GWD_MAY_16

FROM
‘FAT JACK’
TO THE
GOLDEN
BEAR
The Masters galleries adore Jack Nicklaus now, but his relationship
with the fans at Augusta hasn’t always been so harmonious. Jock
Howard charts the highs and lows of his adventures in Georgia.
Ihave never been to Jack Nicklaus’ house,
but I’m willing to bet there’s a lot of crystal
around the place. Augusta National give
crystal to players who achieve the
extraordinary, and no one in the history of
the game has achieved more extraordinary things at
Augusta National than Jack William Nicklaus.
Shoot the lowest score on any given day, you get a
crystal vase. Nicklaus got enough of those to open a
florists. Make an eagle at any hole you get a pair of
crystal goblets. Nicklaus had 24 eagles.
Even last year, despite the fact that he was three
quarters of a century old, he was at it again, making
a hole-in-one on the 4th hole of the Par-3 Contest.
The records speak for themselves. Nicklaus has
won the Masters six times. That’s two more than
anyone else – Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer
included. And twice as many Green Jackets as Gary
Player, Sam Snead, Nick Faldo or Phil Mickelson.
In his 45 starts, he has the most runners-up
finishes (4), the most top 5s (15), the most top 10s
(22), and the most top 25s (25).
When he won his first Green Jacket, he was the
youngest to ever win one – aged 23 years, two
months and 17 days. When he won his sixth, he was
(and still is) the oldest – at 46 years, two months, 23
days. He has made more cuts (37) and more birdies
(506) than any other player. And he is still the only
man ever to put the Jacket on himself,
having successfully defended his title, in
1966; Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods
had the Jacket put on them by the
Chairman of Augusta National when
they made successful defences.
As recently as 1998, defying the passage
of time, a 58-year-old Golden Bear with
lumbago and a dodgy hip threatened once
more to do the impossible and become the
oldest man (by 10 years) to win a major.
With four holes left he was only four off the
lead, as he turned to his son Steve and said, “If
I can get an eagle and a couple of birdies, I can
win this.” And he was serious.
When he made a birdie instead of an eagle, a
deafening roar spread like wild fire, around the
course, as scoreboards fanned the flames. Fred
May 2016 Golf World 49