U.S. Kids Golf, the world's leading manufacturer of golf equipment made specially for kids, will introduce its Oil Can Wedge System and 550 Mallet putter at the 2004 PGA Merchandise Show in January. ...

TeeTime-Mag.com, the New England women's golf magazine, completes its ninth year publishing with the Winter 2003 issue. The issue includes an interview with Betsy Rawls, a profile on the late actress and golfer Katharine Hepburn, advice on improving the short game and information on traveling to Costa Rica. ...

The Golf Channel will air a retrospective showcasing the top stories from the Champions Tour in 2003 on A WINNING SEASON, Monday at 8 p.m. ET. ...

Darius Rucker, lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning group Hootie & The Blowfish, will tee it up at the season-ending ADT Championship Pro-Am on Wednesday, November 19, and then perform an acoustic set for pro-am participants and VIPs in the newly opened Trump International Golf Club at the pro-am awards party. ...

Osprey Recreational Properties, LLC acquires The Medalist Golf Club in Marshall, Mich., in an auction. Osprey owns two other courses in Michigan - Ridgeview GC in Kalamazoo and Manistee National Golf and Resort in Manistee - and plans to allow membership benefits to overlap from one course to another. ...

In TechTV's Guide to the Golf Revolution: How Technology is Driving the Game (Peachpit Press; $24.99), Andy Brumer takes a relaxed, jargon-free approach as he explores a wide range of topics including clubs, balls, grips, golf fitness, swing analysis, apparel, bags, shoes, and courses. ...

Ocean Hammock Golf Club, located on Florida's northeast coast, enhances its nine-hole options. Through February 2004, Ocean Hammock is offering a nine-hole round for just $55 after 3 p.m. ...

Robbins & Associates International completes renovation projects on two Donald Ross golf courses in the Carolinas: Carolina Golf & Country Club in Charlotte, N.C., and Camden Country Club in Camden, S.C. ...

The Golf Warehouse launches its hassle-free "TGW Trade-In Program" for golfers to exchange their used golf clubs for credit or a gift certificate at www.TGW.com. ...

Jackets Required receives orders for embroidered sportcoats for Bray's Island Golf Club in Sheldon, S.C. ...

The Bruno Event Team, which is responsible for managing and conducting the 2004 U.S. Senior Open, names GEAR For Sports, the preferred provider of custom logoed 2004 U.S. Senior Open Championship apparel. The 2004 U.S. Senior Open will be held July 26 - August 1 at the Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis. ...

Dustin Groves of Keswick, Va., Chris McCartin of Arlington, Va. and Webb Simpson of Raleigh, N.C. have all signed national letters-of-intent to play for the Wake Forest men's golf team next fall. ...

Live scoring, tournament news, detailed course descriptions and ticket information are now available at targetworldchallenge.com, the Target World Challenge tournament's official Web site.

CORRECTION: The UBS Cup was not listed in yesterday's Tee Box feature. The UBS Cup, which features two 12-man teams from the United States and Rest of the World competing in a Ryder Cup style format, will be held at the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club November 20-23.

One of the undeniable tenets for any golfer is to be committed over each and every shot. Doubt is the cruel demon that manifests itself with each hesitation.

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, the respective captains for this week's Presidents Cup teams, have molded great careers by being committed on the course. This week, each will rely heavily on instincts and the slightest bit of second-guessing could be the difference in winning and losing.

For both captains, the decision-making process began in earnest in mid-August with the selection of their two wild card players. Instead of simply taking the 11th and 12th players in the point standings, each sought the players that would best complement their teams.

Nicklaus and Player each took the No. 11 players in their respective point standings - 47-year-old Fred Funk for the U.S.; 33-year-old Korean K.J. Choi for the Internationals - though for differing reasons. Nicklaus went with Funk's playing record and enthusiasm, while Player liked Choi's consistency.

Nicklaus' and Player's second picks reflected an even more divergence of opinions.
Nicklaus chose veteran Jay Haas, who is just shy of his 50th birthday and has played in three international cup competitions, because "the stability and the steadiness that Jay brings to the team will be something that I think will be really important; particularly on foreign soil," Nicklaus said.

Player went with unheralded 27-year-old South African Tim Clark, whose ability to play the ball straight could come in handy in the strong native winds.

Both captains must now play the ultimate chess game of pairing players and setting the lineup. The ability to listen to their players and assistant captains will be catamount.

"I like my players to feel very comfortable with who they play with," Player said. "I listen to them a great deal because they play with each other on the PGA Tour all the time. I go with how they feel."

At last week's World Cup, Jim Furyk said that in previous Presidents and Ryder cup appearances, he has consistently listed Justin Leonard as a potential playing partner because of their similar playing styles, especially in foursomes. And yet they have not been paired together in three Presidents/Ryder Cup appearances, including the 1998 Presidents Cup when Nicklaus captained the Americans in a humiliating 20.5-11.5 loss in Australia.

"I think our playing together [at last week's World Cup] should help," said Leonard, who was paired with Furyk in the Americans' fifth-place finish at Kiawah Island, S.C. "We'll certainly pull Jack aside and let him know our thoughts."

The biggest decisions will likely come with how to handle the rookie players, of which there are five on each squad. Does a captain pair two rookies together and see how they will mesh? Or is a rookie paired with an experienced player to get acclimated to the various formats?

In 2000, U.S. captain Ken Venturi paired rookies Stewart Cink and Kirk Triplett together on a hunch and they responded with three wins in the foursome/four-ball format and then added another 1.5 points in the singles.

It was a gut feeling," Venturi said. "I said I like that team. I said I'm sticking with them. And they won all three matches."

Nicklaus believes the difference will be depth. Each team has four players ranked among the top eight in the world and each has players who have won at least one major.

"The start of both teams is just excellent," he said. "The second half of the team is where you are going to win the matches."

If the matches remain heading into Sunday's singles, then choosing the proper order of the 12 players could prove pivotal as it did at the 1999 Ryder Cup.

The Americans trailed by four points going into Sunday, so U.S. captain Ben Crenshaw loaded the top of his singles lineup in hopes of gaining decisive wins early. The strategy worked and a positive surge rippled throughout the rest of the lineup as the Americans won eight of 12 points and rallied from a four-point deficit to win.

There are also the subtle nuances that a captain must weigh, as well. Do personalities mesh? Do players play similar balls? Are players' games similar or complement each other well?

The bottom line is Nicklaus and Player will play the percentages on gut feelings and, ultimately, the players will decide whether the captains made the right choice.