Presidents Cup 2007

From Nicklaus.com

Jack Nicklaus, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, and Gary Player (Photo by Jim Mandeville)
(Dublin, OH) — The PGA TOUR announced today that golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player will return as Captains of the United States and International Teams, respectively, for The Presidents Cup in 2007.

The biennial international team match-play competition will be played outside of the United States for the third time when the event is held September 24-30, 2007, at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The 2007 matches will mark the third consecutive Presidents Cup competition in which Captains Player and Nicklaus have led the International and United States teams.

Player and Nicklaus were the Captains presiding over 2003’s scintillating event at the Player-designed Links Course at Fancourt Hotel & Country Club Estate in George, South Africa. That competition was declared a tie after both teams finished regulation with 17 points apiece, and the sudden-death playoff between Ernie Els and Tiger Woods could not determine a winner before darkness descended after three holes.

In a show of sportsmanship, both teams decided that the competition would be declared a tie and that the teams would share the Cup.

The 2005 Presidents Cup, played for the fourth time at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Prince William County, Virginia, came down to the final hole. When American Chris DiMarco birdied the 18th hole in Sunday’s singles to defeat Stuart Appleby, 1-up, he gave the United States team an 18 _ to 15 _ victory.

“We are thrilled that Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player have agreed to come back and lead their teams again,” said Tim Finchem, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR. “The Presidents Cup has come of age over the last two playings, in large part, due to the efforts of these two legends of the game.

“The 2003 and 2005 Presidents Cups both came down to the final hole. We are expecting another spirited competition when the teams match up in Canada in 2007.”

Captain Nicklaus looks forward to leading the United States squad for a fourth time.

“I am flattered and honored that the PGA TOUR has again asked me to captain the United States team in The Presidents Cup for 2007, and I am delighted that I will have the opportunity again to compete against my good friend Gary Player,” Nicklaus said.

“The last two Presidents Cup matches have been among the most rewarding and memorable events in my career, but at the conclusion of 2005, I honestly felt that it was time for another individual to get the honor of serving as Captain. In recent conversations with Tim Finchem, he expressed that it would be good for the event and the game of golf to bring Gary and me back for the matches in Montreal. He also said the players were very supportive of such a decision. When I heard that, it meant a great deal to me, as well as my wife Barbara. We were a very close team in 2005–a family, if you will–and we look forward to a reunion with many of the players and their wives, along with a number of new players and wives.

“The matches in both 2003 and ‘05 are tough acts to follow, but we do not need to worry about repeating those moments. What happened in South Africa and then at RTJ can never be taken away, and those matches will be forever a part of Presidents Cup history. Now, we have the opportunity to make new history next year at Royal Montreal.”

Captain Player is also looking forward to matching up again against his longtime friend and competitor.

“I am both honored and delighted to have been asked by Commissioner Tim Finchem to Captain The Presidents Cup again for the third time beside my friend Jack Nicklaus,” Player said.

“As everyone knows, we tied the first matches in South Africa and just got beaten in a real thriller last time in Virginia. It’s now time for us to win; and I cannot wait to finalize our team, get to Canada and let the games begin!

“It is no secret that Jack and I have really enjoyed our respective roles as Captains and have relished the camaraderie our teams have shown one another. The fact is, The Presidents Cup has come of age and is now universally accepted for what it is - great golf, played by some of the world’s best, in the true spirit of the game.”

Nicklaus, 66, is widely regarded as the greatest golfer in the game’s history. He has won well over 100 professional tournaments worldwide in his career, including 73 PGA TOUR events and a record 18 professional major championship victories. In addition to his individual success, Nicklaus has represented the United States on numerous occasions. As an amateur, he was on the United States Walker Cup team twice. After turning professional in 1962, he was a member of six World Cup teams and six Ryder Cup teams. He was Captain of the United States Ryder Cup team in 1983 and 1987. This will be his fourth turn as United States Presidents Cup Captain. Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, are active in numerous children’s charities, including the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, which helps support the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, FL. Nicklaus has been recognized with worldwide honors for his humanitarian efforts. In November 2005, as Nicklaus punctuated a year in which he played his final British Open, perhaps his final Masters Tournament, and led the United States to victory in The Presidents Cup, the Golden Bear was honored by President Bush at the White House with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to any U.S. civilian. A few weeks later, he was unanimously named by GolfWorld Magazine as its Newsmaker of the Year 2005.

Player, 70, is the most successful international golfer of all time with 163 career tournament wins worldwide. On the PGA TOUR, he won 24 times and posted victories in nine major championships. He has also recorded 19 victories on the Champions Tour. He was voted South African Sportsman of the Century in 2000 and received the highly acclaimed Laureus World Sports Academy’s “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2003. His is leading the International Team for the third time.

Nicklaus, Player, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods are the only players to win each of golf’s four major championships.

The Royal Montreal Golf Club, which was founded in 1873 and is the oldest golf club in North America, has previously served as host to nine Canadian Opens.

The United States has won four of the first six Presidents Cups. The International Team was victorious in 1998 when the competition was held at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia and has never lost outside of the United States.

The Presidents Cup features many of the world’s best golfers with 12 representing the United States and 12 making up the International Team of players from around the world, excluding Europe in team match-play competition.