Golfing Legends - Jack Nicklaus: Beyond the PGA (Part 1)
During his time on the PGA Tour, the legendary Jack Nicklaus was an extraordinary golfer who won 18 major championships, a record that no one has beaten so far. His PGA Tour victories amount to 73 in total, which is second only to Sam Snead. Nicklaus also holds the record of having the most wins at the Masters Tournament (six) and at the Players Championship (three). He played six times in the Ryder Cup and captained the team twice. He played in the Presidents Cup four times. Along with what seems like an infinite list of wins, Nicklaus has also topped the scoring average and PGA Tour money lists eight times each. All in all, the charismatic player has made at least one top ten finish in a major championship every year for 24 straight seasons. After his time as a professional PGA player, Nicklaus didn’t really want to quit golf. So not only did he continue participating in competitive golf, he also took part in other golf-related ventures.
Since he was eligible, at 50, to join the Senior PGA Tour (now known as The Champions Tour), Nicklaus joined the tour without any hesitation in 1990. Upon joining and beginning play, he seemed a bit discouraged and reportedly stated that he didn’t feel satisfied and that he wasn’t playing like himself anymore.
Not long after Nicklaus made this statement, he won the Tradition, which is equivalent to a major championship on the PGA Tour. He would go on to win three more Traditions. Before this, the most anyone had ever been triumphant in were two, so the Golden Bear made his mark in the Champions Tour as well.
Also that year, Jack won the Senior Players Championship by a six-shot margin over Lee Trevino for his second win, and second major, of the year. Nicklaus posted a record 27-under par 261.
In 1991, Nicklaus won three of the five events he competed in. The three events were the PGA Seniors Championship, The Tradition and the U.S Senior Open. At the Open at Oakland Hills, Nicklaus carded a 65 in a playoff against Chi Chi Rodriguez and also gave an amazing 69 in the final round.
On the Champions Tour, Jack won all the majors apart from the Senior British Open – but then, it must be kept in mind that he never really took part in the Senior British Open until he turned 60. It became a major in 2003. Staying winless in 1992, Nicklaus got back on the victory train again in 1993. His first stop was the U.S Senior Open where he defeated Tom Weiskopf by one shot. He also paired with Rodriguez and Raymond Floyd to win the Wendy’s Three Tour Challenge for the Senior Tour team.
A year later, he won the Senior Tour’s version of the Mercedes Championship, his only win of the year. In 1995, he won the Tradition again and also made the top ten in all the seven tournaments he competed in. His 100th career win was in 1996 when he won the Tradition for the fourth time. In that tournament, he even posted a double eagle in the final round. He finished the final 36 holes with consecutive seven-under par rounds of 65 for an overall score of 16-under par 272. Jack attained this fourth Tradition win by defeating Hale Irwin by six shots. This was his last win on the Champions Tour. After his time on the Tour, Nicklaus still played more competitive golf – which will be discussed in the next part along with his other activities.
To be continued.
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