The King is back, but there will be no Jack.

When the Hyundai Team Matches begin this morning at 9:30 at the Monarch Beach Golf Links, Arnold Palmer will be making a rare Southern California appearance.

And he will be, arguably, the prime attraction.

Especially since Jack Nicklaus, one-half of the defending senior championship team, was forced to withdraw earlier in the week.

Nicklaus, who would have teamed with Tom Watson in defense of their 2000 title, has been sidelined the past month by an aching back. He has been replaced by Andy North.

That leaves most of the focus on Palmer, the game's most charismatic and enduring presence.

"I always enjoy the challenge of playing in a golf tournament," said Palmer, 72. "In this case, I want to see if I can hold up my end of the bargain."

The matches have moved 15 minutes down the coast after a two-year run at the Pelican Hill Golf Club.

But while the site has changed, the format remains the same -- two-player teams from the PGA Tour, the Senior PGA Tour and the LPGA playing a single-elimination, match-play tournament.

The leading available money winners from each tour are invited and allowed to select their playing partner.

Bruce Fleisher, one of the senior tour's dominant players the past three years, chose Palmer.

"My whole life I have rubbed shoulders with him and this is certainly the thrill of my life, being able to say that I played with Arnold," Fleisher said. "He is still my idol, still the King."

Fleisher-Palmer and Watson-North will contend with the teams of Tom Kite-Gary McCord and Allen Doyle-Dana Quigley. The PGA Tour division will include defending champions Tom Lehman-Duffy Waldorf, Fred Couples-Mark Calcavecchia, David Toms-Steve Flesch and Joe Durant-Skip Kendall. The LPGA division will include defending champs Juli Inkster-Dottie Pepper, Karrie Webb-Kelly Robbins, Grace Park-Wendy Ward and Se Ri Pak-Lori Kane.