Jack Nicklaus talks Ryder Cup
GOLF / THE SPIN
The golf great speaks of team spirit, the missing Tiger -- and his brand-new oceanfront community.
Here are just a few last words on the Ryder Cup, because they're from Jack Nicklaus.
Why did the U.S. win?
"They bought into being a team," Nicklaus said. "And that was a good thing. It took that with the Presidents Cup too, and they got pretty cohesive.
"Paul [Azinger] did a pretty darned good job bringing guys together as a team and to have fun . . . you could tell."
Nicklaus has been captain of the U.S. side in the Presidents Cup four times and is 2-1-1, including a 19 1/2 -14 1/2 victory over the International team last year at Royal Montreal Golf Club.
The fact that Azinger managed to get the U.S. Ryder Cup team into a winning frame of mind without Tiger Woods is a credit to both the captain and his players, Nicklaus said.
"In my opinion, Tiger would have been a great addition. However, they didn't have Tiger to lean on, so they had to lean on themselves and said, 'Hey, I've got to play better.'
"And Anthony Kim was terrific, Boo Weekley was terrific. The young guys were terrific."
The next Ryder Cup is two years off, but the speculation about the captain's job is in full swing. Nicklaus said he wouldn't be surprised if Mark O'Meara, Corey Pavin, Davis Love or Jeff Sluman were chosen.
There is some talk that Azinger would reprise his role, but Nicklaus isn't sure.
"My guess is that he probably won't be captain the next time. I just don't think the PGA of America thinks that way. But I could see him come back in 2012. If they get bopped over there in Wales."
Nicklaus was the last two-time U.S. captain, in 1983 and 1987.
Jack's course
Nicklaus is breaking ground late this year on a signature project -- a branded Nicklaus oceanfront community, two Nicklaus golf courses and a Nicklaus golf club in Los Cabos, Mexico.
The project, developed in collaboration with Quivira Los Cabos, is the second community for Nicklaus, matching his Bear's Club in Jupiter, Fla.
This one is special, Nicklaus said. "We're so heavily involved in the project, whereas in some others we've been hired guns."
The private course, carved out of the edges of the cliffs at the southern point of the Baja Peninsula, has the first six holes along the cliffs overlooking the water.
"The views are spectacular," he said.
The project is expected to be ready for play in late fall of 2009.
Tell Tiger
