We don’t need the benefit of hindsight to acknowledge that the Internationals, captained by Canada’s hometown hero Mike Weir, were up against arguably one of the most dominant teams ever assembled in a team golf format. At the time of writing, all 12 players on the US team are ranked inside the top-25 of the Official World Golf Ranking. Going head-to-head against that kind of line-up was always going to be a challenge of Herculean proportions.

Nevertheless, this was a very long way removed from the one-sided contest that many, including the formbook, might have predicted. The International players produced some scintillating golf, including a rare 5-0 clean sweep in Friday’s foursomes matches. Many of the week’s matches went right down to the wire. As is so often the case with 18-hole matchplay golf, it came down to perhaps a handful of decisive putts made at crucial moments. This contest was certainly a lot closer than the final scoreline suggests.

For Christiaan this week was a special experience, where camaraderie and team spirit created that rare alchemy that simply can’t be replicated in regular tournament golf. Writing on social media on Sunday evening, Christiaan commented: “Not enough words to describe this incredible team! Thank you for a lifetime of memories Canada!”

Christiaan’s competitive season concludes on home turf back in South Africa in December’s Nedbank Golf Challenge and Alfred Dunhill Championship. 

Follow Christiaan on Instagram @cbezgolf.