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Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), also known as "The Golden Bear", is regarded by many as the greatest professional golfer of all time. With the most victories in major championships (18), he was continuously ranked as the world's number one golfer on McCormack's World Golf Rankings from its inception in 1968 to 1977. Having won seven professional major titles between 1962 and 1967, he would likely have been considered number one in some of those years as well (a period when he, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player vied for that status in public acclaim as The Big Three). After 1978, while much younger players such as Tom Watson and Seve Ballesteros came to be ranked higher than him, Nicklaus continued to regularly challenge for and indeed win many major titles until 1986, making a full quarter-century in which he competed at the very highest level of his sport. Indeed, over the course of this 25-year period of 100 major championships as a professional, Nicklaus finished either first or second 36 times, in the top three 45 times, the top five 54 times, and the top 10 67 times. Nicklaus and the other 45 major champions during this period combined for a total of 18 major championship victories, 74 official PGA Tour wins, and over 82 additional individual professional victories (excludes Champions Tour events, etc.). While other marquee players such as Nick Faldo, Tom Kite, Nick Price, Payne Stewart, and Curtis Strange were winning numerous tournaments worldwide, they had yet to break through with major wins prior to 1987, but proved to be on the verge of doing so. These facts make this period arguably the most competitive in the history of professional golf and illustrate Nicklaus' ability and durability over time.
After winning two U.S. Amateur Championships in 1959 and 1961, and challenging for the 1960 U.S. Open, Nicklaus turned professional toward the end of 1961. The 1962 U.S. Open was both Nicklaus' first major championship victory and his first professional win. This win over Arnold Palmer began the on-course rivalry between the two. In 1966, Nicklaus won the Masters Tournament for the second year in a row, becoming the first golfer to achieve this, and also won The Open Championship, completing his career slam of major championships. After failing to win a major in 1968 and 1969, Nicklaus won another Open Championship in 1970.
Between 1971 and 1980, he would win a further nine major championships, overtake Bobby Jones' record of 13 majors, and become the first player to complete double and triple career slams of golf's four professional major championships. Nicklaus also won the prestigious Players Championship a record three times during this period. At the age of 46, Nicklaus claimed his 18th and final major championship at the 1986 Masters Tournament, becoming that championship's oldest winner. (Julius Boros is the oldest major championship winner, having won the 1968 PGA Championship at the age of 48.) Nicklaus joined the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the Champions Tour) in January 1990, when he became eligible, and by April 1996 had won 10 of the tour's tournaments, including eight of that tour's major championships despite playing a very limited schedule. He continued to play the four regular Tour majors until 2005, when he made his final appearances at The Open Championship and the Masters Tournament.
Nicklaus has also taken part in various off-course activities, including golf course design, charitable work, book writing, magazine article contributions, video productions, and running his own tournament on the PGA Tour, the Memorial Tournament. His thriving golf course design company is one of the largest in the world. Nicklaus' books vary from instructional to autobiographical, with his Golf My Way considered one of the best instructional golf books of all time (influencing Greg Norman among others); the video of the same name is the best-selling golf instructional to date.
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Amateur career
Nicklaus was born in Columbus, Ohio, the son of a pharmacist. He was raised in the suburb of Upper Arlington, and attended Upper Arlington High School. Overcoming a mild case of polio as a child, he took up golf at the age of 10, shooting a 51 at Scioto Country Club for his first nine holes ever played.
Nicklaus won the first of five straight Ohio State Junior titles at the age of 12. At 13, he broke 70 at Scioto Country Club for the first time. Nicklaus won the Tri-State High School Championship (Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana) at the age of 14 with a round of 68 and also recorded his first hole in one in tournament play the same year. At 15, Nicklaus shot a 66 at Scioto Country Club which was the amateur course record and qualified for his first U.S. Amateur Championship. He won the Ohio Open in 1956 at age 16 highlighted with a phenomenal third round of 64, competing against professionals. In all, Nicklaus won 27 events in the Ohio area from age 10 to age 17.
In 1957, Nicklaus won the U.S. National Jaycees Championship having lost the previous year in a playoff. Nicklaus also competed in his first of 44 consecutive U.S. Opens that year, but missed the cut. In 1958 at age 18, he competed in his first PGA Tour event at Akron, Ohio tying for 12th place and made the cut in the U.S. Open before tying for 41st place. Nicklaus also won two Trans-Mississippi Amateurs in 1958 at Prairie Dunes Country Club and 1959 at Woodhill Country Club with final match victories of 9 & 8 and 3 & 2, respectively. Also in 1959, Nicklaus won the North and South Amateur at Pinehurst, North Carolina which is generally considered the most prestigious amateur event next to the U.S. Amateur Championship and competed in three additional PGA Tour events with his best finish being another 12th place showing at the Buick Open.
While attending Ohio State University, he won the U.S. Amateur Championship twice (1959, 1961), and an NCAA Championship (1961). In the 1959 U.S. Amateur, Nicklaus defeated two-time winner and defending champion Charles Coe in the final 36-hole match 1-up with a birdie on the final hole. This was significant not only due to Coe's proven ability as a player, but Nicklaus became the then-youngest champion in the modern era and second only to Robert A. Gardner who won in 1909. In 1961, Nicklaus became the first player to win the individual title at the NCAA Championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year. He was followed by Phil Mickelson (1990), Tiger Woods (1996), and Ryan Moore (2004). Nicklaus also won the NCAA Big Ten Conference Championship that year with a 72-hole aggregate of 283, while earlier claiming the Western Amateur in New Orleans, Louisiana. In his second and last U.S. Amateur win in 1961, Nicklaus convincingly defeated Dudley Wysong 8 & 6 at Pebble Beach in the 36-hole championship match.
At the 1960 U.S. Open, Nicklaus shot a two-under par 282, finishing second by two strokes to Arnold Palmer, who won the tournament with a final round charge of six-under par 65. This score remains the lowest ever shot by an amateur in the U.S. Open and he did so playing the final 36 holes with Ben Hogan who later remarked he had just played 36 holes with a kid who should have won by 10 shots. During the final 36 holes, Nicklaus was two-under par and never shot a single round above par during the entire tournament. In 1960, Nicklaus also tied for 13th in the Masters Tournament and tied for fourth in the 1961 U.S. Open three shots behind champion Gene Littler having played the final 54 holes one under par. Each of these three major championship finishes designated Nicklaus as Low Amateur. However, Nicklaus' one under par 287 tie for seventh in the 1961 Masters Tournament was second that year only to Charles Coe's low amateur placing when he tied for second with Arnold Palmer at seven-under par 281, one shot behind champion Gary Player.
Nicklaus represented the United States against Great Britain and Ireland on winning Walker Cup teams in both 1959 and 1961, decisively winning both of his matches in each contest. He was also a member of the victorious 1960 U.S. Eisenhower Trophy team, winning the unofficial individual title by 13 shots over teammate Deane Beman with a four-round score of 269, a record which still stands and that broke Ben Hogan's earlier U.S. Open aggregate of 287 at the same site. Nicklaus was named the world's top amateur golfer by Golf Digest magazine for three straight years, 1959-1961.
PGA Tour career - Professional breakthrough
Nicklaus began his professional career on the PGA Tour in 1962. While Nicklaus officially turned professional in late 1961, he debated heavily the idea of remaining an amateur in order to further emulate his idol, Bobby Jones. However, Nicklaus realized in order to be regarded the best, he would have to compete against the best and in greater frequency. Shortly after turning professional, Nicklaus' future agent, Mark McCormack was interviewed by Melbourne Age writer, Don Lawrence who inquired about the American golf scene. When McCormack described Nicklaus, Lawrence referred to the "large, strong, and blond" player as the Golden Bear. By 1963, the nickname stuck.
His first professional win came in his 17th start the same year, defeating the heavily-favored Arnold Palmer in a Monday playoff at Oakmont for the 1962 U.S. Open. While the galleries were more than vocal in their support for Palmer, who had grown up in the area, Nicklaus won the playoff by three shots (71 to 74). In 90 holes, Nicklaus had only one three-putt green. The U.S. Open victory made Nicklaus the reigning U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur champion. In addition, at age 22, Nicklaus was the youngest U.S. Open champion since Bobby Jones won at age 21 in 1923, and he has remained the youngest winner since. The U.S. Open win placed Nicklaus on the cover of Time magazine. This was also the beginning of the Nicklaus-Palmer rivalry, which attracted viewers to the new technology of television.[6] The famous quotation regarding Nicklaus and Palmer is remembered as follows:
"When God created Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, he turned to Nicklaus and said: 'You will be the greatest the game has ever seen.' Then He turned to Palmer, adding: 'But they will love you more.'"
By the end of the year Nicklaus had picked up two more wins, those being the Seattle Open and the Portland Open back-to-back. In addition, he tied for third in his first attempt at the PGA Championship. Nicklaus completed 1962 with over $60,000 in prize-money, placed third on the PGA Tour money list, and was named Rookie of the Year.
In 1963 Nicklaus won two of the four major championships - the Masters and the PGA Championship. These victories made him the then-youngest winner of the Masters and third youngest winner of the PGA Championship, and each win came in just his second year as a professional. Earlier in 1963, Nicklaus injured his left hip playing an approach shot from the rough - an injury that would manifest itself years later. Ironically, Nicklaus credits this injury with assisting him in altering his swing heading into the 1963 Masters, thus allowing him to play a draw more easily. Along with three other wins including the Tournament of Champions, he placed second to Arnold Palmer on the PGA Tour money list with just over $100,000. He also teamed with Palmer to win the Canada Cup (now the World Cup of Golf) in France, representing the United States (this event was shortened to 63 holes due to heavy fog).
Despite winning no majors in 1964 (three runner-up finishes), Nicklaus led the PGA Tour money list for the first time in his career by a slim margin of $81.13 over Palmer. At The Open Championship at St Andrews, Nicklaus set a new record for the lowest score in the final 36 holes with 66-68 in high winds (the first time in the championship's history that 70 had been broken in each of the last two rounds). This was not enough, however, to win the event; Nicklaus placed second to the late Tony Lema.[4] Nicklaus also set a record for the lowest final round score in the PGA Championship with a 64 (since broken by Brad Faxon in 1995 with a 63), but fell three shots short of champion Bobby Nichols and his record-setting 271 score. In 31 official worldwide events in 1964, Nicklaus achieved six victories, seven runners-up, placed in the top-five 21 times, the top-10 21 times, and one missed cut.
