Legendary Jack Nicklaus delivered Davis Love 111 and his potential USA Ryder Cup team members a blunt message and that was to focus on winning the Majors and stop worrying about whether or not they can halt Europe’s dominance of the biennial event.
Nicklaus and wife, Barbara opened the doors of their palatial Palm Beach Gardens home last Thursday night to Love 111 along with vice-captains Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk and Tom Lehman.
Also present was the probable backbone of Love 111s team including Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson and another 20 possible and probable Hazeltine team members.
Jack Nicklaus urges his fellow Americans to forget about the Ryder Cup and focus more on how to win the Masters.
But as the final round of the Honda Classic unfolded on the Nicklaus designed Champions course at PGA National the ‘Golden Bear’, who was dressed casually in shirt, pants and slippers with no socks, warned the Star Spangles stars not to get too involved in the Ryder Cup.
“My feeling on whether it’s hurting America that we have dominated the Ryder Cup in recent times is that it goes in cycles.
“I told they guys that came to our house last week not to worry about it.
“I said to them here you are talking about the Ryder Cup but then you have four majors in front of you this year, so there are far more important things in your life than the Ryder Cup.
“It’s a great honour to represent your country, and it’s a great honour to be a part of an international team but it is supposed to be fun.
“I said to them can you tell me who won and lost the last Ryder Cup. But can you tell me who won the last four Majors? Absolutely you can tell me.
“So it’s not that big a deal and I know you want to play your best but take it as a game you can prepare to have fun, and just go and play and it’s for bragging rights.
“Don’t try and make it more than what it is as it just adds unnecessary pressure.
“When you talk of pressure, can you tell me that can be more pressure playing in a Ryder Cup than compared to coming down the last hole at Augusta National or at a U.S. Open to win a Major Championship.
“Crap! That’s a polite way of me saying no it isn’t (smiling).”
As for the team dinner late last week Nicklaus also remarked: “My wife gave them too much food and I gave them too much wine. But then the wine was terrific. It was mine.
“And they ate too much of my brand ice cream which was really good, too. These are my commercials (laughing)
However Nicklaus has agreed to host a second Ryder Cup team dinner in May, and during the course of the Memorial he hosts at Muirfield Village in Ohio.
And on top of last Thursday’s dinner at Nicklaus’ house Love 111 revealed post his final round of the Honda Classic that he hosted a dinner earlier in the week involving all the leading US-born caddies working the PGA Tour.
