Verdi's Views: Having a few words with Fred Couples

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Can Fred Couples' U.S. team reverse its fortunes from the last time it played a Presidents Cup in Australia?

Bob Verdi, one of the most respected sports writers in the United States, is on site at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia filing stories for PGATOUR.COM to give fans an inside look at the competition, teams, players and captains, as well as the unique setting of the Sand Belt courses in Victoria.

Verdi joined the Chicago Tribune in 1967 covering hockey and baseball. He gradually moved his expertise and skills as a columnist into golf and wrote full-time for the newspaper through 1997. He joined Golf Digest and Golf World as a senior writer in 1997. Currently, Verdi is a member of the Chicago Blackhawks' front office, serving as team historian.

Verdi has covered all eight previous Presidents Cup, including those in Australia (1998), South Africa (2003) and Canada (2007). Verdi will rely on his decades-long relationships with many of the players -- as well as team Captains Greg Norman and Fred Couples -- to focus on the players and personalities of The Presidents Cup and present stories from the event in his individual and iconic style.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Fred Couples, do you promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

"I do."

You're the United States Captain again for The Presidents Cup starting here Thursday, but you don't look nervous.

More from Bob Verdi

Click here to access the archive page of Bob Verdi columns from Royal Melbourne.

"Hey, I don't have to play. I've got a title, but I'm just one of the guys. I'm not much for making speeches or giving orders. Besides, if I'm nervous, then I'll make everybody around me nervous, right?"

How's your squad shaping up?

"So far, the guys are having a blast. Phil Mickelson got on the bus this morning at the hotel and started right in, giving jabs to a few of the other players. He's hilarious. Great for a team. What a beauty he is. I mean, he went 0-5 in South Africa and was still great. Making fun of himself."

You were part of the only American defeat in the Presidents Cup -- here in 1998. See any differences?

"We got killed. They beat us bad. We were just not prepared, and I don't mean that as a knock on our captain, Jack Nicklaus. We just hadn't been playing. It was mid-December, their guys had been on whatever tour they were playing and we weren't. John Huston and I were the only ones on our team to play over here the week before. I don't want to take anything away from the Internationals, though. We were horrible, but they deserved to win big."

Meanwhile, last week, your players were at the Australian Open or in Singapore.

"Which was great. When we started planning for this week, months ago, I was hoping they would do that and they did. Including Tiger."

And you played in Sydney and played well.

"Oh, yeah. I'm ready for the senior Presidents Cup."

Spending so much time over here, how do you keep up with sports in the United States?

"Well, I saw my hometown Seattle Seahawks somehow beat Baltimore, and by being a day ahead of the U.S. I can get yesterday's hockey scores in today's paper. And a little tennis. Or is it tomorrow's paper? Only thing they don't print is the NHL standings."

You can always go to the Internet for that.

"The Internet? Do you know who you're talking to?"

How about Royal Melbourne?

"Fabulous. A couple of our guys who hadn't seen it until now said it's the best golf course they ever played. Can you imagine if this was in the United States? What would you charge for greens fees?"

What has being a captain taught you?

"This might blow your mind, but two years ago in San Francisco, I first started to watch golf from behind. If I'm playing, which I did for all those years, I'm standing beside the people I'm playing with. When they hit the ball, I turn my head. But as captain, watching from behind, I got a whole new view of how these guys hit the ball and how pure they hit it. I had never seen Webb Simpson hit a ball until I got here. I have now. Impressive."

Did you ever see yourself as a team captain?

"When Tim Finchem, the PGA TOUR commissioner, first approached me about it, I was shocked. That was a year or so before San Francisco. He came over and said he wanted to talk to me. I thought he was going to fine me for doing something wrong. Instead, he asked me to think about being a Presidents Cup captain. I didn't need to think too hard. It's an honor."

You mentioned Tiger. You took some heat for making him a wild-card selection. Last week, he almost won in Sydney.

"Look, how many times do I have to say that picking the best player in the world is a no-brainer? Are you kidding me? Plus, months ago, when Tiger was still hurt, he was telling me he wanted to be on this team. I don't know how he felt about team competitions in the past, but I know he's pumped to be here and he played last week, just as I had hoped he would."

Will having Tiger on the team help him get back in the flow by being around other players again?

"I can't speak for him. He's had a lot going on the last couple years, but I know he's having a blast and he's glad to be here. We had dinner four times in Sydney last week. There's an 'X' on his back. I mean, he can't go anywhere. Here, he's one of the guys and comfortable with them. And they're happy to have him around."

Any hunches about your team?

"Keep an eye on Matt Kuchar. I think he could be a star this week. He's eating up the team thing. Plus, he's been playing great all year. But we all know we have our work cut out for us. We want to have fun, obviously, but winning is fun."

Do you miss Michael Jordan?

"I know Phil does. They had some nice card games in San Francisco. Gin. But all the guys miss him. And the caddies. He fit in so well at Harding Park. The guys loved having him there. He even gave a little pep talk to the team. And you saw how he helped out. Almost adopted Sean O'Hair."

He's got important business back in the States.

"Yeah, he's a majority owner of an NBA team in Charlotte and they're having a lockout. He called me three weeks ago and said he just couldn't make it. I wasn't surprised, because he's got to be part of the negotiations so they can get that thing straightened out. He did send all the caddies and us captains and co-captains a pair of Air Jordans, though. And I'm sure we'll hear from him while we're over here."

Did Michael say anything else?

"Actually, he did. When he called, he asked me if I could do one thing for him. I'm thinking, 'What the heck can I do for Michael Jordan?' Well, he asked for the U.S. Team golf bag we had made up for him with his name on it. Which was pretty cool, when you think about it. I think it shows how much he enjoyed being part of our team in San Francisco. I got a little criticism for naming him, too, but again, how can you not want Michael Jordan around? We had the two greatest athletes in the world in our room at Harding Park. Michael and Tiger. And there's something wrong with that?"