Norman, Couples Set For 2009 Presidents Cup

SAN FRANCISCO -- Nearing the end of a long day of TV appearances, interviews and photo ops, Greg Norman turned to Fred Couples and put things in perspective.

"Our moment starts today," he told his long-time friend, smiling as he thought about the months to come.

In exactly 365 days, not far from where they were seated Wednesday, Norman, as the captain of the International Team, and Couples, his U.S. counterpart, will be fretting over their lineups for the opening session of The Presidents Cup.

The eighth renewal of the biennial match play competition will be held Oct. 8-11, 2009 at Harding Park Golf Club, a gem of a course bordered by Lake Merced in the southwest corner of San Francisco that Couples calls "basically a country club in a public setting."

Even a year away, the anticipation was evident Wednesday afternoon.

More than a hundred people, local business leaders as well as members of the media, attended the kickoff press conference. Among those on hand were San Francisco Major Gavin Newsom, who serves as honorary chairman with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem.

"We have two great captains, really there is electricity here on the stage here with Greg Norman and Fred Couples," Finchem said, noting that for the first time both Presidents Cup captains will have played in the event. "These are the two guys that really in the era leading up to Tiger Woods, carried the PGA TOUR.

"Greg Norman, No. 1 player in the world, over 300 weeks, second only to Tiger Woods in the history of the World Rankings. And Fred Couples being Fred Couples, I don't have to tell anybody in California about what that means -- just his excitement on the golf course, inside and outside the ropes, as well. We are looking forward to their leadership coming into the Cup next year."

Newsom talked about the public-private partnership vision of Sandy Tatum, a former USGA president, who spearheaded the renovation of Harding Park, which had fallen into disrepair in the 1980s. He also emphasized the charitable aspect of The Presidents Cup, where the players are not paid, but are given equal shares of the net proceeds to donate to charity.

"It's one thing for the PGA TOUR as an entity to contribute," Newsom said. "It's another to truly encourage the contribution of the individual players within the sport, and as you're doing something for The Presidents Cup all the time, we've talked here about The First Tee being a beneficiary, absolutely. But there are other beneficiaries that will also benefit greatly because of this Presidents Cup next year, and for that, I also thank you and tip my hat to the PGA TOUR."

Signs of the upcoming competition are everywhere at Harding Park. Presidents Cup banners adorn the road lined by massive cypress trees that leads to the clubhouse. The green-and-gold director's chairs Couples and Norman used during the press conference sit front-and-center in a pro shop already stocked with team merchandise.

Now Norman, who completed the balance of power when he named Frank Nobilo as his assistant captain last week, and Couples, who's got Jay Haas and NBA legend Michael Jordan on his side, have 12 months to fashion their teams.

"Our biggest decision to date was finding who would be our assistant captains," Norman said. "Now that that's been put aside, we can focus on our next big step which is making sure the 12 members of the team are in a very good, cohesive mind set going into this time next year."

Norman has already held a meeting with prospective team members. An estimated two dozen attended at the Open Championship in July, and no doubt all were inspired by their prospective captain's performance as he tied for third at the age of 53.

"(It was a) very successful turnout of players that I would like to see engaged," Norman said. "And we just had an open discussion about where they thought the past Presidents Cup was positive and where they thought it was negative; for the younger players who wanted to get on the team or were hoping to get on the team, what was their ambition and how they were going to attack it.

"You really have to keep the communication lines open, just like Freddie is doing with Tiger (Woods) and all of the other players and making sure that The Presidents Cup is a priority."

Norman earned a spot in the 2009 Masters by virtue of his finish at Royal Birkdale, and he plans to play more to prepare for the return to Augusta National, as well as during the summer lead-up to the Open Championship, which he has won two times, and the Senior British Open and the U.S. Senior Open.

Couples, who is a veteran of four Presidents Cups -- making the clinching putt in the first two events, has played 16 times on the PGA TOUR this season and plans to continue to compete regularly to connect with his prospective team members. Not to mention, he was sending text-messages to Tiger Woods, Hunter Mahan and Ben Curtis, among others, during the recent Ryder Cup.

"I'll probably start January at the Bob Hope, and I'll just corral them aside and certainly won't tell them they have to be there, but they will be there," Couples, who turned 49 on Friday, said. "The Presidents Cup is a treat to play in. ... If you make The Presidents Cup team, you're playing a lot of golf and they are giving money to you to give to charities and they are making you look good, feel good about where you give your money.

"It's a win-win thing and very relaxed."

Aside from Gary Player, who captained the last three International Teams, probably no one other than Norman has made as much of an impact globally. He feels as strongly about growing the game beyond traditional borders as he does about the team he is building.

"The responsibility as far as I'm concerned is expanding the game of golf on a global basis, and that's true for each one of my team members," Norman said. "If I can instill something that really has intrinsic value into each one of these players about what The Presidents Cup is all about, they are going to take that back to their respective countries back around the world and promote the game of golf and to me that's what means a lot to me."