ESPN.com - Golf Online - PGA Championship 2000 - Must-see pairing: Woods, Nicklaus, Singh

By David Kraft
ESPN Golf Online
Wednesday, August 16

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Tiger Woods jumps out from a pairing sheet. So does Jack Nicklaus.

Put them together -- as the PGA has for the first two rounds of the PGA Championship, with Masters champion Vijay Singh thrown in for good measure -- and you have a mega-pairing that has fans foaming at the mere thought of it, crowd control officials a tad bit concerned and the rest of the field mildly amused at the spectacle about to be unleashed.

Head to head

Greg Norman was asked to rate Woods vs. Nicklaus. His take:

"Putting them at their prime, player against player at their peak, it would be a tough call. You have two totally different approaches to the game.

"I think Jack's head toward the game is far greater than anybody's head has ever been.

"Tiger's driving ability is probably better than Jack's driving ability in their primes.

"Putting, I would put the nod for Jack on that.

"Short game and bunker play, I'd give the nod to Tiger on that.

"Things have changed dramatically from Jack's era to Tiger's era. Tiger is a consummate professional -- not that Jack wasn't, but (Tiger) has trained. He has got a physical trainer. He's got a totally different approach than what Jack (did). I bet you Jack didn't work out when he was in his 20s ...

"I'd say on balance I would give the nod -- Jack, just ahead of Tiger."

--David Kraft

The PGA traditionally pairs the three winners of the majors from earlier in the season, but since Woods won two of them, Nicklaus was chosen to complete the threesome.

"When you get that many people together, you can't get everyone to be quiet," said Loren Roberts. "Because of the sheer mass, there are going to be a lot more disturbances out there. You have to learn to back off, start over and deal with it. When you are with him, you are just going to have to put the blinders on."

The Woods phenomenon at a tournament is well-documented. Crowds swell. The number of non-golfers swells, too. Often, the etiquette that seasoned golf fans know isn't strictly observed.

"They are only there to watch one person and they don't really care about the other person," said Lee Westwood. "But if you're not struggling mentally, then it shouldn't bother you. And chances are you are going to be playing your shot first (since Woods outdrives nearly everyone), so they shouldn't move off until after he has played."

At the Buick Open last week, galleries following Woods were bigger than those following the leaders -- so much so that fans flocked from the course when Woods finished, leaving the leaders to finish in relative anonymity on Saturday.

Add in Nicklaus and Singh in the threesome and the crowds -- 33,000 tickets are sold each day -- will be huge. And sometimes a bit unmanageable.

"Are they getting unruly?" Woods repeated a question. "At times, yes. It depends on if the tournament is selling the beverages of their choice, and hopefully they don't consume too many of them in the hot sun."

The rest of the players have learned to take the Woods phenomenon in stride. Most laugh at the topic and know how to deal with it.

"Whenever we are out there, we are pretty much focused on what we are trying to do," said Darren Clarke. "And we are playing in front of crowds each week. It doesn't particularly make that much difference."

He smiled as he said it. Clarke beat Woods head-to-head this year in the World Match Play Championship at La Costa.

Woods, with a keen sense of history, knows it might be his last competitive rounds with Nicklaus. The Golden Bear has said he can't play what he calls "exhibition golf."

"I hope it's not, from a player as well as a fan of Jack Nicklaus," Woods said. "I hope he plays more. But if he doesn't, he doesn't. He's had a fabulous career."

Singh also appreciates the history, though his main focus is Woods.

"I think it is good for me to be playing with him," said Singh. "I can be a little more aggressive on what I'm doing. I will obviously be concentrating on my own game. I'm ready for it."

Nicklaus said earlier in the week he's excited about the pairing. He will play despite the death of his mother, Helen, on Wednesday.

Woods, Nicklaus and Singh are scheduled for 9:13 a.m. ET on Thursday; 1:25 p.m. ET on Friday.