The man whose career has been defined by his individual brilliance was crying tears of joy after orchestrating a team triumph that was much more difficult than most would have imagined.
The Internationals had looked so unified for the better part of three days in the two pairs formats but collectively appeared listless when playing on their own on Sunday.
The strange on-course meeting between Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith on Thursday at Royal Melbourne Golf Club was so difficult to characterise that one of the two protagonists still is befuddled by it.
The simmering rivalry between Australia's Cameron Smith and villain-of-the-week Patrick Reed showed no signs of cooling Thursday after eagle-eyed witnesses saw the two Presidents Cup stars clash in a spirited exchange during the opening four-ball matches.
The team drawn from all corners of the globe other than Europe has never before entered the biennial contest with the United States in a more optimistic mood.
Patrick Reed walked in smiling to his Tuesday press conference at Royal Melbourne, and the smile turned into a laugh – shared with Justin Thomas – when he saw the buzzing scrum of reporters gathered in front of his podium spot.
