Team Captain Mike Weir speaks during the closing ceremony at the Presidents Cup (Image: Getty Images)
International Team captain Mike Weir has admitted that he is pondering over what could have been altered from his side following defeat at the hands of Team USA in the Presidents Cup.
The Americans comfortably secured their 10th consecutive crown, winning six matches and drawing three in the conclusive Sunday singles. The International Team, despite being labelled as the underdogs heading into the event, did put up a good fight however.
Following an initial 5-0 thrashing on the opening day, Weir’s men made an impressive comeback, sweeping all five matches on Friday themselves, sparking what looked to be a promising match-up on the weekend.
However, the Americans surged ahead with an 11-7 lead by the third day and then reaffirmed their Presidents Cup supremacy by sealing a convincing 18.5-11.5 triumph. And Weir has now been left with thoughts of what could have been.
He conceded to Sky Sports: “Of course, I am going to be thinking about things I could have done differently. It is human nature, when you don’t win, you are going to look at yourself in the mirror and see what you could have done differently. No doubt about it. I’ll have plenty of time to do that after.”
Weir did heap praise on his team though, adding: “It was really an incredible experience. Like you said, our whole staff, the players, wives, caddies, support staff, incredible family vibe, and there’s a lot of love. The crowds were incredible.
“They were just so supportive of our guys for all the players. I take a lot away from this. We’re close. A lot of these matches were so close. It’s disappointing not to get a win.
“We put our team together to win this thing, and when you don’t get a win, it’s disappointing, but a lot of great things to take away.”
The sense of disappontment was palpable as Weir spoke about his squad’s efforts. “I say just sitting here as a competitor, it’s tough,” he admitted to reporters.
“We all feel — it’s tough to take. It just happened, right; it’s a little bit raw. I’ll start there. But I just love these guys. I love their fight and what I saw out there today, all week, from the get-go, they battled right to the end. That’s all you can ask from the captain is what I asked them to do, and they responded and did that.”