Nicklaus, Player pose with Bush
Updated: April 13, 2005, 11:54 PM ET
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player showed off the Presidents Cup to the president himself Wednesday.
President Bush, honorary chairman of the 2005 Presidents Cup, posed for photos with the two golfers and the gold cup in the Oval Office.
Nicklaus and Player are returning as captains for the 2005 Presidents Cup, giving them a chance to settle last year's tie. Nicklaus is leading the U.S. team and Player, who is from South Africa, is heading the international team.
The Presidents Cup is scheduled for September at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Va., where it has been played in the United States every time since the matches began in 1994 between the Americans and an international team from everywhere in the world except Europe.
And this contest will look a lot different in at least one respect from the last Ryder Cup.
Nicklaus said he won't pair up golfers who don't want to play together in the Presidents Cup.
Nicklaus said he takes players' wishes into account while serving as captain.
"I don't think anybody should play with anybody they don't want to play with," Nicklaus said later in the day after the Oval Office visit. "I've asked the players: 'Guys, very quietly, if you want to, come to me and tell me if there's somebody you want to play with or somebody you don't want to play with.' "
Nicklaus' position is in contrast to that of U.S. Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton, who paired Tiger Woods with Phil Mickelson despite their cool relationship. The pair looked uncomfortable on the course and lost twice as Europe defeated the U.S. team 18½-9{½.
Nicklaus and Player said they don't believe in a militant approach to the captaincy.
"These guys didn't get in this team by being motivated by somebody else," Nicklaus said. "I think what I say to them is basically be their friend, accommodate them, make sure I have plenty of tees, extra spikes, fresh towels, sunscreen."
Said Player: "I don't believe in that blood and guts approach. You don't have to start brainwashing your players."
The collegial approach the two bring to the Presidents Cup was on display in 2003, when they agreed to share the cup after the teams remained tied after regulation and three playoff holes between Woods and Ernie Els.
The PGA has changed the format, eliminating playoff holes and declaring a tie if the match is deadlocked at the end of regulation.
The Americans are 3-1-1 against the International team in the Presidents Cup.
Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press
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