Golfing Legends - Jack Nicklaus: Beyond the PGA (Part 2)
Article continued from http://www.senore.com/Golfing-Legends-Jack-Nicklaus-Beyond-the-PGA-Part-1-a45610.
During the 1990s, Jack Nicklaus played on the Champions Tour. With his Champions Tour career ending after his fourth Tradition win, he continued to participate in competitive golf. His final US Open took place in 2000 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Even though he didn’t make the cut then, a year later he took part in the PGA Championship. Nicklaus paired with Vijay Singh and Tiger Woods during the championship and missed the cut only by one shot. This championship was only a few days after his mother’s death. Even though he couldn’t win either tournament, he put up a marvellous effort, reaching the par-5 18th in two shots.
In 2005, Nicklaus played the Masters without much practice. His lack of practice was probably because of the recent death of his 17-month-old grandson. Following the tragedy, Nicklaus and his son Steve had played golf as therapy for overcoming their grief. It was Steve who advised his dad to return to the Masters. This was Nicklaus’s last appearance in the tournament.
Also in 2005, he finished his professional career with the Open Championship at St. Andrews. Since it was the last year that Nicklaus could enter the Championship, he fully availed the opportunity. Playing with Tom Watson and Luke Donald in his final round, Nicklaus missed the 36-hole cut with a score of 3-over 147.
Even though he couldn’t win the tournament, he finished his career with a bang. Nicklaus received a ten-minute standing ovation from the crowd after he hit his tee shot off the 18th tee. He ended his career with an amazing birdie on the 18th hole.
Competing in golf wasn’t the only thing Jack Nicklaus was good at; he also had a great passion for designing golf courses. He currently operates one of the biggest golf course design practices in the world. It was in the mid-1960s when Nicklaus was approached by Pete Dye for his opinion on the design for a golf club in Ohio. From that point onwards, Nicklaus considered this another enriching pastime. His first design was the Harbour Town Golf Links, which opened for play in 1969.
Another design by the golf star was the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, which was inaugurated in 1974 and has played host to the Memorial Tournament since 1976. This course was also the venue of the 1987 Ryder Cup and the 1998 Solheim Cup matches. For the first few years, Nicklaus co-designed these courses with either Desmond Muirhead or Peter Dye.
Jack’s first solo design was the Glen Abbey Golf Course in Oakville, Ontario, which was opened for play in 1976. It hosted the Canadian Open for a few years, the first time being in 1977. In 2000, The King & Bear opened in Florida and was a joint venture between Arnold Palmer and Jack. In 2006, the Concession Golf Club also opened in Florida, a joint collaboration between Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin. This club was made to commemorate the historic Ryder Cup match in 1969.
In partnership with his four sons and son-in-law, Nicklaus owns the company Nicklaus Design, which had 299 courses open for play by the end of 2005. This was about 1 % of all the courses in the world. Most Nicklaus-designed golf courses are located in the United States, but there are also some located in Asia, Canada, Europe, Mexico and Australia. In 2009, 12 of the 75 best golf resorts in North America, as named by Golf Digest, were of Nicklaus Design.
So the legend of Jack Nicklaus did not end with his PGA career. The man played competitive golf to a ripe old age, and continues to devote his life to the game in whatever way he can. His immense contributions to the game of golf, on and off the course, are what make him the iconic figure that he is, to golf enthusiasts and to the rest of the world.
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