Gary Player - The Legend

Player Picks “Experience” to Complete the International Presidents Cup Team

Aug 13, 2007 | Filed Under: General News

Presidents Cup Captains Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus today made their selections to complete their respective 12-man teams, which will compete in a matchplay format at Royal Montreal Golf Club next month. At the conclusion of the PGA Championship this weekend, the top ten Americans and international players (excluding Europe) qualified for the Presidents Cup on merit, leaving the final two picks at the discretion of each captain.

Leading the International Team opposite Jack Nicklaus for the third consecutive time, Gary Player announced his “captain’s picks “ on a teleconference this morning.

Continuing his streak of choosing the 11th ranked man who just missed the cut-off, Nick O’Hern will join the Internationals in Canada, Player announced.  “He only just finished out of the Top-10 by a fraction and he’s a very good match-player. Nick’s also had experience in the Presidents Cup, and I think obviously experience is always - not necessarily the only thing - but it’s always a good thing,” said Captain Player.

O’Hern is remembered for beating Tiger Woods 2-0 in the last running of the Presidents Cup, so a re-match in Montreal is a strong possibility.

Player’s second pick, which put a smile on the face of every Canadian, was Mike Weir - again a strong matchplay contender with Presidents Cup experience.

“Mike is a terrific competitor and I have a lot of confidence in him,” Player said.  “You couldn’t ask for a better team player. ... And being in Canada, if we didn’t have him on the team, in my opinion, the series would be quite flat.”

Returning Captain’s Assistant for the Internationals, Ian Baker-Finch, spent the morning calling team members, as well as those who fell just short of the Top-10 and were not selected as captain’s picks.  “Everyone was on my mind, “ said Player in response to a question about Stephen Ames being left out.  “It’s a difficult thing to select a team,” he added.

One thing’s for sure… Player’s picks have given the Internationals the edge in terms of experience, while Nicklaus opted for young rookies that are on form. It will be interesting to see how the teams match up next month.

The 2007 Presidents Cup will be held September 25th - 30th at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

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