Norman thrilled with wealth of talent

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Presidents Cup team captains Fred Couples (U.S.) and Greg Norman (International) along with PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem address the media at a press conference during the second annual National Golf Day.

Take a look at the top-20 players in the standings for the International Team which will face the Americans in The Presidents Cup in October.

The players bidding for one of the 10 automatic spots -- or trying to impress Greg Norman, who has two Captain's Picks to complete his team -- are from 10 different countries.

South Africa has the most with five while there are four of Norman's Australian countrymen and two players each from Canada, Argentina and Thailand in the top 20. Also represented are Fiji, Colombia, Korea, Japan and India.

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Such diversity will likely present challenges for Norman that U.S. Captain Fred Couples won't have as he decides how to complete his team and makes pairings for the biennial event that features Four-Ball, Foursomes and Singles competition.

"You have to take in languages, mannerisms," Norman said Tuesday during a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. " I'm not going to give up some of the ideas I have in mind about how to find the right balance amongst the players. But my dynamics are totally different from Freddie's.

"My choice in the two picks I have is really a tough one because my well of information and well of depth of players is so deep compared to America. I can go anywhere, and I think the International Team may be a lot different than a lot of people think; contrary to what Freddie's team is like the list is there in front of you."

Couples -- who does have the benefit of the top two players in the world -- agreed that Norman may have the most difficult task at The Presidents Cup, which will be played Oct. 5-11 at Harding Park Golf Club in San Francisco.

"I don't think pairing my team is going to be as hard as Greg's," he said. "I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that he has international players running everywhere. Half of his team is going to be a piece of cake but that's where he and (assistant captain) Frank (Nobilo) will figure it out and do a great job."

Norman plans to whittle his list of contenders down to 15 or so between the U.S. Open and the end of July. The 10 automatic qualifiers are determined at the end of the PGA Championship and Norman makes his two Captain's Picks the following Monday.

"So my learning curve is a lot harder and a lot more intense over the next couple of months," Norman said. "... And then all of a sudden the last month or two there might be some kid pop up from somewhere and you go, wow, this kid is hot, he's ready to play."

The 54-year-old Norman has played in two PGA TOUR events this year, and he will also be returning to the Open Championship after that third-place finish at Royal Birkdale a year ago. He tries to seek out potential candidates for practice rounds or watch them on the range.

Norman has also asked Nobilo, an announcer for the GOLF CHANNEL, to size up certain pros during the New Zealander's travels. Nobilo also played in three Presidents Cups.

"I have an email Web site coming directly into my office and it's amazing the emails I get from players you never even expect to get from, about the interest about playing on the International Team," Norman said. "And that's very encouraging for me, because you go, wow, add another one to the list.

"You get young kids like (Ryo) Ishikawa who is out there, who they think about him, and I think that's a great thing for me to be in my position saying, man, my base is so deep, it's going to be great for The International Team."

Norman feels strongly about The Presidents Cup. He was envious of the camaraderie the Americans and Europeans developed on their respective teams during the Ryder Cup, and he's happy international players are now able to share in that experience.

"There's no better feeling being in a locker room with a bunch of great guys," Norman said. "And even though you are going head to head with them on an individual basis 40 weeks a year, to share their thoughts and feelings as a team was important to me as a player.

"I sense it's an even greater magnitude now that you are the captain because your responsibility goes beyond that."

Norman was unable to compete in the inaugural Presidents Cup -- but came to Robert Trent Jones Golf Club on Sunday to root the International Team on. He played on the next three teams, compiling a 7-6 record and was instrumental in the International Team's first victory in 1998 at Royal Melbourne.

As much as Norman wants his International Team to get back on the winning side after two close losses and the historic tie in 2005 in South Africa, he knows the Presidents Cup is about more than who hoists that big gold loving cup on Sunday.

"When Commissioner (Tim Finchem) asked me if I would be interested in being captain of the International Team, it took me a little bit of thought process to decide on it," Norman said. "Obviously it's over a time period over two years, but once I made the decision, I realized the enormity of the impact of the responsibility that comes your way.

"And it's not, as I say, the 12 players we are going to put together; it's actually promoting the game of golf on an international level, which I absolutely love to do and I've done it my whole career."

Couples, who played on four U.S. Teams and made clinching putts in 1994 and '96, agreed.

"As Greg has said, we are going to do our best to make it a better event," he said.