Just the kind of thread that I find interesting. And someone taking on Mr. Huntley- what an added bonus!
It would never have occured to me to consider Lee Elder in an official capacity for the President's Cup. I have to agree with Shivas. To have appointed Mr. Elder, in my humble opinion, would be an admission that PC (political correctness) and symbolism trump merit and achievement.
I would not have second-guessed Nicklaus if he chose Elder. However, I do find his reasoning for choosing Sluman- as more of a contemporary of the players- to be far superior than the possible justifications for selecting Elder (possible adverse race-related impact on his career, potential experential bonds with African blacks, and any other reasons with color being the only denominator).
Is it the role of the captain and/or his surrogate to relate to the host or is it to manage the team? What possible contribution to the U.S. team could Mr. Elder have made? The team members are hardly the type that beat themselves up for alledged wrongs, real or imagined, that some of their ancestors may have been complicit in a couple of centuries ago. Would they respond to a "poor me, I've been screwed all my life because I am not of the dominant race" argument? Probably so, but certainly not in a desirable way.
I suppose that some could argue that whoever picked Nicklaus, and Nicklaus himself, should be chastized for not having selected a more diverse team. Maybe golf itself should be indicted for not having a more aggressive affirmative action program. But, how does one modify the scoring system to assure the desired results?
By the way, how many blacks in any capacity were part of the International team whose captain and stars were natives of the "colored" part of the world?
Not that I can bring any level of scholarship to the subject matter as Bob Huntley can and has, but I will put the U.S.'s history on race relations against that of Africa's most any day of the week. Having travelled fairly extensively through east and south Africa, I love that part of the world, but I am not sanguine about its future. Colonialism, the whipping boy of the multi-culturalists, is no doubt a factor, but I suspect that it is more of an escape goat.
One only has travel to Nairobi, Joburg, or Harari and know that something very bad is going on. In the U.S. we bitch about who gets to join which "Top 100" golf club (out of 15,000 facilities); there, many people worry about surviving another day in crime-infested, large lawless areas in those cities. Countries which previously exported food, are now net importers. Flight of wealth and, more importantly, talent is all too common. The infrastucture is falling apart. Even the world's nicest golfer, Nick Price, is heart-broken and has been unable to visit his native country in years.
There is plenty of blame to go around, but the only outrage and demanded Mea Culpas are primarily focused on non-blacks, and the U.S. in particular. The premise of this thread is along these lines, and I don't find it constructive.
BTW, I have always had tremendous respect for Nicklaus and Player, and have no trouble with the ending at all. It was exciting golf, great drama, and a fine exhibition of sportsmanship. The course reminded me a bit of a less vertical Black Mesa, and agree with the comment about it being more of a match play venue (like BM).
Adam Clayman-
There is one member at my home club who I refuse to play with. It is more my problem than his, but life is too short and golf is too important. I could no longer play a round of golf without saying a word to someone than I could go without breathing. Perhaps that's why I haven't been able to play a lick for years- the social interaction has become too important. And maybe too that's why I've thoroughly enjoyed the few gca.com related outings I've attended.