PALM DESERT, Calif. - Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus will share the stage tonight as partners in the “Battle at Bighorn.” Unlike the first time they met, Woods will be more than just a warmup act.

        They will play against Lee Trevino and Sergio Garcia in an 18-hole best-ball match at 8 p.m. on ABC, the fourth version of the ultimate made-for-TV event that puts golf in prime time and allows the game to showcase its biggest star.

        “I think people will enjoy seeing Tiger and me as a team,” Nicklaus said. It won't be the first time.

        Woods first met Nicklaus during a “Friends of Golf” exhibition 10 years ago at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, where Nicklaus was putting on a clinic. Eddie Merrins, the former UCLA golf coach and head pro at Bel-Air, invited the 16-year-old Woods to warm up the crowd.

        “It was a big deal,” Woods said. “The only thing that was really intimidating was I'd never been able to do a clinic off a perfect tee. This tee was perfectly manicured, and they wanted me to dig it up.”

        After the exhibition, Woods said, he and Nicklaus sat down for about five minutes. Nicklaus wished him well and said he looked forward to seeing Woods on the PGA Tour.

        “It wasn't a long meeting,” Woods said. “I had to get going and play a high school match.”

        They met again at Augusta National in 1996, the last time Woods played in the Masters as an amateur. Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer invited him to play a practice round, and the kid made an impression.

        “You can probably take Arnold's (four) Masters and my (six) Masters, add them together, and this kid should win more than that,” Nicklaus told reporters that afternoon, drawing a mixture of gasps and giggles.

        “This kid is absolutely the most fundamentally sound golfer that I've seen at almost any age,” Nicklaus added. “I don't know whether he's ready to win yet or not, but he will probably be the favorite over the next 20 years. If he isn't, there's something wrong.”

        Woods already is halfway to Nicklaus' record of six green jackets. “I think it's going to be cool, just to be his partner,” Woods said. “How many sports can you have that big of a generational gap and still compete together?”

        The generational gap replaces the gender gap that turned into a fiasco last year at Bighorn Golf Club.

        Woods and Annika Sorenstam defeated David Duval and Karrie Webb on the 19th hole in a match that couldn't end soon enough. The camaraderie was lacking, and the golf wasn't much better.

Sports Stories

Americans cheer Armstrong on to fourth Tour victory Tour de Lance Sato stars for Deveroes champion Cintas Seventh heaven in tennis tourney Use your head to swing from your heels Agassi rolls past Gambill in Mercedes Tennis tourney's future in doubt Farmer, Cooksey among 2002 inductees into Ky. Hall of Fame Volunteers learn to welcome foreign visitors to Indianapolis Hayes mows down John Deere field by 4 shots Tiger, Jack dream team for tonight's TV match Elliott passes Marlin for record 5th Pocono win Zook is no Spurrier Coming up this week

FORUM: Please don't kill the 'greatest game'
FORUM: It's time to toss the antitrust exemption
FORUM: Local Voices - Two cents worth
FORUM: Strike would be costly, and not just in money
FORUM: Who's not on first? 3 steps to save baseball
Mets 6, Reds 5
Reds box, runs
Finances foil shot at Rolen
Larkin planning to return Tuesday
Up next for Reds
Wizard's journey ends at Hall of Fame
Giants get Lofton; Dodgers add Shuey
Notes from Sunday's games
NL roundup
AL roundup
Louisville 6, Charlotte 0
Westbrook fractures left wrist
Competition heats up in quarterback race
Top-10 defense looks to clamp down
Chiefs withdraw offer until Gonzalez drops hoops
Commute's expensive, but James at camp
NFL Notes