Nicklaus and the British Open

Courtesy of PGATour.com

Jack Nicklaus' colleagues on Team RBS will have an opportunity like no other -- to pick the brain of the best golfer in the history of the game.

Nicklaus is legendary not only for the 18 professional major championships he has won, but also for the manner in which he won them. Majors are when championship pressure is at its most intense, when a player's mind and body begin to play tricks on him. But Nicklaus embodied perfectly the famous Rudyard Kipling line, "If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs." He was impervious to the pressure.

And now some of that magic may rub off on his teammates on Team RBS: Charles Howell III and Luke Donald, the game's two most promising young lions.

The careers of the two young players have been remarkably similar. Donald is a young Englishman who in 1999 won the NCAA individual title and, yes, the Jack Nicklaus Award that is given to the nation's top male collegiate golfer. A year later, Howell was NCAA individual champion and he, too, won the Jack Nicklaus Award.

Immediately after turning pro in 2001, Howell earned enough from tournaments in which he played on sponsors' exemptions -- more than $1.5 million -- that he earned all-exempt status for the 2002 season (and was named Rookie of the Year).

In 2002, Donald's first full season as a professional, he also won his first title. Clearly both these players have the golf games to go far -- if they can combine their potential with the magic that Nicklaus brought to major championships.

Being part of Team RBS will allow Donald and Howell to tap into Nicklaus' experience and learn gradually over time from him how his mental strength, preparation, and focus in hitting key shots at key times allowed him to excel. And Nicklaus will continually share his experiences and impart his wisdom so they can successfully adopt a similar approach.

"I think that their golf game has passed mine at this point in life," Nicklaus said during the introduction of team RBS, "but I think they are looking to try to accomplish what I did so maybe I can pass on something to them."

"My feeling has always been that you'll play better golf if you prepare properly," Nicklaus continued. "If Charles and Luke want to have successful careers, they'll have to win majors, and you have to prepare for each major individually. If that means picking something out that you focus on, then that's what you should do. Going into each major I first determined every situation I was likely to encounter and then prepared myself both physically and mentally. You will never win majors by thinking of them as just another week on your schedule."

Howell can't wait to begin. "I'm so happy to be part of Team RBS," he said. "I'll definitely be picking Jack's brain!"

Donald echoed the sentiment. "Jack obviously has a lot to give young players," he said enthusiastically. "Being part of team RBS is an amazing step forward."