Nicklaus won the Masters in 1965 and 1966, becoming the first consecutive winner of this event and the youngest two-time and three-time winner. He broke Ben Hogan's 72-hole scoring record of 274 from 1953 by compiling a new aggregate of 271 in the 1965 Masters, which while tied by Raymond Floyd in 1976, lasted until Tiger Woods shot 270 in 1997. During this tournament, Nicklaus hit 62 of 72 greens in regulation and had 123 putts inclusive of just one three-putt green. This was good enough to win by nine shots over Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. The week's performance was highlighted by a third-round 64 that consisted of eight birdies and no bogeys. It was of this round that Nicklaus said, "I had never before and have never since played quite as fine a complete round of golf in a major championship as I did in the third round of the 1965 Masters". This round tied Lloyd Mangrum's record set in 1940 at Augusta National and remained in place until Nick Price shot 63 during the third round in 1986. It was at this time that Bobby Jones stated Nicklaus played a game with which he was unfamiliar. After Nicklaus' record in 1965, some changes were made to Augusta National to toughen the course. Between these modifications and the difficult weather, Nicklaus successfully defended his title with an even par aggregate of 288, 17 shots higher. He won in an 18-hole playoff over Gay Brewer and Tommy Jacobs by shooting a two-under par 70. Nicklaus led the PGA Tour money list again in 1965 by a healthy margin over Tony Lema. In all, Nicklaus competed in 28 official worldwide events in 1965 accumulating five victories, seven runners-up, 19 top-five finishes, 23 top-10 finishes, and zero missed cuts.
In 1966, Nicklaus also won the The Open Championship at Muirfield in Scotland under difficult weather conditions, using his driver just 17 times, because of very heavy rough. This was the only major he had failed to win up to that point. This win made him the youngest player, age 26 (his fifth year on Tour), and the only one after Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, and Gary Player (until Tiger Woods at age 24 during his fourth year on Tour) to win all four major championships, now known as the Career Slam. Nicklaus eventually accomplished the double career slam in 1971 and the triple career slam in 1978, winning all four majors two and three times, respectively. Nicklaus concluded 1966 playing 22 official worldwide events with four victories, four runners-up, 14 top-five finishes, 16 top-10 finishes, and zero missed cuts.
The following year, he won his second U.S. Open title at Baltusrol, breaking Hogan's 72-hole record by one shot with a 275. During the four rounds, Nicklaus hit 61 of 72 greens in regulation. Nicklaus finished this record win with a dramatic 239-yard one-iron shot, uphill into a breeze and light rain, to the 72nd green (an approximate 260 yard equivalent) and holing a 22-foot birdie putt to close out a final nine of 30 and final round of 65 to beat Arnold Palmer by four shots. Nicklaus and Palmer were the only two players to break par for the week. He also finished runner up in The Open Championship and third in the PGA Championship one shot our of a playoff between Don January and Don Massengale. For a third time, Nicklaus led the PGA Tour money list for 1967. Later that year, Nicklaus and Palmer teamed up for a 13-shot wire-to-wire World Cup victory in Mexico City. Nicklaus competed in 24 official worldwide events in 1967 with five victories, four runners-up, 14 top-five finishes, 16 top-10 finishes, and one missed cut.
Career downturn (1968-1970)
After Nicklaus won the 1967 U.S. Open, he did not win another major championship until the 1970 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews. Moreover, his highest finish on the Tour money list for the years 1968-70 was second; his lowest was fourth, his worst ranking on the list since turning professional. However, it should be noted that his fourth place ranking in 1970 would have been elevated to second if The Open Championship winnings were included during that period in the official PGA Tour money list, as they are today.
In his inaugural Ryder Cup play in 1969, Nicklaus was the anchor singles match on the final day and both his and the team matches were tied as he and opponent Tony Jacklin played the eighteenth hole. With the entire competition outcome riding on his match, Nicklaus made a five-foot par put on the last hole, and then conceded Jacklin's three-foot par putt to halve the individual match and the overall team results. This concession was considered by many as one of the greatest displays of sportsmanship in the game's history. As defending champions, the Americans retained possession of the Ryder Cup.
During this period, Nicklaus also let his physical condition decline somewhat, putting on excess weight, which affected his stamina. He significantly improved his condition in the fall of 1969 by losing twenty pounds, and his game returned to top form. In February 1970, Nicklaus' father, Charlie Nicklaus, died. Soon after this Nicklaus won the 1970 Open Championship under difficult scoring conditions where the wind howled up to 56 MPH, defeating fellow American Doug Sanders in an 18-hole playoff round in emotional fashion. On the 18th hole of the playoff, Nicklaus drove about 380 yards, through the par-4 green with a three-wood, and was forced to pitch back to the hole. His eagle pitch finished approximately eight feet short of the cup. Nicklaus threw his putter into the air after sinking the winning putt, as he was thrilled to have won the Open at the home of golf, St Andrews. He describes this period in his life:
"I was playing good golf, but it really wasn't that big a deal to me one way or the other. And then my father passed away and I sort of realized that he had certainly lived his life through my golf game. I really hadn't probably given him the best of that. So I sort of got myself back to work. So '70 was an emotional one for me from that standpoint. ... It was a big boost."
Nicklaus also went on to capture the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship in 1970 with a 2 & 1 win over Lee Trevino in the championship match. In all for the year, Nicklaus competed in 23 official worldwide events, won four, placed in the top five 10 times, and the top 10 in 14.
Record setter
With a wire-to-wire two-shot win at the 1971 PGA Championship in February over Billy Casper, Nicklaus became the first golfer to win all four majors twice in a career. In this championship, Nicklaus was the only player to break 70 consecutively in the first two rounds under windy conditions and finished at seven-under par 281. Nicklaus finished second twice and fifth in the remaining three major championships for the year. While he finished tied for second in the Masters with Johnny Miller, Nicklaus made a big enough impression on a young Nick Faldo (watching on TV in England) in order for him to take up the game seriously. By the end of the year, he had won four additional PGA tournaments including the Tournament of Champions by eight shots and the National Team Championship with Arnold Palmer by six shots. With $244,490 in official PGA Tour earnings, Nicklaus established a new single season money record during the year. Nicklaus also claimed his third World Cup individual title in 1971 with help from a 63 in the third round. He also won the team competition with partner Lee Trevino by 12 shots. 1971 brought Nicklaus a victory in the Australian Dunlop International as well, punctuated by a course record 62 (his career low score in competition) in the second round. For the record, Nicklaus played in 23 official worldwide events in 1971, won eight, had 17 top-five finishes, 20 top-10 finishes, and compiled a 5-1-0 record in that year's Ryder Cup competition.
Nicklaus won the first two major championships of 1972 by three shots each in wire-to-wire fashion, the Masters and the U.S. Open, creating talk of a Grand Slam. Nicklaus opened with a four-under par 68 at Augusta National and never looked back. He was the only player under par for the week as he and the field battled difficult scoring conditions. In the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach again under severe scoring conditions, Nicklaus struck a one-iron on the 218-yard par-three 17th hole into a stiff, gusty ocean breeze that hit the flagstick and ended up three inches from the cup. The U.S. Open was Nicklaus' 13th career major and tied him with Bobby Jones for career majors (although a different group of tournaments had been considered majors in Jones's time). This victory was also Nicklaus' 11th professional major tying him with Walter Hagen. He won a total of seven tournaments during the year, and was runner-up in a further three PGA Tour events. Nicklaus did not win the Grand Slam in 1972, however, as Lee Trevino repeated as the Open Championship winner (Nicklaus finished second, one shot behind), and Gary Player prevailed in the PGA Championship. He closed out this remarkable year with a second of three consecutive Walt Disney World Golf Classic victories by shooting a 21-under par 267 to win by nine shots. Nicklaus concluded 1972 by competing in 20 official worldwide events winning seven, placing second in four, and compiling 15 top-10 finishes.
Jones's record of majors was soon broken when Nicklaus won the PGA Championship in August 1973 by four shots over Bruce Crampton for his 12th professional major (surpassing Hagen's mark of 11) and 14th overall when using the old-style configuration of Jones's day. In that year he won another six tournaments. The PGA Player of the Year was awarded to Nicklaus for the third time, and the second year in a row. Nicklaus was also the first player to win over $300,000.00 in official money for a single season in 1972 at $320,542; he eclipsed that threshold again the following year with $308,362. The former total was $106,137 more than runner-up Lee Trevino. The latter total for the year 1973 catapulted Nicklaus over the $2 million career PGA Tour earnings mark making him the first player to reach that milestone. Nicklaus teamed with Johnny Miller for another team title in the World Cup of Golf, held in Spain. For the year, Nicklaus competed in 20 official worldwide events and claimed seven victories, 14 top-five finishes, 17 top-10s, and compiled a 4-1-1 record in that year's Ryder Cup competition.
Nicklaus' failure to win a major in 1974 was offset somewhat by winning the inaugural Tournament Players Championship and being named one of the 13 original inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame.[10] Nicklaus said this honor was a "nice memento" after a "disappointing season".[11] Although he had no major championship victories in 1974, Nicklaus still achieved four top-ten finishes in the four events, three of which were in the top four, and placed second on the official money list behind Johnny Miller. While less than a stellar year, Nicklaus was able to claim two victories and 13 top-10 finishes in 20 official worldwide events in 1974.
Nicklaus started off well in 1975: he won the Doral-Eastern Open, the Sea Pines Heritage Classic, and the Masters in consecutive starts. His Masters win was his fifth, a record he was to break eleven years later. In this tournament, Nicklaus made a 40-foot putt on the 16th hole of the final round to all but secure his victory over Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller in a riveting final round battle. He also won the PGA Championship in August at Firestone Country Club by two shots over Bruce Crampton for his fourth win. Having won the Masters and PGA Championship, Nicklaus missed a playoff for the U.S. Open by two shots and a playoff for Open Championship by one shot. His performance in 1975 resulted in his being named PGA Player of the Year for the fourth time, tying Ben Hogan, and he was also named ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. Nicklaus also captured his fourth Australian Open during the year. 1975 yielded Nicklaus six wins, 12 top-five finishes, and 16 top-10 finishes in 18 official worldwide events.
Nicklaus' performance from the five-year period of 1971 through 1975 is summarized as follows:
* Official Worldwide Tournaments Played: 101
* Victories: 30
* Runners-up: 12
* Top-Five Finishes: 64
* Top-10 Finishes: 81
* Missed Cuts: 0
* Major Championships Played: 20
* Major Championship Victories: 6
* Major Championship Runners-up: 4
* Major Championship Top-Five Finishes: 17
* Major Championship Top-10 Finishes: 19
* Ryder Cup Record: 11-4-2
Nicklaus placed first on the PGA Tour money list again in 1976, despite competing in only 16 events, winning just two (Tournament Players Championship and World Series of Golf) — neither of them majors — and playing what he called "hang-back-and-hope golf". The 1976 Tournament Players Championship saw Nicklaus set a championship record of 19-under par 269 for his second win in this event which remained in place until Greg Norman's 24-under par 264 assault in 1994. He also won the PGA Player of the Year award for a record fifth time. Between 1972 and 1976 the only time he failed to win this award was 1974. The year 1976 also concluded an official streak of 105 consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour which began for Nicklaus in 1970. At the time this streak was second only to Byron Nelson's record of 113.
