Some of the president's men
Presidents Cup is one tourney Tiger can't win alone
GAINESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- This is one tournament Tiger Woods can't win by himself.
No matter how good Woods is this week -- and everyone expects him to be very good -- he needs his supporting cast to come through if the United States is to win back the Presidents Cup from the International team.
The U.S. team needs 16 1/2 points beginning Thursday to regain the cup lost two years ago in Australia, and even Woods at his very best can deliver only five of those coveted points.
Maybe that's why the talk around the Robert Trent Jones course this week actually centered on how the Americans relate to each other as a team rather than how well Woods or any other team member is playing.
"We're all excited about being here, being with each other and teaming up," Woods said. "I know we're all pretty fired up."
Woods was particularly excited about being paired with former Stanford teammate Notah Begay in the alternate shot play that opens the competition. Woods and Begay play Vijay Singh and Ernie Els in one of five opening day matches.
Woods had lobbied U.S. captain Ken Venturi to be paired with his friend, and Venturi was more than accommodating to the most dominant player in the world.
"They are very compatible. Notah spent the weekend down with Tiger, it's just a great friendship," Venturi said. "And it's just sitting there for the waiting."
Though Woods is in the midst of one of the most dominating years ever and was a fine match play player as an amateur, don't automatically put his points on the board.
Woods went 2-3 the last time the Presidents Cup was played in Australia two years ago, and has a 3-6-1 record on two Ryder Cup teams.
With Sunday's singles play his only chance to pick up an individual point, Woods will have to play well with Begay and whoever else he is put with in the foursomes and four-ball matches that account for 20 of the 32 points at stake.
"Team chemistry is everything, almost," Tom Lehman said. "You're looking for a situation where two plus two equals five. That's what good teams have done. They've kind of become better than they really are, because of the way they pull together."
Lehman knows from experience, having played on two Presidents Cup and three Ryder Cup teams, including the team that came from behind in the Sunday singles matches last year to win back the Ryder Cup.