MONTREAL - Quebec Premier Jean Charest was among the many to characterize this year's Presidents Cup as a success, despite Mike Weir's International side being unable to come out on top.
For Charest, there was even something particularly Canadian about Weir's consolation victory against world No. 1 Tiger Woods.
"It was a perfect event including the ending, with its balance. Canadians being who they are, are very polite," Charest told the crowd during Sunday's closing ceremonies. "We don't want everyone to win, we just want to make sure that one Canadian wins, and we're very proud of that."
International Team Gary Player responded in turn by providing Charest with a little political advice.
"All I can say Mr. Premier is that if you're short of votes, just you put Mike Weir in your party and you're going to win," Player said to a wild round of applause.
Charest would do well to heed Player's advice. He is consistently ranked as the most unpopular of Quebec's three political leaders.
SCREWBALL OR AQUAMAN
Woody Austin understandably received a fair amount of ribbing from his teammates, and just about everyone else at Royal Montreal for his ill-fated decision to try to hit his submerged ball on 14 during Friday's four-ball matches.
Phil Mickelson reportedly has done his best to slap Austin with the nick name Aquaman.
But Austin has taken it all in stride. With his ball safely in the middle of the fairway while playing 14 on Sunday, he donned a pair scuba-diving goggles for his walk up the fairway.
"Obviously the water thing.. is just going to add to my legacy," Austin said after the round. "I'm the screwball no matter what. But if Phil keeps working his magic, I'm going to have a new name."
THE WET STANDARD
Austin's dive quickly became the reference point when any other player thought about playing their ball from a water hazard.
Indeed, Mike Weir found himself in Austin's position on Sunday when his approach shot on 15 trickled into the pond left of the green. Weir, who was even with Tiger Woods at that point, duly took off his socks and waded in.
"I knew maybe I could get it on the green and have a putt for par," Weir said. "(The ball) wasn't as deep in the water as Woody's and maybe I'm a little more athletic that Woody. I didn't lose my balance in there so that was good."
Unlike Austin, Weir made contact with his ball but sent it sailing over the green. He conceded the hole, but managed to rally down the stretch for his dramatic 1-up win over Woods.
DIFFERING VISIONS
This year's edition of the tournament marked the third consecutive time Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player have served as captains for the U.S. and International sides respectively. And with both hinting that Sunday may have been their last time out as captains, they offered slightly differing views of the tournament's future.
Player said he hoped the tournament would be used to spread the popularity of the game.
"I think one of the things we've got to think about is getting the youth to play golf around the world," the South African said.
"I think we should be going into China. I think we should be going into India, and I think we should be going into Eastern Europe. I really think that would be my great dream to see that."
As for Nicklaus, he betrayed a somewhat more protective view of the tournament, and the game itself.
"The Presidents Cup really now needs to - over the next probably 10 or 15 years - to go to places that really can support it, understand it and really take care of the event," Nicklaus said when asked the same question.
"I think you've got to go to the golfing countries of the world.. You've got to look at the financial viability of it."
UNLIKELY HERO
David Toms emerged as the unlikely top point getter for the U.S. side at the Presidents Cup. With his 2-up win over Trevor Immelman in Sunday's singles matches, Toms finished the tournament with a 4-0-1 record.
But Toms insisted his own solid play was only part of the equation.
"I got some partners this week," he said. "I played with Tiger when he was playing well; and Woody Austin, the way he finished up one day.
Overall I think it's attributed to the fact that I played pretty solid, and I was stuck with some good partners."