Local golf: Sluman busy after Shootout

Sluman is the assistant captain under Jack Nicklaus for The Presidents Cup in South Africa. Shootout players Kenny Perry and Fred Funk also are on the U.S. team, which goes up against 12 players on the International team from countries other than those represented in the Ryder Cup.

"I think it's quite an honor," Sluman said at last month's Funai Classic at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista. "Obviously, you would prefer to make the team. I told Jack, along with another player, if I don't make it, it'd be an honor and a privilege if you would consider me for the assistant.

"Jack called me up and asked me. I think my quote was, 'It took me a nanosecond to say yes.' "

Sluman, Perry and Funk will hightail it out of Naples on Sunday evening. Gulfstream Aerospace is providing a flight to Atlanta to meet up with the PGA Tour-chartered plane to South Africa. The matches start Nov. 20 and conclude on Nov. 23.

Sluman, a former part-time Pelican Bay resident whose father lives in Naples, won't be playing, but his role still will be very important. Nicklaus hasn't played regularly on the PGA Tour in years and Sluman has, so he can give the Golden Bear a little background on some of the players on both sides.

"I think he wanted me out there because I'm out here now and he isn't out here," said Sluman, 46, who finished 40th on the PGA Tour money list and will play with long-hitting Hank Kuehne in the Shootout. "He knows that I know the players personally and as friends and know their games inside and out because I see them on a weekly basis.

"I can give him some thoughts there and let him process it and then he can make the decisions and we go from there."

The U.S. team is loaded, as would be expected, but the International squad can match it or exceed it.

Tiger Woods (1), Davis Love III (4), Jim Furyk (5), David Toms (7) and Perry (9) all are in the top 10 in the World Golf Ranking. But the Internationals have five in the top 11 -- Vijay Singh (2), Ernie Els (3), Mike Weir (6), Retief Goosen (8) and Nick Price (11).

Phil Mickelson, Justin Leonard, Chris DiMarco, Jerry Kelly, Charles Howell III, Funk and Jay Haas also are playing for the U.S. Robert Allenby, Stephen Leaney, Peter Lonard, Adam Scott, Stuart Appleby, K.J. Choi and Tim Clark round out the Internationals.

"We've got a formidable challenge," he said. "If you look up and down that International team, it's loaded."

The last time the Cup was played, then-Marco Island resident and longtime CBS Sports golf analyst Ken Venturi captained the U.S. to win in a rout, 211/2-101/2, at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in suburban Washington, D.C.

The event sometimes isn't given the importance of the Ryder Cup by fans and, sometimes, by the players, but Sluman sees the team taking it seriously.

"I think, quite frankly, our guys are pretty into it," he said. "Tiger's getting over there early to get prepared and ready to play. There's a few first-timers with Charles and Fred Funk, Jerry Kelly, DiMarco. They've got a little fire in their belly. They want to go out and play well."

"Make no mistake," Sluman said. "It's going to be a hard four days of golf over there."

Fast Facts

-- When: Wednesday through Sunday

-- Where: Tiburn Golf Club, Naples

-- Players: Greg Norman-Steve Elkington, Rocco Mediate-Lee Janzen, Kenny Perry-Scott Hoch, Rich Beem-Mark Calcavecchia, Craig Stadler-Peter Jacobsen, Mark O'Meara-John Cook, Shaun Micheel-Chad Campbell, Nick Faldo-Fred Funk, Tom Kite-John Huston, Jeff Sluman-Hank Kuehne, Brad Faxon-Scott McCarron, Paul Azinger-Olin Browne

-- Tickets: Weekly, $60, good for all five days; daily tickets, $15 each for pro-am rounds on Wednesday and Thursday, $20 each for tournament rounds, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Call 1-888-66-SHARK or 254-9770

-- Parking: $5, daily. Located on the north side of Immokalee Road, east of I-75. Free shuttles run to and from the golf club.

-- TV: USA Network, Friday, 1-3 p.m.; CBS, Saturday, 1-3:30 p.m.; CBS, Sunday, 4-6 p.m.

-- Schedule: Pro-ams, Wednesday and Thursday; First round (alternate shot), Friday; Second round (better ball), Saturday; Final round (scramble), Sunday