The golf world’s eyes certainly are smiling on the Northwest. Less than a month after the USGA announced that Chambers Bay in University Place has been selected to host the 2010 U.S. Amateur and 2015 U.S. Open (see page 18 for a full story), PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced that Seattle’s favorite son, Fred Couples, will captain the United States’ team at the 2009 President’s Cup. The tournament should be one for the ages, with Couples — who honed his game on the links at Jackson Park Golf Course in Seattle — matching wits with International team captain Greg Norman, the terrific twosome adding to their Hall of Fame-worthy resumes by becoming the first individuals to represent their teams in the President’s Cup as both players and captains. Beloved by Northwesterners for his laid-back, go-for-it-all approach that is a reflection of the region in which he was raised, Couples steps into the shoes of the Golden Bear himself, Jack Nicklaus, who led the U.S. at the last President’s Cup in 2006. Couples’ task will be to select the best American golfers to match up against an International team comprised of the world’s best non-Europeans for a Ryder Cup-like match play/stroke play competition. It’s a tall task for sure, but if anyone’s up to it, it’s our Boom-Boom. “It’s kind of nerve-wracking to say you’re following Jack Nicklaus, but I think I’ll do a great job, and I’ll certainly have a great time,” he said. We’re all with you, Freddy.