Jordan brought in to inspire American team

text size

Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

An avid golfer, Michael Jordan is an "assistant-assistant" for the U.S. Presidents Cup Team.

Editor's note: This article is reprinted courtesy of Boston Hannah, which produces The Presidents Cup program.

U.S. Captain Fred Couples has brought along a pretty inspirational friend of his -- recent Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Michael Jordan -- to help inspire his team.

Jordan, 46, might not have an official title, but he plays a very large role in Couples' plans.

"He is assistant-assistant," Couples said in the run-up to the Matches. "He's been to every Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup that I've played in. He's extremely passionate about the game of golf. There are a lot of people who love the game of golf, but I believe in my mind that he brings something to our team. He's dealt with teammates that were phenomenal players and maybe teammates that could not play for another team. When you get 12 guys playing, I think he may be able to instill quite a bit to our team."

But the nitty-gritty work of being a Captain's Assistant will fall to Jay Haas.

"Jay has been a friend of mine since '83 or '84, my third or fourth year on TOUR," Couples said. "A few years ago he was talked about as having a shot maybe to be Ryder Cup captain. He said, 'If it happens, I'd love to have you as an assistant.' And I said if I was ever captain, I'd love to have him as an assistant. Jay is very smart, he's great with the players, has a lot of savvy. We think alike."

As for Jordan, like golfers since the beginning of time, Jordan's love for the game is tempered by frustration, as he revealed prior to his appearance in the 2009 Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge, where he finished second at Bethpage Black with a more-than-respectable 86 after a triple-bogey 7 on the first hole -- with Couples on the bag.

"Oh, this was a difficult yes (the decision to participate)," said Jordan, who brought a 1.4 USGA Handicap Index to the competition. "I've been in a little slump with my golf swing and haven't been playing well for the last couple of years. I had the shanks -- real bad. Now that I've gotten rid of them, I finally feel comfortable over the ball again. This will be another great challenge for my competitive nature."

Ah yes, his competitive nature. That, above everything else, is what Fred Couples may be counting on at The Presidents Cup.