacle of the Internationals effort at "two players and one ball".

Looking ahead, the Presidents Cup will not be played again in Australia for a decade or two, since it is already scheduled for Ohio two years from now, and in South Korea four years hence. Other Asian nations may want it after that as they grow in size, golfing wise.

US Commisioner Tim Finchem made a point that the Presidents Cup here in Melbourne was better than the last one. We agree. Indeed we might even miss it as it passes us by.