SAN FRANCISCO – Basketball great Michael Jordan was an innovative addition by captain Fred Couples to help the U.S. Presidents Cup team this week at Harding Park, and he made an immediate impact on Monday.

Accompanied by Couples and U.S. players Hunter Mahan, Lucas Glover and Sean O'Hair, the cigar-chomping Jordan was an energizing figure as he chatted his way around the par-71 layout in unofficial practice.

Friendly bets were wagered in glorious autumn sunshine and the ever-talking Jordan, despite being occasionally wayward off the tee, managed to win his share of money with a clutch putt here and there.

For Mahan, however, Jordan's influence will loom largest this week in the U.S. team's locker room.

"We are going to be asking him basketball questions like crazy and it's going to be great just to have that aura (around us)," Mahan, 27, told Reuters.

"To be able to talk to him about winning, about confidence and about what he did when his shot wasn't falling or stuff like that.

"You look at any great player in sport or business or whatever it is, they all have common tendencies and we try to pick all those from them and use them to our advantage."

Greatest player

Jordan, who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and is considered by many the greatest basketball player of all time, was appointed by Couples to be an "assistant assistant" for this week's matches.

"He's been to every Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup that I've played in," said former world number one Couples. "He's extremely passionate about the game of golf. I believe he can bring something to our team.

"He has won six NBA championships, been MVP of the league forever. He's dealt with team mates that were phenomenal players and maybe team mates that couldn't play for another team. I think he may be able to instill something to my team."

Jordan, who plays golf off a single-digit handicap, is a good friend of world number one Tiger Woods with whom he occasionally plays practice rounds.

Kenny Perry, like his team mate Mahan, is looking forward to spending time with the 46-year-old Jordan in the U.S. locker room at Harding Park.

"It's going to be cool just to hang around with that cat, just to be able to go up and shake his hand and listen to his stories," said the 49-year-old Perry, who is competing in his fourth Presidents Cup this week.

"I want to hear some NBA stories; I don't want to hear no golf stories."

The eighth Presidents Cup starts on Thursday with the opening foursome matches.