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By Helen Ross
PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

ILE BIZARD, MONTREAL, Canada -- As he waited for his three Presidents Cup teammates to appear Tuesday afternoon, Jim Furyk picked up the absent Tiger Woods' nameplate and moved it to the end of the dais.

Tiger Woods and Jim Furyk are the only two Americans with 10 or more wins in Presidents Cup play. (WireImage)

A volunteer noticed the pecking order had been rearranged, and he quickly moved the place card back to the center of the stage. Not that anyone in the gathering of reporters needed the introduction, though.

The first five questions were directed at the No. 1 player in the game. After the sixth, Woods leaned away from the microphone and opted to share the wealth with the rest of the U.S. Team, saying "Go ahead, guys," and flashing that megawatt smile of his.

"You're going to have to call on someone," Furyk told the sportswriter, who had inquired about the difference in preparing for The Presidents Cup and the Ryder Cup. "Wake the rest of us up."

All kidding aside, and there was plenty of it on this autumn afternoon, the Americans are clearly comfortable with Woods at the forefront of a Presidents Cup team that has not lost since 1998 and owns a 4-1-1 record overall in the biennial competition.

And why not? Woods has won four of his last five starts, including the PGA Championship and THE TOUR Championship presented by Coca-Cola, and pocketed the $10 million bonus that went along with his victory in the inaugural FedExCup.

A letdown might be understandable. But U.S. Captain Jack Nicklaus will be counting on Woods this week as the top-heavy Americans, who boast the top four players in the world, face an International Team that counters with nine of the top 20.

"Here is a guy that's No. 1 player in the world, and he's just come off of a tournament series that he's just won; he's won the previous major; it's a natural letdown for a fella to have that," Nicklaus said. "And I think that it's up to him to pump himself backup.

"He said to me when I saw him yesterday, he says, "Captain, don't worry about it, I'm ready."

Nicklaus was already speculating about pitting Woods against Canada's favorite son, Mike Weir, in Sunday's singles -- just as the game's No. 1 player asked for Greg Norman in Australia in 1998 and Ernie Els in South Africa in 2002.

Nicklaus' International counterpart, Gary Player, coyly responded that "we might arrange something." In The Presidents Cup, you see, the captains have the ability to match one player or team against another, rather than using a blind draw.

Finding a teammate for Woods, though, hasn't been quite as easy a task as identifying someone for him to play mano-to-mano.

Woods: "I think that when you play poorly in this event, it is different than what we do every week because, if anything, you just let down yourself and your immediate family and that's about it."

He's had 14 different partners in international match play competition and only has a winning record with one, Furyk, at 2-0-1 in the 2005 Presidents Cup. The combination worked so well that Ryder Cup Tom Lehman partnered the two at the K Club last year and they went 2-2 overall.

Nicklaus called Woods an "intimidating player," adding that he wasn't sure that intimidation factor sometimes didn't extend to his partner, as well as his opponent. He thinks Woods and Furyk worked well because Furyk is such a steady player.

"They all enjoy playing with him because they know they can always count on him,' Nicklaus said. "He's always right there, and that's a comforting feeling for his partner because his record has been pretty good probably because of that."

Don't be surprised to see the two players team together again at Royal Montreal. As is his custom, though, Nicklaus asked his 12 players to write down their preferred partners and Woods had three names on his list.

"I'm going to try to honor that wish if I can, three different ways, if that makes sense," Nicklaus said. "But if I find he really plays well with one of them, I'm probably going to stick with that for the second time around, too. I just have to wait and see."

One of those names could be Charles Howell III. The two good friends and Isleworth neighbors went 2-2 at the 2003 Presidents Cup, winning both Foursomes and losing their Four-Ball matches.

"Maybe in a sense I see Tiger in a little different light," Howell said, after first joking that the two simply don't like each other. "I see him around home. I see him a little bit away from the golf course. ...

"He's a great partner to have because we are friends. I feel comfortable playing with him, and I mean, let's face it, it's not always easy playing a team event because you've got more than just your expectations riding on your shoulders.

"I feel comfortable playing with the guy but I'm sure everyone else on this team would, as well."

Woods, for his part, says he "could care less" who Nicklaus decides to partner him with -- "as long as we get a point. I've played with a bunch of different partners over the years, and the goal is still the same; to go out there and beat your opponent and put a point up on your side."

No need for face paint, ala the Solheim Cup. Forget the hair ribbons, too -- that's "a little hard for some of us who are balding," Woods said. But the man with those 13 major championships, the one who is destined to become the greatest individual player of all time, has clearly embraced the team concept.

"I think that when you play poorly in this event, it is different than what we do every week because, if anything, you just let down yourself and your immediate family and that's about it," Woods said.

"Here, it's your teammates, your captain, assistant captain, everyone supporting you from all of the wives, girlfriends and everyone here, we are one big team. And it certainly does put that much more of a sting when you play poorly and you lose a match.

"But also, then again, it feels that much better when you do win a match to help your team get closer to the goal of winning the Cup."