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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

He said that Jack Nicklaus waited to call. The Presidents Cup captain wanted to make sure that Jeff Sluman wasn't going to make the team as a player before he extended him the invitation to be the Captain's Assistant.

Jeff Sluman finished nine in Milwaukee last week for his biggest check ($104,000) of the year. (WireImage)

Jeff shrugged off the suggestion that he could play his way onto the team. At 49, he says that he is better suited for the supporting role. This will be the third consecutive time that Jeff will be Mr. Nicklaus' assistant.

From a personality standpoint, Jeff is ideally suited to take on the responsibilities as Assistant Captain. Jeff seamlessly fills the gaps between the greatest player of all time and today's best players.

He has finished inside the top 100 on the money list every year since 1985. He is approachable in the locker room for the young players and viewed as an equal among the game's elite. He is the consummate professional, regardless of how he is playing.

At this moment, he is playing some of his best golf of the year. The 65 he shot Friday morning in the second round of the Canadian Open presented by Franklin Templeton Investments was one of the low rounds of the day. At 5-under par for the tournament, he is in position to have his best finish of the year.

Playing with Jim Furyk, who will be on that Presidents Cup Team, Jeff said that if he could just keep up with the defending champion, he would be in good position.

Interestingly, the third member of the group was John Rollins, who finished 36 holes at even par. Coming into the Canadian Open, John was 11th on the Presidents Cup points list. The top ten earn spots on the team and Nicklaus has two Captain's Picks.

Mr. Nicklaus will certainly rely heavily on Jeff's insight when he rounds out his team with his two picks. There are several Ryder Cup and President's Cup veterans who are outside the top 10 in points at the moment. Mark Calcaveccia, Brett Wettrich and Jerry Kelly are all within striking distance of the top 10.

For Jeff, this may well be his last Presidents Cup appointment as well. Following the Presidents Cup, he will make his Champions Tour debut. When you consider all of his success after the age of 40 on the PGA TOUR, he is a good bet to have tremendous success with the salt-and-pepper set.

Jeff's career is a bit puzzling when you look at it. At 30, he outgunned the Oak Tree gang and captured the PGA Championship. It was his first PGA TOUR victory -- and only major.

Jeff waited nearly a decade before he tasted victory again. He won five more times after that, including twice in Milwaukee, where he is the all-time leading money winner of that tournament.

While he was waiting for his second victory, he consistently played well. Jeff had a total of eight runner-up finishes between his 1988 PGA Championship triumph and his second career victory.

Jeff's second place finish in the 1992 U.S. Open has been forgotten. It is remembered that Colin Montgomerie made a run at Tom Kite posting a number with Tom still on the front nine. But Jeff quietly finished second, two shots behind Kite, and one shot better than Colin.

Like any career that spans nearly three decades, there are going to be ups and downs. While some years were better than others, his level of consistency over such a long period may just be his career's signature.

In 694 career starts, Jeff made the cut 515. Jay Haas hold the record for career cuts with 592.

Jeff is winding down his PGA TOUR career to move on to the Champions Tour, he can rest assured that his mark has been left. Jeff is one of those players whose career can't be measured in merely in wins and money..

Jeff falls into a category with Joey Sindelar. The respect that they have shown for the game and its care takers is a model for young players to emulate.

Oh, and by the way: Both of those guys still have big game.