The following year, 1977, was also majorless for Nicklaus, but he did achieve four top-10 finishes in the four events inclusive of two second and one third place finish - this being one shot out of the PGA Championship playoff between Lanny Wadkins and Gene Littler. Despite a brilliant final round 66 at the Masters, he finished second by two shots to Tom Watson. But his subsequent second-place finish behind Watson at the Open Championship at Turnberry created headlines around the world. In a one-on-one battle dubbed the "Duel in the Sun," Nicklaus shot 65-66 in the final two rounds, only to be beaten by Watson, who scored 65-65. This event marked the first time 270 was broken in a major championship and the third-place finisher Hubert Green scored 279. Nicklaus would later say:
"There are those in golf who would argue into next month that the final two rounds of the 1977 British Open were the greatest head-to-head golf match ever played. Not having been around for the first five hundred or so years of the game, I'm not qualified to speak on such matters. What's for sure, however, is that it was the most thrilling one-on-one battle of my career."[13]
In 1977, Nicklaus won his 63rd tour event, passing Ben Hogan to take second place on the career wins list, behind only Sam Snead. He also became the first player to amass over $3 million in official PGA Tour earnings. The year also saw Nicklaus win for the first time his own Memorial Tournament in which he described the victory as the most emotional moment of his entire career where he nearly decided to retire from competitive golf.
During the 1977 Ryder Cup at Royal Lytham & St Annes, Nicklaus approached the PGA of Great Britain about the urgency to improve the competitive level of the contest. The issue had been discussed earlier the same day by both past PGA of America President Henry Poe and British PGA President Lord Derby. Nicklaus pitched his ideas, adding: "It is vital to widen the selection procedures if the Ryder Cup is to continue to enjoy its past prestige." The changes in team selection procedure were approved by descendants of the Samuel Ryder family along with The PGA of America. The major change was expanding selection procedures to include players from the European Tournament Players' Division, and "that European Members be entitled to play on the team." This meant that professional players on the European Tournament Players' Division, the forerunner to the European Tour we have today, from continental Europe would be eligible to play in the Ryder Cup.
Nicklaus won the 1978 Open Championship at St. Andrews to become the only player to have won each major championship three times. This record has since been tied by Tiger Woods, by winning the 2008 U.S. Open. Nicklaus and Woods are the only two players to win three "Career Grand Slams". Nicklaus considered his performance in the 1978 Open as the finest four days of tee-to-green golf he had ever produced and was most proud that the win came at St. Andrews, his favorite place to play golf. The victory was also his most emotional to date. Nicklaus won three other tournaments that year on the PGA Tour including the Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic by playing the final 36 holes 13 under par that included five consecutive birdies over the closing holes in the final round plus the Tournament Players Championship in difficult weather conditions, and was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. The latter win was Nicklaus' third Tournament Players Championship having won three of the first five played and he remains that championship's only three-time winner. 1978 also marked Nicklaus' sixth and final Australian Open victory.
After that year he suffered a lapse of form, not winning another tournament until June 1980. The year of 1979 was the first since turning professional in which he failed to win a tournament; he had only one runner-up finish plus tied for second with Ben Crenshaw behind 22-year-old Seve Ballesteros at The Open Championship. Previously, Nicklaus won a minimum of two tournaments per year for 17 consecutive years.
During the offseason, Nicklaus addressed two problems which had hurt his performance. His lifelong teacher Jack Grout noticed that he had become much too upright with his full swing causing a steep, oblique approach into the ball vs. a more direct hit; this was corrected by flattening or "deepening" his backswing. Then Nicklaus' short game, never a career strength, was further developed with the help of Phil Rodgers, a 20-year friend and earlier PGA Tour rival, who had become a fine coach. Rodgers lived for a time at the Nicklaus home while this work was going on.
In 1980, Nicklaus recorded only four top-10 finishes in 14 events, but two of these were record-setting victories in majors (the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship); the other two were a tie for fourth in The Open Championship and a runner-up finish in the Doral-Eastern Open to Raymond Floyd via his chip-in birdie on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. These victories and placements more than justified the work Nicklaus put in toward his game during the off-season.
Nicklaus set a new scoring record for the 1980 U.S. Open with an aggregate of 272 that while having been tied by three other players still stands today, eclipsing his earlier record of 275 from 1967. This was his second win at Baltusrol Golf Club. Nicklaus opened with a record-tying 63 in round one and fought off his playing partner of all four rounds, 1978 Colgate World Match Play Championship winner, Isao Aoki. Entering the final round, Aoki had caught Nicklaus after three consecutive rounds of 68, but over the course of the last day, Nicklaus pulled away by two shots. Each player birdied the final two holes for a dramatic finish. Aoki's aggregate of 274 was the lowest score for a U.S. Open runner-up and would have been the winning total any other year. Nicklaus' win was his fourth and final victory in the championship tying him with Willie Anderson, Bobby Jones, and Ben Hogan. Nicklaus referred to this win as "by far the most emotional and warmest reaction to any of my wins in my own country".
In the 1980 PGA Championship, Nicklaus set another record in winning the championship by seven shots over Andy Bean at the Oak Hill Country Club largely due to exceptional putting. Nicklaus shot an even-par 70 in the first round followed by three successive rounds in the 60s over the difficult terrain and was the only player to break par for the 72 holes. for the week, the field averaged 74.60 strokes while Nicklaus averaged 68.50. This was Nicklaus' fifth and final victory in the PGA Championship which elevated him to record-holder for the most wins in the stroke-play era and tied him with Walter Hagen for the most wins overall since the latter's victories were all during the match-play era. Nicklaus' seven-shot winning margin remains the largest for the championship since converting from match play to stroke play in 1958. This victory also made Nicklaus the only player since Gene Sarazen in 1922 and Ben Hogan in 1948 to win the U.S. Open and PGA Championship the same year (subsequently equaled by Tiger Woods in 2000).
Over the next five years Nicklaus won only twice on the PGA Tour, including his own Memorial Tournament in 1984 for the second time as that tournament's first repeat champion. He accumulated seven more top-10 placements in major championships including three runner-up performances. Nicklaus also finished second in the 1985 Canadian Open to Curtis Strange which marked his seventh and final second place finish in that tournament. These seven runner-up finishes came over the course of 21 events - or one second place finish for every three tournaments played and does not include a third place finish in 1983 one shot out of the playoff between John Cook and Johnny Miller. Also in 1983, Nicklaus closed out the PGA Championship and World Series of Golf with brilliant final rounds of 65 and passed many players to move into contention, but finished runner-up in each to Player of the Year Hal Sutton and red-hot Nick Price, respectively, who dominated the tournaments from start to finish. Despite not winning a PGA Tour event in 1983, Nicklaus finished 10th on the PGA Tour money list and passed a significant milestone by becoming the first player to eclipse the $4 million level in career earnings.
During this five-year period, the Ryder Cup matches provided Nicklaus with two bright spots. He completed his competition as a player in style by contributing a perfect 4-0-0 record inclusive of a 5 & 3 anchor singles match win over Eamonn Darcy in 1981 and captained the United States team in 1983 to a one-point win over Europe.
In 1986, Nicklaus capped his career by recording his sixth Masters victory under incredible circumstances, posting a six-under par 30 on the back nine at Augusta for a final round of seven-under par 65. At the 17th hole, Nicklaus hit his second shot to within 18 feet and rolled it in for birdie, raising his putter in celebration and completing an eagle-birdie-birdie run. Nicklaus made a victory-sealing par-4 at the 72nd hole, and waited for the succeeding players to falter. Nicklaus played the final 10 holes seven under par with six birdies and an eagle. At age 46, Nicklaus became the oldest Masters winner in history, a record which still stands. On the feat, sports columnist Thomas Boswell remarked,
"Some things cannot possibly happen, because they are both too improbable and too imperfect. The U.S. hockey team cannot beat the Russians in the 1980 Olympics. Jack Nicklaus cannot shoot 65 to win The Masters at age 46. Nothing else comes immediately to mind."
This victory was his 18th major title as a professional.
Before the 1986 Masters Tournament, Tom McCollister, writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said that Nicklaus was "done, washed up, through," and this spurred him on, as he says:
"I kept thinking all week, 'Through, washed up, huh?' I sizzled for a while. But then I said to myself, 'I'm not going to quit now, playing the way I'm playing. I've played too well, too long to let a shorter period of bad golf be my last."[15]
This victory was to be his last in his long career on the PGA Tour and was described at the time by noted golf historian and writer Herbert Warren Wind as "nothing less than the most important accomplishment in golf since Bobby Jones' Grand Slam in 1930".
Author Ken Bowden would write after the win:
"There have been prettier swingers of the club than Jack Nicklaus. There may have been better ball-strikers than Jack Nicklaus. There have definitely been better short-game exponents than Jack Nicklaus. Other golfers have putted as well as Jack Nicklaus. There may have been golfers as dedicated and fiercely competitive as Jack Nicklaus. But no individual has been able to develop and combine and sustain all of the complex physical skills and the immense mental and emotional resources the game demands at its highest level as well as Jack Nicklaus has for as long as he has."
At the age of 58, Nicklaus made another valiant run at the 1998 Masters, where he tied for sixth despite being hampered by an ever-increasing painful left hip. Nicklaus' five-under par 283 is the lowest 72-hole score by a player over 50 in the Masters.
Over the course of his 25-year span (1962-1986) of winning 18 major championships, Nicklaus finished second an astounding 18 times (excludes the second place finish at the 1960 U.S. Open as an amateur). In addition to the 18 runners-up as a professional, Nicklaus placed third four times and fourth one time and in each case was one shot out of a playoff. Nicklaus' total span of 73 top-10 finishes was 39 years (1960-1998) which is a record in total number as well as longevity among the four major championships and encompassed his tenure from an amateur through the majority of his Champions Tour career.
Champions Tour career
Nicklaus became eligible to join the Senior PGA Tour, now known as the Champions Tour, when he turned 50 in January 1990, at which point he declared, "I'm never satisfied. Trouble is, I want to play like me—and I can't play like me anymore." He then quickly won in his first start on the Tour, The Tradition, also a Senior Tour major championship. Nicklaus would go on to win another three Traditions - the final two in succession - while the most anyone else has won is two.
