Captain Jack preparing for Presidents Cup picks

By Helen Ross
Courtesy of PGATour.com

SPRINGFIELD, N.J. - Jack Nicklaus will be an interested observer at the PGA Championship this week, and not just because he serves as the honorary chairman of the 87th renewal of the season's final major.

He'll be watching closely the performances of his "bubble boys" - the players who are trying to make the United States Team Nicklaus will captain for the third time at The Presidents Cup in September.

The PGA Championship represents the final tournament that players can earn points for the U.S. Team or improve their Official World Golf Ranking that is the determining factor for the International squad. The Presidents Cup will be played Sept. 22-25 at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Prince William County, Va.

Sixteen players still have a mathematical chance of automatically qualifying for the U.S. Team by finishing among the top-10 in the standings while 14 could possibly move into the International picture. Nicklaus and his counterpart Gary Player will then complete their teams with two Captain's Picks on Monday.

One of the Americans fighting to make the team, 2003 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year Zach Johnson, knows what's at stake. He's currently 12th in the standings, and Nicklaus has indicated he might not pick Nos. 11 and 12 as he has done in the past.

"The Presidents Cup has been a goal of mine since the beginning of the season," Johnson said. "My outlook this week is to play well like I have been of late. If I play well, then the top 10 is definitely in my sites. But still things fall where they fall."

The prospect of playing for Nicklaus is "huge," Johnson said. "Are you kidding? To play for him as a coach would be an unbelievable experience. He's a guy everyone has admired. How could you not want to play for him?"

Nicklaus, for his part, was coy when he met with the media Wednesday morning. He said he had a good idea of at least one player he might pick but shared nothing else.

"I just want to see what unfolds this week," he said. "I think that's in all fairness to the players, you've got to let them play their last week as far as what to do."

The top eight players in the U.S. standings appear pretty safe, Nicklaus said. But whether players like No. 9 Davis Love III, who has played in all five previous Presidents Cups, and Scott Verplank, who's 10th, hang onto their spots could influence his decision on Monday.

Players amass points based on the money they earn, with winnings in 2005 being doubled. First place at the PGA Championship is worth $1.175 million - which translates into 2,350,000 points.

"What I look for is something balanced on the team," Nicklaus said. "I may go for some youth; I may go for some experience, depending on what's there, and I just don't know what's going to end up there.

"Right now I've got Davis and Scott Verplank at 9 and 10 and both of them could be knocked out this week, or they both could stay. And that probably will make a bit of a decision. Davis is obviously the experience, and even though Scott's not young by any means as far as it relates to that, but he's young as it relates to international competition. But you've just got to wait and see."

Nicklaus did make one decision public on Wednesday, though, when he announced that he had asked Jeff Sluman to serve as his assistant captain. Sluman served in the same capacity in 2003 when the Presidents Cup was played in South Africa, which ended in a 17-all tie.

"I am just very pleased that the greatest player who has ever lived has chosen me to be his assistant captain," Sluman said. "I thought we had a wonderful experience in South Africa, and obviously Jack thought I was a good sounding board in the decision-making process.

"I would have loved to have made the team but this is just another honor that I wish more players would have in their career."

Sluman is competing in the PGA Championship this week. Should Sluman win the major for the second time, Nicklaus plans to make him the first alternate as well as the captain's assistant.

"Jeff is very active on the PGA TOUR so he is relevant and knowledgeable about today's players," Nicklaus said. "He is able to provide me a great deal of valuable input."

Ryder Cup captain Tom Lehman said he'll be watching The Presidents Cup with interest in two months.

"I'll definitely pay attention to who is playing with whom,'' he said. "I think that's probably the biggest thing, who plays with whom and how well do they do; who teams up really well together and clicks and maybe who doesn't.

"I'll be very interested to see who Jack pairs together. I think it'll be interesting for me and it'll be good for me to pay attention to that.

"I also think it's very important for the U.S. Team that they win. I think it's actually a huge week for the U.S. players. I think it's important that they play well, I think it's important that they win."