MONTREAL — The outcome was never in doubt, just delayed. Even that is injecting drama that existed mostly in the abstract, for the sun was not dancing over the horizon as Sunday’s proceedings came to a close. Instead, the Presidents Cup was settled by the sixth match of Sunday singles when Si Woo Kim missed a birdie putt on the 18th for the second straight day, giving Keegan Bradley the clinching point to a surprisingly exciting and likewise predictable week. The celebration around Bradley was muted, spurred mostly by the reality that half the team remained on the course while also reflecting the nature of completing a task everyone expected to be finished.

“We love the camaraderie. We’ve put a lot of heart and soul into it,” U.S. captain Jim Furyk said after the Americans routed the Internationals, 18½-11½, the largest win by a road team in the 30-year history of the event. “Ultimately these players were amazing. It was a really good group of 12, an easy bunch. I had great leadership at the top. They made the captain’s job really easy, and these guys played their hearts out this week.”

They did, although that’s usually the case for the Yankees at this event, which they’ve lost just once in 15 tries and have won now 10 straight times. It was a harder triumph to clinch than perhaps it should have been, or at least seemed harder at times, which is a compliment to an undermanned International team that did their respective countries proud.

Which raises a question: When assessing this Presidents Cup—not just what transpired but what was seen and heard and felt—what comes to mind?

Do you think of Friday, when the Internationals bounced-back from a 5-0 deficit almost everyone but them believed was insurmountable? After 30 years of getting pushed around and embarrassed, of their performances raising suspicions of why this event was played, the Internationals stupefied the Americans and the sport by responding with a 5-0 sweep of their own, and in such emphatic fashion, winning 20 more holes than the Americans. This core of Mike Weir’s the team was young, 10 of the 12 players are 33 years old or younger with seven of them playing in the event for just the first or second time. Even if they didn’t ultimately win, there was a foundation for the future.

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Better yet, Royal Montreal carried a palpable energy thanks to Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim, who turned from golfers into electrified Mountain Dew. The Kims didn’t just give the Americans their best but did so in a performative way that galvanized the many who came to watch. That gave the Internationals a homefield feel they’ve never truly had at previous Presidents Cups. The scenes those two produced—highlighted by Si Woo briefly losing his mind after a converted flop shot at the 16th late on Saturday evening—were some of the more indelible moments in this event’s history. Though the Internationals have had a number of global stars come through its locker rooms, few have embraced this event in the manner that this current group does. The Internationals have an engine, and that baby purrs.

“It was really an incredible experience,” Weir 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.”

There were other moments, too. Keegan Bradley received a redemption 10-year in the making. Scottie Scheffler put the exclamation mark on one of the best seasons in recent memory. Xander Schauffele, whose ability to close was ridiculed just months ago, has proven he has become That Dude. Patrick Cantlay is turning into a U.S. assassin. Golf zealots are not leaving the weekend hungry.

Tracy Wilcox

“Wow, that was incredible. I was saying all week I didn’t know if I’d ever get to do this again,” Bradley said afterward, fighting back tears. “To just play in this tournament and then to win the point, my goodness, the last time I played, I was the point to lose the Ryder Cup. If this is my last round as a player, maybe it is, I’m happy with that.”

Most importantly, however, was how this event was treated by those outside the ropes. After a sleepy Thursday that resembled a member-guest rather than a professional event, the crowds in Montreal showed out, giving the Presidents Cup an undercurrent and vibe any big-time sport event requires to be taken seriously. There have been closer Presidents Cups, and it’s worth remembering the Internationals did win once upon a time in 1998. In terms of excitement and theater, of buzz and intrigue, the case can be made this was the Presidents Cup at its best.

And all that is well and good, and for those looking for any sort of evidence that this event is an event worth keeping and fighting for, it’s critical. But detractors of the Presidents Cup had plenty of ammo, too.

To them, the Presidents Cup is not broken, because that implies it once worked. Yes, it makes the PGA Tour a ton of money, but the past three years of strife in professional golf has underlined that success is not measured by dollar signs. In sports, in events that matter, the end is never guaranteed. With one lone International win over 30 years, the Presidents Cup is as much a competition as grass against a lawnmower.

The Americans ran the Internationals out of the building in four of the five sessions: 5-0, 0-5, 3-1, 3-1, 7½-4½. At times it was closer than the score appeared, but 30 years out, there’s not much room anymore for moral victories. The performance and scale of international golf has simply not reached the elite level this event requires. As stats guru Justin Ray pointed out Thursday, there have been 65 Presidents Cup matches since 2019 and the Americans had the advantage in 64 of them. If the PGA Tour truly cares about cultivating the game on a global level, it would be wise to take its events outside the United States on a more regular basis, for those visits would have far greater impact than a four-day event that goes outside the country once every four years.

It’s not just a lack of competition inside the ropes. A true rivalry requires sports animus towards the opposition. There is no real hostility between the Americans or Internationals. Even Tom Kim’s antics—from chirping at Scottie Scheffler on Thursday to crying about his treatment from U.S. players after some bush-league celebrations of his own on Saturday—were viewed as a little brother attempting to get under a big brother’s skin. Anyone with a little brother knows they don’t know what they don’t know. Go home school boy, the Americans seemed to sneer, you don’t belong here.

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These detractors do have to acknowledge the fire of the week. Still, they could preface it by noting the excitement is not inherent to the United States versus the world but because of the vagaries of match play. And while the Presidents Cup was better than it usually is, it’s still nowhere in the ballpark of the Ryder Cup—in terms of relevance or care or standing—which is what this event ultimately aspires to be. It’s worth wondering if this is the most actualized version of this event, what is it trying to accomplish? Whether that’s changing formats to a mixed-gender event, or, sacreligious as it might sound, making the Ryder Cup annual, these are debates worth discussing. Considering this is a time of upheaval in the sport, now is the time for experimentation.

The truth is likely somewhere in between. Those conversations are also for another day. This day belongs to the Americans, who were basking in the fading light as the shadows grew long at Royal Montreal by toasting silver cups full of beer and mixed drinks. They looked happy, but they mostly looked relieved, and all looked ready to get off the course to get the true party started. Leading the pack was Xander Schauffele, who had been done for hours and dangling a cigar from his lips from some time and looked in no hurry to finish it. Can’t blame him; victories, even those expected, are worth savoring.

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com