Nicklaus walks up to his ball on the 9th hole of the par-3 course at Augusta National Golf Club during the 2006 par-3 contest.
Later in the year, Nicklaus won the Senior Players Championship by six shots over Lee Trevino for his second win of the year, and also his second major of the year by shooting a record 27-under par 261. The next year, in 1991, Nicklaus won three of the five events he started in, those being the U.S. Senior Open at Oakland Hills by firing a 65 in a playoff against Chi Chi Rodriguez and his fine round of 69, the PGA Seniors Championship and The Tradition for the second year straight. These, again, were all majors on the Champions Tour.
Nicklaus has won all the Champions Tour majors with the exception of the Senior British Open. However, he never played the Senior British Open which was only elevated to a major in 2003. After a winless year in 1992, Nicklaus came back to win the U.S. Senior Open for the second time in 1993 by one shot over Tom Weiskopf. Also in that year he teamed up with Chi Chi Rodriguez and Raymond Floyd to win the Wendy's Three Tour Challenge for the Senior Tour team. In 1994 he won the Senior Tour's version of the Mercedes Championship for his only win of the year. The Tradition was his again in 1995, in a year where he made the top 10 in all of the seven tournaments he entered in. His 100th career win came the next year, when he won the Tradition for the fourth time, and second time in succession. He made a double eagle in the final round. Nicklaus closed the final 36 holes with back-to-back seven-under par rounds of 65 to shoot a 16-under par 272 and win by three shots over Hale Irwin. This was to be his last win on the Champions Tour, and the last official win of his career.
Nicklaus' final U.S. Open was held at Pebble Beach Golf Links in 2000, where he shot 73-82 to miss the cut.[22] Later in the year, he was paired with Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh in his final PGA Championship only a few days after the death of his mother, where he also missed the cut by one shot.In both tournaments, Nicklaus provided last minute heroics by reaching the par-5 18th in two shots in the U.S. Open and nearly holing his wedge shot for eagle at the par-5 18th in the PGA Championship.
Nicklaus played without much preparation in the 2005 Masters, a month after the drowning death of his 17-month-old grandson Jake (child of his son, Steve) on March 1, 2005. He and Steve played golf as therapy for their grief following the death. After days of playing, it was Steve who suggested his dad return to The Masters. He made that his last appearance in the tournament. Later in 2005, Nicklaus finished his professional career at The Open Championship played at St Andrews on July 15, 2005. Nicklaus turned 65 in January that year, which was the last year he could enter The Open Championship as an exempt player. He played with Luke Donald and Tom Watson in his final round.[After hitting his tee shot off the 18th tee in the second round, Nicklaus received a ten-minute standing ovation from the crowd. Soon afterwards, Nicklaus ended his career with a fitting birdie, holing a fifteen-foot birdie putt on the 18th green. Nicklaus missed the 36-hole cut with a score of +3 (147).
The last competitive tournament in which Nicklaus played in the United States was the Champions Tour's Bayer Advantage Classic in Overland Park, Kansas on June 13, 2005.
Golf course design
Nicklaus devotes much of his time to golf course design and operates one of the largest golf design practices in the world. In the mid-1960s, Pete Dye initially requested Nicklaus' opinion in the architecture process of The Golf Club in suburban Columbus, OH and the input increased from that point forward. Nicklaus considered golf course design another facet of the game that kept him involved and offered a challenge. His first design, Harbour Town Golf Links, was opened for play in 1969. A subsequent early, yet more prominent design was Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, OH which opened in 1974 and has hosted the Memorial Tournament since its inception in 1976. This course has also hosted the 1987 Ryder Cup and the 1998 Solheim Cup matches. For the first few years, all of his projects were co-designs with either Pete Dye or Desmond Muirhead, who were two of the leading golf course architects of that era.
His first solo design, Glen Abbey Golf Course in Oakville, Ontario, opened for play in 1976. This course served as the host site for the Canadian Open for many years, the first being in 1977. In 2000, the King & Bear opened in St. Augustine, FL as a joint collaboration between Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. In 2006, the Concession Golf Club opened in Sarasota, FL as a joint collaboration between Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin to commemorate their historic Ryder Cup singles match in 1969.
Nicklaus is in partnership with his four sons and his son-in-law through Nicklaus Design. The company had 299 courses open for play at the end of 2005, which was nearly 1% of all the courses in the world (In 2005 Golf Digest calculated that there were nearly 32,000 golf courses in the world, approximately half of them in the United States.). While the majority of Nicklaus-designed courses reside in the United States, a significant presence also occupies Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, and Mexico. For 2009, Nicklaus Design had 12 courses in Golf Digest’s "75 Best Golf Resorts in North America".
Other Nicklaus-designed golf courses include:
* Grand Geneva Resort, Lake Geneva, WI 1970
* John's Island - South Course, Vero Beach, FL 1970
* Wabeek Country Club, Bloomfield Hills, MI 1972
* Golf Center at Kings Island - Bruin, Mason, OH 1973
* Golf Center at Kings Island - Grizzly, Mason, OH 1973
* Mayacoo Lakes Country Club, West Palm Beach, FL 1973
* New Saint Andrews Golf Club, Otawara, Tochigi, Japan 1973
* La Moraleja Golf Club, Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain 1976
* Shoal Creek Club, Shoal Creek, AL 1976
* The Australian Golf Club, Rosebery, New South Wales, Australia 1977 (redesign)
* The Greenbrier Course, White Sulphur Springs, WV 1978 (redesign)
* Bear's Paw Country Club, Naples, FL 1980
* Lochinvar Golf Club, Houston, TX 1980
* Annandale Golf Club, Madison, MS 1981
* Castle Pines Golf Club, Castle Rock, CO 1981
* The Club at Morningside, Rancho Mirage, CA 1981
* The Hills of Lakeway - The Hills Country Club Course, Austin, TX 1981
* Sailfish Point Golf Club, Stuart, FL 1981
* Turtle Point Golf Club, Kiawah Island, SC 1981
* Bear Creek Golf Club, Murrieta, CA 1982
* The Country Club at Muirfield Village, Dublin, OH 1982
* Atlanta Country Club, Atlanta, GA 1983 (redesign)
* Park Meadows Country Club, Park City, UT 1983
* Bear Lakes Country Club, West Palm Beach, FL 1984
* Country Club of the Rockies, Edwards, CO 1984
* Desert Highlands, Scottsdale, AZ 1984
* Elk River Golf Club, Banner Elk, NC 1984
* Grand Cypress Golf Club, Orlando, FL 1984
* Grand Traverse Resort, Acme, MI 1984
* La Paloma Country Club, Tucson, AZ 1984
* The Loxahatchee Club, Jupiter, FL 1984
* Meridian Golf Club, Englewood, CO 1984
* Bear Lakes Country Club - Lakes Course, West Palm Beach, FL 1985
* Britannia Golf and Beach Club, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, British West Indies 1985
* St. Andrews Golf Club, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 1985 (redesign)
* The Country Club at Castle Pines, Castle Rock, CO 1986
* The Country Club of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, LA 1986
* Dallas Athletic Club - Blue Course, Dallas, TX 1986
* St. Mellion Hotel Golf & Country Club, Cornwall, England 1986
* Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, KY 1986
* Bear Lakes Country Club - Links Course, West Palm Beach, FL 1987
* Breckenridge Golf Club, Breckenridge, CO 1987
* Country Club of The South, Alpharetta, GA 1987
* Daufuskie Island Club & Resort - Melrose Course, Hilton Head Island, SC 1987
* Desert Mountain - Cochise, Scottsdale, AZ 1987
* Desert Mountain - Renegade, Scottsdale, AZ 1987
* PGA West - Private Course, La Quinta, CA 1987
* PGA West - Resort Course, La Quinta, CA 1987
* English Turn Golf & Country Club, New Orleans, LA 1988
* Golf Club Crans-Sur-Sierre, Crans-Sur-Sierre, Valais, Switzerland 1988
* Golf Club Gut Altentann, Henndorf, Salzburg, Austria 1988
* Grand Cypress Golf Club - New Course, Orlando, FL 1988
* Kauai Lagoons - Kiele Course, Lihue, HI 1988
* Pawleys Plantation, Pawleys Island, SC 1988
* Ptarmigan Country Club, Fort Collins, CO 1988
* Richland Country Club, Nashville, TN 1988
* Sunny Field Golf Club, Gozenyama, Ibaraki, Japan 1988
* Avila Golf & Country Club, Tampa, FL 1989
* Dallas Athletic Club - Gold Course, Mesquite, TX 1989
* Desert Mountain - Geronimo, Scottsdale, AZ 1989
* Eagle Oaks Golf Club, Farmingdale, NJ 1989
* Kauai Lagoons - Mokihana Course, Lihue, HI 1989
* The Long Bay Club, Longs, SC 1989
* National Golf Club, Village of Pinehurst, NC 1989
* Sherwood Country Club, Thousand Oaks, CA 1989
* Shimonoseki Golden Golf Club, Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan 1989
* St. Creek Golf Club, Asuke, Aichi, Japan 1989
* Sycamore Hills Golf Club, Fort Wayne, IN 1989
* Wynstone Golf Club, North Barrington, IL 1989
* Country Club of Landfall, Wilmington, NC 1990
* Governors Club, Chapel Hill, NC 1990
* Japan Memorial Golf Club, Yakawa-cho, Nara, Japan 1990
* Oakmont Golf Club, Yamazoe, Nara, Japan 1990
* PGA National, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 1990 (redesign)
* TPC of Michigan, Dearborn, MI 1990
* Colleton River Plantation Club, Bluffton, SC 1991
* Dove Canyon Country Club, Dove Canyon, CA 1991
* Hanbury Manor, Ware, Herfordshire, England 1991
* Hokkaido Classic Golf Club, Hayakita, Hokkaido, Japan 1991
* Ibis Golf & CC - Heritage, West Palm Beach, FL 1991
* Ibis Golf & CC - Legend, West Palm Beach, FL 1991
