Presidents Cup: A tale of two captains

Together, they make an interesting pair of captains. Both were No. 1 players in the world in their prime, although you could make an argument they were underachievers to a degree.

The fact that these two studs of the 80s and 90s have three majors between them is frustrating. They were always threats, but never closers.

Couples and Norman were long before everyone was long.

Couples' swing was a work of art that flowed beautifully. He didn't wear a glove. He didn't need a glove because his swing was too perfect. Couples had the tempo of a dancer.

Norman was a lasher. He swung so violently it almost looked like he was trying to kill a mole.

It's also interesting to see these two captains against each other considering their outspoken nature on certain issues.

The PGA Tour runs the Presidents Cup. The tour doesn't run the Ryder Cup, so this baby is all on the tour and even more so on commissioner Tim Finchem.

Norman and Finchem are not close. Tom and Jerry might be better friends. Norman advocated the creation of a global golf tour before the advent of the WGC events. Finchem resented the idea of taking attention from the PGA Tour. Then, of course, Finchem was instrumental in the creation of those WGC championships, which were essentially exactly what Norman was trying to get off the ground.

Couples wanted a little tour for the older guys. He didn't mean the Champions Tour, but rather a bridge between the PGA Tour and the senior circuit. Couples' point was that players in their late 40s don't contend as much, but still want to play.

Did you ever see this tour? No. Finchem didn't give it much thought. (Truth be told, not many did, except those old geezers Freddie was talking about.)

Now, both are doing a solid for the tour and guiding their respective teams. For Couples, it makes sense since the PGA of America has passed him by for years for the Ryder Cup captaincy. For Norman, he doesn't need this gig, but he took it anyway.

And Norman's under the most pressure.

Couples has the world's best in Tiger Woods, the Tour Championship winner in Phil Mickelson and a crew of veterans. His rookies are Anthony Kim, who was at times dominant in the Ryder Cup, and Sean O'Hair, who is starting to look like the best under-30 player in the world.

In fact, Couples' only questionable decision was naming Michael Jordan as an assistant captain. Jordan is a regular fan at the team events, but now he gets to wear the uniform. Couples wants Jordan there so players can talk about winning with No. 23. (I suspect Couples wanted to hang with Michael Jordan.)

Norman will be under the microscope.

First, he announced last week that he was separating from wife Chris Evert. He'll probably get asked about that even though it's irrelevant to the Presidents Cup. This is a competition where the wives play a more public role, so it might be awkward.

As for golf decisions, Norman flunked those.

Ryo Ishikawa is 18 years old and a star in Japan. That's fine for one of your captain's picks. He's the future of golf and he won't kill you out there. Ishikawa is followed by more cameras than a Hilton sister, so he's used to pressure and he's won six times already in Japan.

But Adam Scott was a curious choice.

Scott tied for second at the second event of the year, the Sony Open in Hawaii. After that, he missed the cut in 10 of 16 starts, including a stretch from mid-March through Memorial Day where he didn't see a weekend round.

Once the cut streak ended, Scott's best finish was a tie for 36th at the U.S. Open. Again, not a good year.

Numbers don't lie. Scott is a respectable 32nd in driving distance, but here are some other stats: He's 154th in driving accuracy, 162nd in greens in regulation and an astounding 183rd in putting.

Why is this guy on the team?

The short answer is there might not have been anyone else. Rory Sabbatini, Trevor Immelman, Jeev Milkha Singh and K.J. Choi aren't lighting the world on fire. The longer, more complex answer is that Scott is a Norman protege, so it's a little iffy that Norman chose him.

Norman didn't pass the picks test, but the reality is that players win these things, not captains.

On paper, the Presidents Cup is always more balanced than the Ryder Cup. The International side is loaded with stars like Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Camilo Villegas, Retief Goosen, Mike Weir and Geoff Ogilvy.

They have major champions in Angel Cabrera and Y.E. Yang. And, they have Robert Allenby and Tim Clark. This is a very strong team, but it's not the best one at Harding Park.

The U.S. has Woods, although they didn't need him last time. Sidelined with a knee injury last fall, the Americans finally won back the Ryder Cup. That was a competition they struggled with. This is not.

The United States has captured three of the last four Presidents Cups. The one they didn't win, they tied. The Americans play looser in the Presidents Cup than in the Ryder Cup and the results are obvious.

Yes, there's Woods and Mickelson and Kim and O'Hair, but is anyone other than Tiger or Phil playing better than Steve Stricker? Freddie has major winners, too, in Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink. Justin Leonard, Jim Furyk, Kenny Perry, Hunter Mahan and Zach Johnson are strong competitors in their own right.

That loose attitude, "coupled" with Freddie's perfect demeanor, home-field advantage and that Ryder Cup win last fall are too much for the Internationals to reasonably overcome.

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