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Editor's note: This article was reprinted courtesy of Boston Hannah.

When he heard the words, Mike Bodney wasn't quite sure how to react. Flattering stuff, but it was such a bold statement he almost gasped.

The U.S. team after winning the first Presidents Cup in 1994. (WireImage)

"We were in Australia for the 1998 Presidents Cup," said Bodney, "and [U.S. captain] Jack Nicklaus was sitting in an interview room when he made the comment, something to the effect that 'you have to understand that within 10 years The Presidents Cup will be larger than the Ryder Cup.' "

As the PGA TOUR's Senior Vice President of Championship Management, Bodney was actively involved in the birth of The Presidents Cup in 1994, so on the one hand he felt a sense of fulfillment when he heard such a declaration.

Especially since it came from an icon such as Nicklaus. Yet Bodney understood the Ryder Cup not only had a 67-year head start on The Presidents Cup, it had a rich history on its side, too.

"Then I started thinking about it," said Bodney, "and it suddenly made sense. The Presidents Cup touches the entire world. It's just logical that everyone's objective is to make this as large as possible on a worldwide basis."

Six competitive matches have been played, and Bodney can see the growth and it makes him proud, particularly since the beginnings were so very humble.

It was the middle of 1993 and DeaneBeman had announced his intention to retire as commissioner of the PGA TOUR. During the process to discuss a replacement, a board of TOUR officials also began tossing around the idea of a team competition that would get more international players involved.

"Greg Norman expressed interest," said Bodney, "and over the next six months we studied the feasibility of it."

In April of 1994, it was announced that the first Presidents Cup would be played in September at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Prince William County, Va. That gave tournament organizers a mere six months to pull it off, "which was a fairly significant undertaking," said Bodney. And while having a commitment from the likes of

Norman, Nick Price, Vijay Singh, Fred Couples, Davis Love III and Hale Irwin proved important, what sold everyone on the event was its mission.

"All the organizations that were involved in the original design of it were very, very supportive," said Bodney, who also points out that the International Federation of PGA Tours came about because of these talks. "They had long recognized that the potential for growth of the game in South Africa, in Australia, in other parts of the world was enormous. There was a real need for a competition like this because we were leaving out a very important piece of world golf -- the international player."

According to Bodney, two concepts were at the heart of The Presidents Cup from the outset -- a desire to contribute to charities, and "to move this thing around."

Thus, after the first two competitions were held at Robert Trent Jones in Virginia, The Presidents Cup went to Australia in 1998. After it returned to Virginia for 2000, the decision was made to play the next one in South Africa, a significant choice that was very much in line with the underlying philosophy of the project. That's because "the impact we can have outside the United States is very, very large," said Bodney.

"While competitively-speaking, the growth of the game in South Africa isn't the same as it is in the U.S., the audience of young kids is enormous. That's the true purpose of this competition." As solid as the plan may have been in concept, Bodney knows it had to have the players' backing.

"Safe to say the Americans were reluctant, but at the same time they were very supportive, so we didn't have to do a selling job. They knew the TOUR wasn't doing this for financial gain. We were going to give to charity and give players money to give to charity."

And along the way, The Presidents Cup has helped nurture the game in corners of the world that otherwise wouldn't have had such an exposure to it. The Presidents Cup returned to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in 2005 and will be played at Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Canada, this year.

Funds in excess of $13 million have been funneled to help charities throughout the world. In addition, The Presidents Cup has been watched by people in countries around the world.

"That's a lot of eyeballs," said Bodney. "It's still evolving, sure it is. But there is such a gigantic potential."