* Legacy Golf Links, Aberdeen, NC 1991
* Mission Hills Golf Club - Kanchanaburi, Thamuang, Kanchanaburi, Thailand 1991
* Mount Juliet, Thomastown County, Kilkenny, Ireland 1991
* Paris International Golf Club, Paris, France 1991
* The Club at Nevillewood, Nevillewood, PA 1992
* Damai Indah Golf & Country Club, Jakarta, Banten, Indonesia 1992
* Glenmoor Country Club, Canton, OH 1992
* Great Waters at Reynolds Plantation, Greensboro, GA 1992
* Hananomori Golf Club, Ohira, Miyagi, Japan 1992
* Huis Ten Bosch Country Club, Seihi, Nagasaki, Japan 1992
* Komono Golf Club, Komono, Mie, Japan 1992
* Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club - Legends, Carmona, Cavite, Phillippines 1992
* Natural Park Ramindra Golf Club, Klongsamwa, Bangkok, Thailand 1992
* New Albany Country Club, New Albany, OH 1992
* The Challenge at Manele, Lanai City, HI 1993
* Chang An Golf & Country Club, Hukou, Hsinchu, Taiwan 1993
* Chung Shan Hot Spring Golf Club, Zhongshan City, Guangdong, China 1993
* Country Club of the North, Beavercreek, OH 1993
* Gleneagles Hotel - The PGA Centenary Course, Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland 1993
* Golden Bear Golf Club at Indigo Run, Hilton Head Island, SC 1993
* Laem Chabang International Country Club, Sriracha, Chonburi, Thailand 1993
* Las Campanas - Sunrise, Santa Fe, NM 1993
* Leo Palace Resort Manenggon Hills, Barrigada, GMF, Guam 1993
* Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club - Masters, Carmona, Cavite, Phillippines 1993
* The Medallion Club, Westerville, OH 1993
* Mission Hills Khao Yai Golf Club, Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand 1993
* Palmilla Golf Club, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico 1993
* Santa Lucia River Club at Ballantrae, Port St. Lucie, FL 1993
* Sendai Minami Golf Club, Shibat-gun, Miyagi-ken, Japan 1993
* Springfield Royal Country Club, Cha-Am, Phetchaburi, Thailand 1993
* Sungai Long Golf & Country Club, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia 1993
* Barrington Golf Club, Aurora, OH 1994
* Cabo del Sol - Ocean Course, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico 1994
* Castlewoods Country Club - The Bear, Brandon, MS 1994
* Ishioka Golf Club, Ogawa, Ibaraki, Japan 1994
* London Golf Club - The Heritage, Ash, Kent, England 1994
* London Golf Club - The International Course, Ash, Kent, England 1994
* Miramar Linkou Golf & Country Club, Linkou Hsiang, Taipei, Taiwan 1994
* Mission Hills Golf Club - World Cup Course, Guanlan Town, Shenzhen, China 1994
* Montecastillo Hotel & Golf Resort, Jerez, Cadiz, Spain 1994
* The Zenzation, Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand 1994
* Borneo Golf & Country Club, Bongawan, Sabah, Malaysia 1995
* Bukit Darmo Golf Club, Surabaya, Indonesia 1995
* Eagle Bend Golf Club - Championship Course, Big Fork, MT 1995
* Emeralda Golf & Country Club - Plantation North Course, Cimanngis, Bogor, Indonesia 1995
* La Gorce Country Club, Miami Beach, FL 1995 (redesign)
* Le Robinie Golf & Sporting Club, Solbiate Olona, Varese, Italy 1995
* Mission Hills Golf Club - Valley Course, Guanlan Town, Shenzhen, China 1995
* President Country Club, Tochigi, Tochigi, Japan 1995
* Sanyo Golf Club, Okayama, Japan 1995
* Tamarin Santana Golf Club, Batam, Riau, Indonesia 1995
* Williamsburg National, Williamsburg, VA 1995
* Bearpath Golf & Country Club, Eden Prairie, MN 1996
* Bukit Barisan Country Club at Medan, Medan, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia 1996
* Country Club Bosques, Hidalgo, Distrito Federal, Mexico 1996
* Desert Mountain - Apache, Scottsdale, AZ 1996
* Golf Club at Indigo Run, Hilton Head Island, SC 1996
* The Golf Club of Purchase, Purchase, NY 1996
* Hammock Creek Golf Club, Palm City, FL 1996
* Hertfordshire Golf & Country Club, Hertfordshire, England 1996
* Hibiki no Mori Country Club, Kurabuchi, Gunma, Japan 1996
* Hualalai Golf Club, Kailua-Kona, HI 1996
* Lakelands Golf Club, Robina, Queensland, Australia 1996
* Nicklaus North Golf Course, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada 1996
* Rokko Kokusai, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan 1996
* Ruby Hill Golf Club, Pleasanton, CA 1996
* Southshore at Lake Las Vegas, Henderson, NV 1996
* Sun Belgravia Golf Club, Nukata, Aichi, Japan 1996
* Top of the Rock Golf Course, Ridgedale, MO 1996
* Aspen Glen Golf Club, Carbondale, CO 1997
* Bintan Lagoon - Seaview Course, Bintan, Riau, Indonesia 1997
* Empire Hotel & Country Club, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jerudong, Brunei 1998
* Forest Hills Golf & Country Club, Inarawan, Antipolo, Philippines 1997
* Golf Platz Gut Larchenhof, Cologne, Germany 1997
* Great Bear Golf & Country Club, East Stroudsburg, PA 1997
* James Island, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 1997
* Legends Golf & Country Resort, Kulai, Johor, Malaysia 1997
* Montreux Golf & Country Club, Reno, NV 1997
* Old Works Golf Course, Anaconda, MT 1997
* Ruitoque Country Club, Bucaramanga, Colombia 1997
* Salem Glen Country Club, Clemmons, NC 1997
* Spring City Resort, Kunming City, Yunnan, China 1997
* Stonewolf Golf Club, Fairview Heights, IL 1997
* Suzhou Sunrise Golf Club, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China 1997
* Taman Dayu Club, Pandaan, East Java, Indonesia 1997
* Arzaga Golf Club, Drugolo di Lonato, Brescia, Italy 1998
* The Bear Trace at Cumberland Mountain, Crossville, TN 1998
* Carden Park, Cheshire, England 1998
* Classic Golf Resort - Basant Lok, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, India 1998
* Grand Haven Golf Club, Palm Coast, FL 1998
* J&P Golf Club, Utsonomiya, Tochigi, Japan 1998
* Laurel Springs Golf Club, Suwanee, GA 1998
* Legends West at Diablo Grande, Patterson, CA 1998
* Nanhu Country Club, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China 1998
* Pecanwood Estate, Hartebeespoort Dam, Guateng, South Africa 1998
* Phoenix Park Golf Club, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, South Korea 1998
* Reflection Bay Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas, Henderson, NV 1998
* Sherwood Hills Golf & Country Club, Trece Martires, Cavite, Philippines 1998
* Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club - Prospector, Superstition Mountain, AZ 1998
* Vermont National Country Club, South Burlington, VT 1998
* Westlake Golf & Country Club, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China 1998
* Alabang Country Club, Alabang, Muntinlupa, Philippines 1999
* Aliso Viejo Golf Club, Aliso Viejo, CA 1999
* Aston Oaks, North Bend, OH 1999
* The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, Harrison, TN 1999
* The Bear Trace at Tims Ford, Winchester, TN 1999
* Camp John Hay, Bagio, Benguet, Philippines 1999
* The Club at Twin Eagles, Naples, FL 1999
* Coyote Creek Golf Club - Tournament Course, San Jose, CA 1999
* Desert Mountain - Chiricahua, Scottsdale, AZ 1999
* El Dorado Golf & Beach Club, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico 1999
* Estrella Mountain Ranch Golf Club, Goodyear, AZ 1999
* Four Seasons Golf Club Punta Mita, Punta Mita, Nayarit, Mexico, 1999
* The Golden Bear Club at Keene's Pointe, Windermere, FL 1999
* The Golf Club at Mansion Ridge, Monroe, NY 1999
* Grand Bear Golf Course, Saucier, MS 1999
* New Capital Golf Club, Yamaoka, Gigu, Japan 1999
* Okanagan Golf Club, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada 1999
* Palm Island Golf Club, Hui Yang City, Guangdong, China 1999
* Palmilla Ocean Nine, San Jose del Cabo, BCS, Mexico 1999
* Punta Mita Club de Golf - Pacifico Course, Punta Mita, Nayarit, Mexico 1999
* The Roaring Fork Club, Basalt, CO 1999
* Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort, Flintstone, MD 1999
* Shanghai Links Golf & Country Club, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China 1999
* Spring Creek Ranch, Collierville, TN 1999
* Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club - Lost Gold, Superstition Mountain, AZ 1999
* TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie, WA 1999
* Achasta Golf Club, Dahlonega, GA 2000
* Bear Creek Golf Course at Chandler, Chandler, AZ 2000
* The Bear Trace at Chickasaw, Henderson, TN 2000
* The Bear's Club, Jupiter, FL 2000
* Bear's Paw Japan Country Club, Kouga-gun, Shiga-ken, Japan 2000
* The Club at Porto Cima, Lake Ozark, MO 2000
* Country Club of Landfall II, Wilmington, NC 2000
* Gapyeong Benest Golf Club, Gapyeong-gun, Kyonggi-do, South Korea 2000
* Gapyeong Benest Golf Club - Nicklaus Design Course, Gapyeong-gun, Kyonggi-do, South Korea 2000
* Heritage Golf & Country Club, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 2000
* Las Campanas - Sunset, Santa Fe, NM 2000
* The Ocean Course at Hammock Beach, Palm Coast, FL 2000
* Pasadera Country Club, Monterey, CA 2000
* Whispering Pines Golf Club, Trinity, TX 2000
* Winghaven Country Club, O'Fallon, MO 2000
* Bear Creek Golf Course at Chandler - Short Course, Chandler, AZ 2001
* Bear Trace at Ross Creek Landing, Clifton, TN 2001
* Bear's Best Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 2001
* Breckenridge - Elk Nine, Breckenridge, CO 2001
* The Club at Carlton Woods, The Woodlands, TX 2001
* Coyote Creek Golf Club, Bartonville, IL 2001
* Coyote Creek Golf Club - Valley Course, San Jose, CA 2001
* Cozumel Country Club, Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico 2001
* Ibis Golf & CC - Tradition, West Palm Beach, FL 2001
* Mayacama Golf Club, Santa Rosa, CA 2001
* Montreux - 3 Holes, Reno, NV 2001
* Nicklaus Golf Club at Lionsgate, Overland Park, KS 2001
* Olympic Staff Ashikaga Golf Course, Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan 2001
* Pine Valley Golf & Country Club - Golden Bear Course, Beijing, Changping, China 2001
* Ross Creek Landing, Clifton, TN 2001
* The Summit at Cordillera, Edwards, CO 2001
* Vista Vallarta Golf Club, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico 2001
