Tensions prior to Presidents Cup turn nice guy Nick grumpy

by Graham Otway

Feed into Google the words ‘Nick Price, golfer and controversy’ and the search engine comes up with a complete blank covering the whole of the 58-year-old’s sporting career which includes back-to-back Major wins in The Open and the USPGA in 2004.

Not only did he climb to the top of the world rankings in pure golfing terms but in the locker rooms and tournament media centres his character commanded total respect.

As his own website points out: “The Zimbabwean is commonly regarded as one of the kindest and most personable people in the game.”

Quite so. And in 2002, Price was the first recipient of the ASAP Sports/Jim Murray Award, given to a professional player for his cooperation, quotability and accommodation to the media, and for reflecting the most positive aspects of the working relationship between athlete and journalist.

Yet in the build-up to this year’s Presidents Cup which sees America take on an International side captained by Price starting in Incheon, South Korea, early tomorrow morning he uttered which were out of keeping with that amiable image, yet which have had far-reaching consequences.

Earlier this summer Price approached US Tour commissioner Tim Finchem to try to get the format of the President’s Cup changed to help his team end a run of seven consecutive American victories.

Like the Ryder Cup, the pattern of play sees sessions of fourballs and foursomes on the first two days with a singles shoot-out on day three. But there is a subtle difference.

In past Presidents Cup all 12 players from both sides have taken part in the pairs matches, as against four players on either side being rested in the Ryder Cup.

Two are rested from the third day singles but that still means that in total 34 points are up for grabs rather than 28 over the three days.

Price believes that worked against his team. “I don’t think the Ryder Cup would have been as successful if they had the Presidents Cup format,”  the Zimbabwean told Finchem.

“The points in the team matches make it very easy for one team to get so far ahead that it takes all the excitement out of the Sunday singles.”

In making that comment Price was drawing on his first experience as the International’s captain at Muirfield Village two years ago when the US team dominated the pairs so strongly that his players needed to totally dominate the singles on the final day to win.

Commenting on the difference between the Ryder and Presidents Cups he said:  “A six point difference doesn’t sound like much but in a nutshell we, the International team, had to get 9 ½ points from the singles to win and that was a very tall order against a team that has the might of the Americans.

“If you want a strong team to win every time then make as many points as you want, play everyone everyday and the Americans are probably going to win every time.

“The format plays into the hands of the stronger team. For it to be a wonderful competition we have to play it like the Ryder Cup. That is now one of the premier sports events and so often it has just come down to one point and one putt on the Sunday.”

Finchem seems to have listened. This week there are only 30 points at stake. The first series of foursomes and fourballs on Friday will each consist of five matches, not six and the second series on Saturday four rather than five with 12 singles on Sunday.

All of which should help Price, who, among the 12 players at his disposal, has the current world No.1 Jason Day and other Major winners like Adam Scott, Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen.

Yes the American captain Jay Haas has this year’s Major winners Jordan Spieth and Zach Johnson in his line up, but he also has weaknesses which his opponents could try to exploit.

Haas’ decision to hand a wild card to his son Bill has raised a few eyebrows even though he has won on the US Tour this season and has five other top ten finishes.

So, too, has the decision to make Phil Mickelson his second captain’s pick. The left hander has not had a good season in America and at the age of 45 could suffer from exhaustion if Haas feels compelled to overplay him.

Tagged Nick Price, President's Cup, Tim Finchem