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The Jack Nicklaus Story - Part 2 The Glory Years (PBP) 6-2-86�NtF PALm 69AC-H POSt- Juivx- N icklaus legacy includes many 0 major successes Second of four parts. ❑ Nicklaus unpopular early in career, 4C ❑ Charting Nicklaus' career, 4C By Craig Dolch Staff Triter Not a round goes by when Jack Nicklaus isn't reminded of one of his 89 professional victories by someone who said he was with him every step of the way. That's one of the unique features of professional golf. While fans of most every other major sport take a seat to watch the action, the galleries in golf almost become a part of the action. They're cheering their hero when the putts fall and moaning the putts that don't. Nicklaus was playing a practice round before his Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, two weeks ago when a man bellowed to him from behind the yellow ropes: "Hey, Jack! Remember the 1973 PGA Champi- onship? I was there that final round. I saw you win that tournament." .Nicklaus smiled. He remembered, too. That was the year he beat Bruce Crampton by four shots at the Canterbury Golf Club in nearby Cleveland to win his 14th major championship, one more than the total of the legendary Bobby Jones. Nicklaus remembers all his major victories, each having a special meaning. He's no different that the rest of us. Anyone who has ever watched him play golf has a favorite Nicklaus major victory. Question is; which one? There are 20 to choose f rom. Ask Nicklaus to choose his favorite and he'll invariably say, "The last one." 1962 U.S. Open was his first Historians point to the first one, when he beat Arnold Palmer in a playoff to win the 1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.). By beating Palmer in the land of Palmer, Nicklaus let everyone know early that he meant business. "Beating Arnold in his own back yard certainly wasn't the worst way to win your first major," Nick- laus said. It also made him the third golfer to hold the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open titles at the same time (Jones and Chick Evans were the others). For similar historical reasons, Nicklaus' victory in the 1966 British Open at Muirfield, Scotland, was significant because it completed his first career Grand Slam. His victory in the 1970 British Open must have meant a lot to Nicklaus -- he almost beheaded Doug Sanders by flinging his putter after sinking the final putt. The timing of this win couldn't have been better; Nicklaus hadn't captured a major in three years and his father, Charlie, had died earlier that year. "I had gotten lethargic during those three years," