Perhaps the most grateful of his decision to return are the 12 guys playing for him at Royal Montreal.

Nicklaus is a hands-off captain who lets his players be themselves and enjoy themselves. He has them write down their choices of partners, even those with whom they don’t want to play, and matches them accordingly.

He brings experience and mystique, and just the name “Nicklaus” inspires.

“When he does speak, everyone listens because obviously he’s the greatest player of all time,” Tiger Woods said. “You always want to hear what he’s going to say.”

Well, not always.

Nicklaus is quick with the needle, even with his own team. Charles Howell III shared the story this week about the first team meeting outside Boston last month, when Captain Jack congratulated Zach Johnson, David Toms, Hunter Mahan, and was making his way around the room when he came to Howell, who had not finished in the top 10 since March.

“Charles,” he told him, “you need a lesson.”

During a conference call last month to discuss his team, Nicklaus referred to a strange incident years ago when Woody Austin walked off the green banging his putter against his head until it broke.

“I don’t know whether Woody will bring golf or bang himself in the head,” Nicklaus said.

It’s all in good fun, although Nicklaus says he can be a little quick with the tease. It’s all part of the package, part of why the Americans appear to be so much more relaxed at the Presidents Cup than they are in the Ryder Cup.

And maybe that explains why they have not lost the Presidents Cup since 1998 in Australia.

It begins Thursday at Royal Montreal, the oldest golf club in North America, when Stricker and Mahan play in the first alternate-shot match against Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy.

The Americans are in better form. The International team has a stronger collection of players.

The intangible, again, could be Captain Jack.