* WuYi Fountain Palm Golf Club, Jiangmen, Guangdong, China 2001
* Bear's Best Atlanta, Suwanee, GA 2002
* Canadas De Santa Fe, Mexico City, C.P., Distrito Federal, Mexico 2002
* Cherry Creek Country Club, Denver, CO 2002
* Cimarron Hills Country Club, Georgetown, TX 2002
* The Club at Hokuli`a, Kailua Kona, HI 2002
* Dalhousie Golf Club, Cape Girardeau, MO 2002
* The Hills of Lakeway - The Flintrock Fans Course, Austin, TX 2002
* Hokulia Golf Club, Kailua-Kona, HI 2002
* Lost Tree Club, North Palm Beach, FL 2002 (redesign)
* The Moon Palace Golf Club, Cancun, Mexico 2002
* Northern Bear Golf Club, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada 2002
* Pinehills Golf Club, Plymouth, MA 2002
* The Reserve at Lake Keowee, Sunset, SC 2002
* Reserve Club at Woodside Plantation, Aiken, SC 2002
* The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club and Spa, Jupiter, FL 2002
* Takaraike Golf Course, Nara, Japan 2002
* The Tradition Golf Club, Okazaki-shi, Aichi, Japan 2002
* Arabian Ranches, Dubai, United Arab Emirates 2003
* The Bear's Club Par 3, Jupiter, FL 2003
* Bear Mountain Golf & Country Club, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 2003
* The Bull at Pinehurst Farms, Sheboygan Falls, WI 2003
* The Club at Longview, Charlotte, NC 2003
* Desert Mountain - Outlaw, Scottsdale, AZ 2003
* Mayan Palace - Riviera Maya, Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico 2003
* Pearl Valley Golf Estate & Spa, Franschhoek, Western Cape, South Africa 2003
* Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, Boca Raton, FL 2003
* Sagamore Club, Noblesville, IN 2003
* Angeles National Golf Club, Sunland, CA 2004
* Chapelco Golf & Resort, San Martin de los Andes, Neuquen, Argentina 2004
* The Club at Pronghorn, Bend, OR 2004
* May River Club, Bluffton, SC 2004
* Mission Hills Phuket Golf Resort & Spa, Talang, Phuket, Thailand 2004
* Old Greenwood, Truckee, CA 2004
* Toscana Country Club, Indian Wells, CA 2004
* Traditions Club, Bryan, TX 2004
* Tres Marias Residencial Golf Club, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico 2004
* Bay Creek, Cape Charles, VA 2005
* Bay Point Golf Club, Panama City Beach, FL 2005 (redesign)
* Bayside Resort Golf Club, Selbyville, DE 2005
* The Bridges Golf & Country Club, Montrose, CO 2005
* Champions Retreat Golf Club - Bluffs Course, Augusta, GA 2005
* The Cliffs at Walnut Cove, Asheville, NC 2005
* Club Polaris Golf Resort, Seoul, South Korea 2005
* Escena, Palm Springs, CA 2005
* Laguna Del Mar, Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico 2004
* Machynys Peninsula Golf Club, Carmarthenshire, Wales, England 2005
* Moon Palace - 3rd Nine, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico 2005
* Olympic Country Club - Lake Tsuburada, Misato-cho, Saitama Prefecture, Japan 2005
* Palisades Country Club, Charlotte, NC 2005
* Real de Faula, Xeresa, Valencia, Spain 2006
* Simola Golf & Country Lodge, Knysna, South Africa 2005
* Toscana Country Club - North, Indian Wells, CA 2005
* The Broadmoor Golf Club, Colorado Springs, CO 2006
* Dismal River Club, Mullen, NE 2006
* La Torre, Torre Pacheo, Murcia, Spain 2006
* North Palm Beach Country Club, North Palm Beach, FL 2006
* The Peninsula, Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico 2006
* The Peninsula Golf & Country Club, Millsboro, DE 2006
* Punta Espada, Punta Cana, La Alta Gracia, Dominican Republic 2006
* Puntiro Golf Club, Mallorca, Spain 2006
* Reserve Club at St. James Plantation, Southport, NC 2006
* The Retreat Golf & Country Club, Corona, CA 2006
* Scarlet Course at Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 2006 (redesign)
* Sebonack Golf Club, Southhampton, NY 2006
* Sherwood Lake Club, Thousand Oaks, CA 2006
* St. Francis Links, St. Francis Bay, South Africa 2006
* Asturiano Golf Club, Cuautla, Mexico 2007
* The Cliffs at Keowee, Sunset, SC 2007
* Club Campestre, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 2007
* Cordillera Ranch, Boerne, TX 2006
* Cougar Canyon Golf Links, Trinidad, CO 2007
* El Valle Golf Resort, Torre Pacheco, Spain 2007
* The Kinloch Club/Jack Nicklaus Golf Club New Zealand, Kinloch, Noan Island, New Zealand 2007
* La Loma Club de Golf, San Luis Potosi, Mexico 2007
* Monte Rei, Faro, Portugal 2007
* Moorea Golf Resort, Moorea, French Polynesia, Tahiti 2007
* Nordelta, Buenos Aires, Argentina 2007
* Oak Valley Resort, Wonju, Kangwan-Do, South Korea 2007
* Old Corkscrew, Estero, FL 2007
* Pine Valley Golf & Country Club - Nicklaus Course, Beijing, Changping, China 2007
* Promontory, The Ranch Club, Park City, UT 2007
* Real de Faula II, Benidorm, Valencia, Spain 2007
* Sky 72 Golf Club - Ocean Course, Incheon, South Korea 2007
* Suzhou Sunrise II, Lumu Town, Suzhou, China 2007
* The Tradition Course Ginn Reunion Resort, Kissimmee, FL 2007
* Villaitama & Villaitama II, Benidorm, Spain 2007
* Whispering Oak at Verandah Club, Ft. Myers, FL 2007
* Bear Lake Golf Club, Cashiers, NC 2008
* Bosques Real, Mexico City, Mexico 2008
* The Club at Creighton Farms, Loudoun County, VA 2008
* Coyote Springs - The Chase, Clark County, NV 2008
* Donneako Country Club, Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea 2008
* El Rio Country Club, Guadalajara, Mexico 2008
* Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort, Riquelme, Spain 2008
* The Idaho Club, Sandpoint, ID 2008
* Killeen Castle Golf Resort, Dublin, Ireland 2008
* Puerto Los Cabos, Punta Gorda, Mexico 2008
* Riviera Cancun, Tecera Etapa de Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico 2008
* Samanah Country Club, Marrakech, Morocco 2008
* Shadow Creek, Beijing, China 2008
* Temae Resort, Tahiti, French Polynesia 2008
* Tseleevo Golf Polo Club, Moscow, Russia 2008
* Yucatan Village & Resort, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico 2008
* Bear Mountain Resort - Valley Course, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 2009
* Punta Mita Bahia, Punta Mita, Mexico 2009
* Red Ledges, Heber City, UT 2009
* The Ritz Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, Tucson, AZ 2009
* Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate, Johannesburg, South Africa 2009
* Twelve Oaks, Raleigh, NC 2009
* Twelve Shores Golf Club, Logan, NM 2009
* Angel Hill, Chongqing, China 2010
* Applecross Country Club, East Brandywine, PA 2010
* Cao Fei Dian Golf Club, Tangshan City, China 2010
* Condado de Alhama I, Torre Pacheco, Spain 2010
* Fyre Lake National, Sherrard, IL 2010
* Gold Golf Country Club - Pines Course, Senica, Slovakia 2010
* Hampton Pointe at New River, Hilton Head, SC 2010
* Houghton Golf Club, Johannesburg, South Africa 2010
* Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea, Songdo City, South Korea 2010
* Kingrun Nanshan Golf Club, Chongqing, China 2010
* Las Terrazas de La Torre Golf Resort, Torre Pacheco, Spain 2010
* Mar Menor Golf Resort, Torre Pacheco, Spain 2010
* Mayan Palace Puerto Penasco II, Puerto Penasco, Mexico 2010
* Paradise Ranch Resort, Grants Pass, OR 2010
* Pine Valley Executive Course, Beijing, China 2010
* Timber Banks Golf Club, Syracuse, NY 2010
* Westham Golf Club at Magnolia Green, Chesterfield Co., VA 2010
* Yeoju Grand CC, Yeoju, Kyunggi-do, South Korea 2010
* Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas TBD
* Bear Creek at Burrus Ridge, Nashville, TN TBD
* Bear's Best Cheongna, Cheongna Golf District, Incheon, South Korea
* Beihai II, Beihai, Silver Beach, China TBD
* Brasov, Bucharest, Romania TBD
* Bucharest Golf Club, Bucharest, Romania TBD
* Buenaventura Golf Club, Farallón, Coclé, Panama TBD
* Campeche Playa Golf Marina & Spa Resort, Campeche, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico TBD
* Cana Bay Golf Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic TBD
* Cap Cana Bluffs Course, Punta Cana, La Alta Gracia, Dominican Republic TBD
* Cap Cana - Las Iguanas, La Alta Gracia, Dominican Republic TBD
* Chambord Country Club, Paris, France TBD
* Chiba National Golf Club, Chiba, Japan TBD
* Chongming Island Golf Club, Chenjia Town, Chongming County, China TBD
* Ciputra Hanoi International Golf Club, Hanoi, Vietnam TBD
* Collina Tinta, Hurricane, UT TBD
* Condado de Alhama II, Torre Pacheco, Spain TBD
* Condado de Alhama III, Torre Pacheco, Spain TBD
* Coyote Springs, Clark County, NV TBD
* Coyote Springs 2nd Clark County, NV TBD
* Coyote Springs 3rd Clark County, NV TBD
* Cristallago, Lakeport, CA TBD
* Dalquharran Castle, South Ayshire, Scotland TBD
* Deqing New Century, Zhejiang Province, China TBD
* Dneprovskaya Riviera, Kiev, Ukraine TBD
* EnVain SeniorTown, Chuncheon, Kangwan-do, South Korea TBD
* Fazenda Serrazul, Fazenda SerrAzul, Brazil TBD
* Ferry Point, Bronx, NY TBD
* Forest Lakes Country Club, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada TBD
* Fusong, Baishan City, Jilin Province, China TBD
* Grand Phnom Penh Golf Club, Phnom Penh, Cambodia TBD
* Grandvista, Maricopa County, AZ TBD
* Guacalito Golf Club, Rivas, Nicaragua TBD
* Guanacaste Country Club, Liberia, Costa Rica TBD
* Guiyang Golf Club, Guiyang, Guangxi, China TBD
* Hai Xi International Golf Course, Ma Yang Xi Ecotourism Area, Fujian Province, China TBD
* Headwaters Golf Club, Granby, CO TBD
* Heawon, Gangwon-Do, South Korea TBD
* Hunest Golf Resort, Hong Cheon, Kangnam-do, South Korea TBD
* Ibar Golf Club, Dolna Bania, Sofia Region, Bulgaria TBD
* Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Anguilla, Anguilla, British West Indies TBD
* Jack Nicklaus Golf Club of the Bahamas, Royal Island, Bahamas TBD
* Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Patagonia, Bariloche, Argentina TBD
* Jack Nicklaus Golf Club St. Lucia, Point Hardy, St. Lucia, British West Indies TBD
* Jakarta Golf Club, Jakarta, Indonesia TBD
* Jeffrey's Bay, Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa TBD
* Jiangsu, Jurong City, Jiangsu Province, China TBD
* Jin Hae, JinHae, Kynungsangnam-do, South Korea TBD
* Jinhai Lake Resort, Pinggu District, Beijing, China TBD
