George, Nov 26: Ernie Els made another clutch putt in the Presidents Cup playoff and was ready to go to the next tee when he saw Tiger Woods with his cap off and his hand extended. Els looked confused.
U.S. captain Jack Nicklaus and International captain Gary Player tried to explain: It was getting dark, and they wanted the matches to end in a tie. Getting all the players to go along with that took some work -- starting with Els.
``I've got to ask my team,'' he said, looking over his shoulder at them.
Before long, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem was on a cell phone that was being passed among Player, Nicklaus and rules official Mike Shea.
``That's what all my players want,'' Player told him, pleading for a tie. Not really. Robert Allenby, Adam Scott, Stuart Appleby and Mike Weir protested behind their captain, all of them quietly urging Els to keep going.



Chaos really started to take hold when Nicklaus casually mentioned that in the event of a tie, the defending champion -- the United States -- keeps the cup. Hearing that, Appleby prodded Els: ``Play, Ernie. We've got nothing to lose.''



``Get some lights,'' Allenby countered. As confusion swarmed players and captains, both teams called a meeting on opposite ends of the second green. Player emerged from his huddle, and this time his team's sentiments were clear.



``We'll play,'' he said, as thousands of fans cheered. About that time, Nicklaus offered a solution: Share the cup.



Player walked back to his team, returned after a few seconds and accepted the deal. ``It's the most unbelievable event the game of golf has ever seen,'' Nicklaus said, strong words from its greatest player. ``There shouldn't be a loser.''



It was the first time since the Presidents Cup was created in 1994 that the matches ended in a tie. Neither Nicklaus nor Player liked the sudden-death provision, the only one of its kind in cup competition. The campaign started before the playoff did.



``From when Mr. Player came back up to the 18th green, he started asking every one of our players, 'Do you think this is right? Don't you think this should be a tie?''' Davis Love III said. ``Every time somebody would have a pressure putt, he said, 'This just isn't right.''' Nicklaus said some of his players suggested that the 12 players from both teams take part in either a playoff or a full match.



When he asked Woods if he wanted to return Monday to finish a playoff, Woods shook his head.



``It's just not the right thing to do,'' Woods said. ``We're here as a team together, and we'd like to decide it as a team.''



Ultimately, everyone was happy with a tie. ``We'll have to make another one,'' Finchem said, meaning a gold trophy.



That was the least of Nicklaus' concerns, especially since he said the Presidents Cup would stay at PGA Tour headquarters in Florida regardless of who won. It was the second bizarre ending to team competition this year.



Two months ago in Sweden, once Europe clinched the Solheim Cup, players in the final five matches decided to stop playing. Despite the confusion at this event, Price said he would remember the tie as a classy gesture.



``They both wanted to win very badly,'' he said, referring to Nicklaus and Player. ``I will never forget that moment on the second green when Jack and his team offered us to share the cup, because that doesn't happen too often in sport.''


Bureau Report