International captain Ernie Els says he couldn't be more proud of his players but they were simply beaten by a better side on Sunday.
"These guys to the right of me [make me most proud]," Els said.
"What a team we built this week. We have a lot of young players in the team, a lot of first-timers from right around the world. We've represented nine regions from right around the world.
"We've got together and really bonded. It's been a privilege to be with you, thank you guys.
"We truly felt like we had a home game. You guys were right behind us. You are the best fans in the world.
"Tiger, OK, you got me. But we gave you a hell of a go. You guys deserve winning this cup, we gave you everything we had. You are one hell of a talented team.
"We feel that we've come a long way as a team this week. We feel we've really made a big leap in our internal team. We are getting there. We're not quite there, but we're getting there."