* Kalhaar Blues & Greens, Ahmedabad, India TBD
* Karibana, Cartagena, Colombia TBD
* Kilada Hills, Kilada, Greece TBD
* Kingman Arizona, Kingman, AZ TBD
* Kobe Country Club, Kobe, Japan TBD
* Kuaradé, Luis Correia, Piauí, Brazil TBD
* Kunming Country Club, Kumming, China TBD
* Limni Golf Resort, Pafos, Cyprus TBD
* Long Phuoc Golf Course, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam TBD
* Los Canales de plottier Patagonia Golf and Resort, Neuquén, Argentina TBD
* Ludhiana, Ludhiana, India TBD
* Maya Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates TBD
* Mayan Palace - Nuevo Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico TBD
* Mayazama, Tulum, Mexico TBD
* Meletse, Waterberg, South Africa TBD
* Monsaraz, Monsaraz, Portugal TBD
* Montecito Country Club, Santa Barbara, CA TBD
* Palm Hills Golf Club & Resort, Cairo, Egypt TBD
* Papua New Guinea, Bootless Bay, New Guinea TBD
* Patagonia Virgin, Frutillar, Tenth Region, Chile TBD
* Penasco Bay, Puerto Penasco, Mexico TBD
* Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica TBD
* Pielsticker/Raevo, Moscow, Russia TBD
* Pilará, Pilar, Argentina TBD
* Porto Mariccio, Istrian Peninsula, Republic of Croatia TBD
* Potomac Harbor, Prince William County, VA TBD
* Punta Gorda, Punta Gorda, Mexico TBD
* Queens Gap Golf Club, Lake Lure, NC TBD
* Quivira Los Cabos, Cabo San Lucas, BCS, Mexico TBD
* The Reserve at Moonlight Basin, Big Sky, MT TBD
* Rock Creek, Lake Texoma, TX TBD
* Rothbury Country Resort, Cessnock, New South Wales, Australia TBD
* Royal Maluti, Clarens, Fee State, South Africa TBD
* Sabana Falls Golf Course, El Salto, Liberia, Costa Rica TBD
* Safisa Palace, Antalya, Turkey TBD
* Salamansa Sands, Sao Vicente, Cape Verde TBD
* Santa Maria Golf & Country Club, Panama City, Panama TBD
* Sanya Resort & Golf Club, Li Race Autonomous County, Hainan Province, China TBD
* Seaside Mariana Spa & Golf Resort, Pochomil, Nicaragua TBD
* Serra de Santa Clara, Sao Paulo, Brazil TBD
* Shanghai Links Golf & Country Club - New, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China TBD
* Shin Do Golf Club, Chuncheon, Kangwan-do, South Korea TBD
* Sitia Bay, Sitia Bay, Greece TBD
* Soto de Mozanaque, Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain TBD
* St. Elisabeth Golf Resort, Limassol, Cyprus TBD
* St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia TBD
* Summit Rock, Horseshoe Bay, TX TBD
* Tae Woong Golf Club, Hong Cheon, Kangnam-do, South Korea TBD
* Tramore, Waterford, Ireland TBD
* Trellis Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands TBD
* Tripoli Golf Club, Tripoli, Libya TBD
* Tuscany Hills, Copperopolis, CA TBD
* Ullna Golf Club, Roslagsvagen, Akersberga, Sweden TBD
* Ury Estate, Stonehaven, Scotland TBD
* Valle Del Golf, Cordoba, Argentina TBD
* Veracruz Intra, Veracruz, Mexico TBD
* Viveros Resort - Las Perlas Panama, Isla Viveros, Archipielago de Las Perlas, Panama TBD
* Windrose, Pawling, NY TBD
* Xi'an Golf Club, Xi'an City, Shanxi Province, China TBD
* Xiaoshan New Century, Zhejiang Province, China TBD
* Yasmine Golf Club, Hammamet, Tunisia TBD
* Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico TBD
Writings and media
Nicklaus has written several golf instructional books, an autobiography (My Story), a book on his golf course design methods and philosophy, and has produced several golf videos. The writer Ken Bowden often assisted him with this work. His book Golf My Way is one of the all-time classics of golf instruction, and has been reissued several times since the initial printing in 1974. Nicklaus has also written golf instructional columns for Golf Magazine and for Golf Digest magazine, with which he is currently associated. He also appeared as a television analyst and commentator with ABC Sports on golf broadcasts.[34] Several of the books have been reissued, sometimes under different titles, and "My Story" as a special high-quality limited edition for the 2000 Memorial Tournament.
A selection of his major works follows.[35]
* The Greatest Game of All, by Jack Nicklaus, 1969.
* Golf My Way, by Jack Nicklaus, with Ken Bowden, 1974, 1998, 2005.
* On and Off the Fairway, by Jack Nicklaus, with Ken Bowden, 1978.
* The Full Swing, by Jack Nicklaus, with Ken Bowden, 1983.
* Golf My Way, by Jack Nicklaus, 1983 (video).
* Play Better Golf: The Short Game and Scoring, by Jack Nicklaus, with Ken Bowden, 1987.
* My Most Memorable Shots in the Majors, by Jack Nicklaus, with Ken Bowden, 1989.
* Golf My Way II, by Jack Nicklaus, 1989 (video).
* Play Better Golf: Short Cuts to Lower Scores, by Jack Nicklaus, with Ken Bowden, 1990.
* Jack Nicklaus: My Story, by Jack Nicklaus, with Ken Bowden, 1997 (plus a limited edition of 225 to honor Nicklaus at the 2000 Memorial Tournament).
* Jack Nicklaus' Lesson Tee, by Jack Nicklaus, with Ken Bowden, 1998.
* Nicklaus by Design: Golf Course Strategy and Architecture, by Jack Nicklaus and Chris Millard, 2002.
* Jack Nicklaus: Memories and Mementos from Golf's Golden Bear, by Jack Nicklaus, 2007.
* Golf and Life, by Jack Nicklaus and Dr. John Tickell, 2007.
* Putting My Way, by Jack Nicklaus, with Ken Bowden, 2009.
Other interests
Nicklaus continues to manage the Memorial Tournament he created in his home state of Ohio, which is played at Muirfield Village, a course which he designed and opened in 1974. The course was officially dedicated on Memorial Day, May 27, 1974, with an exhibition match between Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. Nicklaus scored a six-under par 66, which stood as the course record until 1979. The forerunner to this tournament, the Columbus Pro-Am, had its final year in 1975, and the inaugural Memorial Tournament was held the following year. The tournament is one of the more prestigious events on the PGA Tour.[36]
Each year, the tournament selects one or more individuals as honorees who have made a significant impact to the game. The inaugural tournament in 1976 paid tribute to the late Bobby Jones, while the 25th edition in 2000 honored Nicklaus, himself. This concept was Nicklaus' idea as a contribution to perpetuating achievements of the game's greatest individuals. The honoree is selected by the Captain's Club, a group that acts independently of the tournament organization, but also advises on player invitations and the general conduct of the event. Members of the Captain's Club include Peter Alliss, Peggy Kirk Bell, George H.W. Bush, Sean Connery, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player among others.
The Memorial Tournament continues the PGA Tour's philanthropic focus through its relationships with Central Ohio charities. The most significant of which is its relationship with Nationwide Children's Hospital since 1976. Contributions generated through the support of over 2,600 volunteers are distributed each year to the Hospital's unrestricted giving fund. This fund assists in ensuring Central Ohio continues to have one of the best children's hospitals in the United States. The Memorial Tournament has raised more than $5.7 million to support the programs and services at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in those 30-plus years. In 2005 the Memorial made a pledge that will elevate its level of giving to more than $11 million in the coming years. Unique and successful relationships also exist with Fore Hope, James Cancer Hospital, Wolfe Associates, The First Tee, Central Ohio Junior Golf Association, Shriners, Lions Club and many more.
Nicklaus and wife Barbara serve as honorary chairman and active chairwoman of the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation in North Palm Beach, Florida which provides valuable programs and services to more than 4,000 hospitalized children and their families, free of charge, through Child Life programs, the Pediatric Oncology Support Team, and the Safe Kids program. The Nicklauses established "The Jake", a pro-am golf tournament played annually at The Bear's Club in Jupiter, Florida in honor of their 17-month-old grandson who drowned in a hot tub in 2005. It has become the foundation's chief fundraiser. Players like Robert Allenby, Raymond Floyd, Tom Watson, Ian Baker-Finch, Ernie Els, Jay Haas, Johnny Miller, and Gary Player have participated. No one accepts a fee. Everything goes to the foundation, more than $3 million over the past three years.
Nicklaus and retired General John Shalikashvili, who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1993-97, are serving as honorary chairs for the American Lake Veterans Golf Course capital campaign in Tacoma, WA. The $4.5 million campaign in 2009 was established to complete the nation's only golf course designed for the rehabilitation of wounded and disabled veterans. The existing nine-hole course is operated, maintained, and managed by 160 volunteers. Funds are needed to add nine new holes and make other improvements to better accommodate demand from the growing influx of wounded veterans. A two-day event was held at Bighorn Golf Club at Palm Desert, CA featuring Nicklaus, who is donating his design services for the "Nicklaus Nine". In announcing his donation of services (valued at $500,000), Nicklaus said, "I was moved to see the amazing efforts at American Lake Veterans Golf Course where our wounded warriors learn to play golf with the help of an incredible army of volunteers." Monies raised during the campaign will be used to construct the new holes, complete the construction of the Rehabilitation and Learning Center, make improvements to the original holes to enhance accessibility, upgrade the maintenance facilities and restrooms, and help underwrite operational costs.
Nicklaus owns Nicklaus Golf Equipment, founded in 1992. Nicklaus Golf Equipment manufactures equipment in three brands: Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus Signature, and Nicklaus Premium. These brands are designed to target golfers at different stages of golfing ability.
