Palmer’s collection of US greats - nine out of the 12-man squad were Major winners - held their nerve during the conclusive singles matches to set a 14-10 final score and secure the USA’s fourth win out of five UBS Cups (the teams drew 12-12 in 2003).

“My guys played really good golf,” said a smiling Palmer afterwards. “The camaraderie between both teams is fantastic but with all that good friendship, when you see them out there playing, they are really competing, and I love that.”

Perhaps the most spectacular result from the final day’s play was the 5&3 thumping dished out by Fred Couples on European Ryder Cup star Colin Montgomerie. The Scot, who holed the winning putt for Europe in the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills, had never before lost a singles match to an American in team golf, from seven Ryder Cups and one previous UBS appearance.

Couples has not played in the Ryder Cup since 1997, yet the Santa Barbara golfer rolled back the years with an immaculate putting display. The 1992 Masters champion picked up six birdies and an eagle in only 15 holes to secure an early lunch for him and Montgomerie.

“I’ve done that myself to opponents in these competitions, and to be at the receiving end for once is a very different feeling,” conceded Montgomerie. “When you run into a steamroller, you are going to get beaten.”

The man of the tournament for the Rest of the World was the unheralded Scot John Chillas, a former club professional from Glenbervie. Chillas was drawn against three-time US Open winner Hale Irwin in the singles, yet Chillas was undaunted. It looked as though Irwin would narrowly scrape through the match until Chillas birdied the 17th to draw level, and held on down the last to earn a memorable half.

“People here were saying they had never heard of John, but there are a lot of good players overseas who don’t play the US Tour,” said proud skipper Player. “John won his foursomes match with Carl Mason, and then to tie the best player on the US team in Hale Irwin was a marvellous effort.”

The final singles match provided a fitting finale to the UBS Cup, a tournament that never fails to bring out the best in golf. This year’s Ryder Cup captains Hal Sutton and Bernhard Langer went head to head in the anchor match, which was appropriately halved after Sutton holed a birdie when it really mattered, on the home green, and then conceded Langer’s five-footer. It was a sporting gesture that spoke volumes about the man, the tournament and the sport.

UBS should be congratulated for putting its faith in what was a brand new golf concept five years ago, with an unproven formula. UBS - one of the world’s flagship financial firms - had the foresight to see that a match play tournament, following a format very similar to the Ryder Cup, but involving the world’s premier golfers in the ‘over 40’ bracket, would prove to be such an unprecedented success.

This year’s chapter of the UBS offered golfers and spectators alike the added attraction of being staged on the highly rated Cassique golf course on South Carolina’s Kiawah Island. A Tom Watson creation that only opened in 2000, the layout is reminiscent of classic links courses, with an undulating dune-land terrain, pot bunkers and expansive, rolling greens. Cassique is named after the 17th century Kiawah Indian chief who once held sway over these parts.

“Tom Watson did an outstanding job of creating a British-style links course at Kiawah Island,” said Palmer, who found particular success on links when he captured the British Opens of 1961 and 1962, at Royal Birkdale and Royal Troon respectively.

Each team in the UBS Cup consists of 12 golfers, six aged between 40-49 and another six aged over 50, and is sanctioned by the US PGA Tour, the Champions Tour and the European Seniors Tour.

“We are thrilled to bring the UBS Cup back to such a fantastic setting as Kiawah Island,” said Robert Wolf, Chief Operating Officer, UBS Investment Bank. “Cassique is perfect for this competition. Players from both teams really enjoyed playing on a course that looks and plays very much like a British links course. We have had a tremendous week on Kiawah Island.”

The widespread popularity of the $3 million UBS Cup is confirmed by its coverage on The Golf Channel, which is viewed in 62 million homes, while the tournament was also broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK.

UBS’ Wolf recognizes the attraction of having a golfer such as Palmer so closely involved with the tournament: “Arnold Palmer is a legend and UBS is proud to be associated with him. He has been an integral part of the UBS Cup since its inception when he captained the U.S. team to an exciting victory at Kiawah Island. We are thrilled that “The King” was back in action once again in this year’s Cup. On behalf of UBS, I would like to thank Arnie for his 50 inspirational years of service to the world of golf."