Two weeks ago, you may remember, Jack Nicklaus had a bunch of U.S. Ryder Cup hopefuls and officials over to his South Florida house for a dinner and bonding session. Tiger Woods was among the attendees and, in a blog entry he posted on his website today, he was full of praise for the occasion.
In fact, Tiger admitted, he was the first person to arrive – and used his time alone with Nicklaus to talk fishing.
During the evening, "Jack, [Captain] Davis [Love III] and [Vice Captain] Tom [Lehman] talked about their experiences and what to expect" at the Ryder Cup, Woods wrote. "[Vice Captain] Jim [Furyk] asked questions, and it was good to hear from the younger guys who are on the cusp of making the team for the first time.
"It was nice to get things out in the open, so they understand what the atmosphere will be like," he added. "I think the dinner was a great idea and brought a lot of guys closer."
Woods also addressed the group. "What I tried to explain is that a lot of times you don't have the same rhythm of playing like you do in a PGA Tour event," he said. "You don't know how much you're going to play, and that uncertainty requires an adjustment. In the Presidents Cup, you play in every match."
Being around all the younger players at Nicklaus' house also got him thinking about his early years in professional golf.
"I left Stanford after my sophomore year and was the only one my age (20) out there. That was tough. Eventually, guys I played with in college trickled out," he wrote. "Now, there's a core of younger guys, like Rory (McIlroy), Jason (Day), Rickie (Fowler) and Jordan (Spieth). It's a talented group that will compete against each other for a long time."