Playing style
Nicklaus was consistently among the longest and straightest hitters on the PGA Tour during his prime.[39] This was more than evidenced by his winning the official long drive contest at the 1963 PGA Championship with a belt of 341 yards, 17 inches. This record lasted more than 20 years. He preferred the fade for his ball flight, since it allowed the ball to stop quickly on hard and fast greens. Another factor in this decision was his distance capabilities which were developed enough to allow him to play a fade and still reach long par fours and par fives in two shots.[40] Nicklaus considers his longest drive in competition to be during the final round of the 1964 Masters on the 15th hole where he had less than 160 yards left to the 500 yard par five. He hit an eight-iron slightly over the green for his second shot.
Even though official PGA Tour statistics did not begin until 1980, Nicklaus was consistently the leader in greens hit in regulation through that year displaying great command of the long and middle irons. Indeed, Nicklaus remained in the top six of this category through 1985 – far from his best playing years. Nicklaus also finished 10th in driving distance and 13th in driving accuracy in 1980 at age 40 which equated to a "Total Driving" composite of 23 – a statistical level not attained since by a comfortable margin. Nicklaus led this category through 1982. One key to Nicklaus' ball-striking ability and overall power was his exceptional swing tempo. Of this Tom Watson referred to it as Nicklaus' greatest strength in its ability to remain smooth. This proved an asset, especially under pressure, which allowed him to sustain great distance control with his irons.
Nicklaus was also known for his course management skills. He would plan to hit each shot on the most convenient side of the fairway to aid his next shot. Nicklaus was the first player to chart and document yardages on the course. Gary Player states that Nicklaus' golfing mind was "the greatest mind the game has ever known".[41]
While not a great putter, he was able to make the important putts when he needed them.[42] He was also known as a conservative player at times, going for broke only when he needed to. This was especially apparent on the green, where he would often choose to be less aggressive and make sure of an easy two-putt. Nicklaus spoke about this in his autobiography. "I was a fine two-putter, but sometimes too defensive—too concerned about three-putting—to go for putts that I probably should have gone for."
Awards and recognition
Main article: List of career achievements by Jack Nicklaus#Awards
Nicklaus "dotting the i" at the Ohio State Buckeyes football game against Minnesota Golden Gophers at Ohio Stadium on 2006-10-28. Nicklaus can be seen in red.
After his first year on the PGA Tour in 1962, Nicklaus received the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year award. As well as receiving the PGA Tour Player of the Year five times and topping the PGA Tour money list eight times, he has also attained the Bob Jones Award and the Payne Stewart Award, among others.
Nicklaus was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1974 and the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 1995. His likeness was featured on a special commemorative issue five-pound note issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland, making him the first living person outside the Royal Family to appear on a British banknote.
There is a Jack Nicklaus Museum on the campus of The Ohio State University in his home town of Columbus, Ohio. The museum was opened in 2002 and is a state-of-the-art , 24,000 square foot facility offering a comprehensive view of Nicklaus' life and career in and out of golf as well as exhibits celebrating the history and legends of the game.
Nicklaus had the unique privilege of "dotting the 'i'" of "Script Ohio", the signature formation of the Ohio State University Marching Band, at the Ohio State homecoming game on October 28, 2006 when the Buckeyes played Minnesota; this is considered the greatest honor that can be bestowed on a non-band member. Nicklaus was the fifth non-band member to receive this award. Other recipients include Bob Hope and Woody Hayes. While at Ohio State University, Nicklaus became a member of the Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta.
Along with Annika Sorenstam, Nicklaus was named a Global Ambassador for the International Golf Federation in 2008 and was instrumental in bringing golf to the Olympics for the 2016 and 2020 games. Golf was last an Olympic sport at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, Mo. when the United States and Canada were the only two competing countries. The International Olympic Committee approved the inclusion by a vote of 63-27, with two abstentions.
In August 2009, Augusta National announced that Nicklaus will join Arnold Palmer as an honorary starter for the 2010 Masters. Nicklaus will become the eighth honorary starter since the tradition began in 1963 when Nicklaus won his first green jacket. It will be Palmer's fourth year to hit the ceremonial opening tee shot.
Nicklaus, through his global reach in design and development, as well as the worldwide marketing and licensing of his golf and lifestyle brand, is atop Golf Inc. magazine’s coveted list of the "Most Powerful People in Golf" for a record-extending sixth consecutive year. He is the only golf industry figure who has ever been named to the No. 1 spot for more than three years. Nicklaus topped the 2009 worldwide list of 35 individuals who were selected by a panel of editors for their ability to influence and impact the business of golf, be it the development of courses and communities, the operation of courses, the equipment used by golfers, or the rules and regulations of the game. Golf Inc. wrote that while the Golden Bear’s reign at No. 1 is unprecedented, "the fact is that he keeps adding to his legend, at the design table and in the business world. Despite a worldwide course development slowdown, Nicklaus’s design firm has over 40 courses in development around the globe...And he remains perhaps golf’s most respected spokesperson on a wide range of issues."
Career achievements
Main article: List of career achievements by Jack Nicklaus
During his career on the PGA Tour, Nicklaus accumulated 18 major championships which is a record and 73 PGA Tour victories, second only to Sam Snead. He also holds the outright record for the most wins at The Masters with six and The Players Championship with three. He played on six Ryder Cup teams as well as captaining the team twice and the Presidents Cup team four times, and topped the PGA Tour money list and scoring eight times each.
* PGA Tour wins (73)
* Other wins (22)
* Senior Tour wins (10)
* Other senior wins (9)
Major championships (18)
Year ↓ Championship ↓ 54 Holes ↓ Winning Score ↓ Margin ↓ Runner(s)-up ↓
1962 U.S. Open 2 shot deficit -1 (72-70-72-69=283) Playoff 1 United States Arnold Palmer
1963 The Masters 1 shot lead -2 (74-66-74-72=286) 1 stroke United States Tony Lema
1963 PGA Championship 3 shot deficit -5 (69-73-69-68=279) 2 strokes United States Dave Ragan
1965 The Masters (2) 5 shot lead -17 (67-71-64-69=271) 9 strokes United States Arnold Palmer, South Africa Gary Player
1966 The Masters (3) Tied for lead E (68-76-72-72=288) Playoff 2 United States Gay Brewer, United States Tommy Jacobs
1966 British Open 2 shot deficit -2 (70-67-75-70=282) 1 stroke United States Doug Sanders, Wales Dave Thomas
1967 U.S. Open (2) 1 shot deficit -9 (71-67-72-65=275) 4 strokes United States Arnold Palmer
1970 British Open (2) 2 shot deficit -5 (68-69-73-73=283) Playoff 3 United States Doug Sanders
1971 PGA Championship (2) 4 shot lead -7 (69-69-70-73=281) 2 strokes United States Billy Casper
1972 The Masters (4) 1 shot lead -2 (68-71-73-74=286) 3 strokes Australia Bruce Crampton, United States Bobby Mitchell,
United States Tom Weiskopf
1972 U.S. Open (3) 1 shot lead +2 (71-73-72-74=290) 3 strokes Australia Bruce Crampton
1973 PGA Championship (3) 1 shot lead -7 (72-68-68-69=277) 4 strokes Australia Bruce Crampton
1975 The Masters (5) 1 shot deficit -12 (68-67-73-68=276) 1 stroke United States Tom Weiskopf, United States Johnny Miller
1975 PGA Championship (4) 4 shot lead -4 (70-68-67-71=276) 2 strokes Australia Bruce Crampton
1978 British Open (3) 1 shot deficit -7 (71-72-69-69=281) 2 strokes United States Ben Crenshaw, United States Raymond Floyd,
United States Tom Kite, New Zealand Simon Owen
1980 U.S. Open (4) Tied for lead -8 (63-71-70-68=272) 2 strokes Japan Isao Aoki
1980 PGA Championship (5) 3 shot lead -6 (70-69-66-69=274) 7 strokes United States Andy Bean
1986 The Masters (6) 4 shot deficit -9 (74-71-69-65=279) 1 stroke United States Tom Kite, Australia Greg Norman
1 Defeated Arnold Palmer in 18-hole playoff - Nicklaus (71), Palmer (74)
2 Defeated Tommy Jacobs & Gay Brewer in 18-hole playoff - Nicklaus (70), Jacobs (72), Brewer (78)
3 Defeated Doug Sanders in 18-hole playoff - Nicklaus (72), Sanders (73)
[edit] Results timeline
Tournament 1957 1958 1959
The Masters DNP DNP CUT
U.S. Open CUT T41 CUT
The Open Championship DNP DNP DNP
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP
Tournament 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
The Masters T13 LA T7 T15 1 T2 1 1 CUT T5 T24
U.S. Open 2 LA T4 LA 1 CUT T23 T31 3 1 2 T25
The Open Championship DNP DNP T32 3 2 T12 1 2 T2 T6
PGA Championship DNP DNP T3 1 T2 T2 T22 T3 CUT T11
Tournament 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
The Masters 8 T2 1 T3 T4 1 T3 2 7 4
U.S. Open T49 2 1 T4 T10 T7 T11 T10 T6 T9
The Open Championship 1 T5 2 4 3 T3 T2 2 1 T2
PGA Championship T6 1 T13 1 2 1 T4 3 CUT T65
Tournament 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
The Masters T33 T2 T15 WD T18 T6 1 T7 T21 18
U.S. Open 1 T6 2 T43 T21 CUT T8 T46 CUT T43
The Open Championship T4 T23 T10 T29 T31 CUT T46 T72 T25 T30
PGA Championship 1 T4 T16 2 T25 T32 T16 T24 CUT T27
Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
The Masters 6 T35 T42 T27 CUT T35 T41 T39 T6 DNP
U.S. Open T33 T46 CUT T72 T28 CUT T27 T52 T43 CUT
The Open Championship T63 T44 CUT CUT CUT T79 T45 60 DNP DNP
PGA Championship CUT T23 CUT CUT CUT T67 CUT CUT DNP DNP
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
The Masters T54 CUT DNP CUT CUT CUT
U.S. Open CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
The Open Championship CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP CUT
PGA Championship CUT DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP
LA = Low Amateur
DNP = did not play
WD = withdrew due to injury
CUT = missed the half way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
Summary of major championship performances
* Starts - 163
* Wins - 18
* 2nd place finishes - 19
* Top-three finishes - 46
* Top-five finishes - 56
* Top-10 finishes - 73
* Longest streak of top-10s in majors - 13
* Longest streak of consecutive cuts made in majors - 39
All of the above figures are stand-alone records with the exception of the longest streak of consecutive cuts made in majors at 39 which was equaled by Tiger Woods.
External links
* Nicklaus.com Official site and portal to other official Nicklaus-related websites
o PGA Tour career summary
o Nicklaus Design
* Nicklaus Golf Equipment
* Nicklaus Museum
* Profile on PGA Tour's official site
* HeadlineSports.net All Jack Nicklaus Sports Illustrated Covers
* Jack Nicklaus Profile at Golf Legends
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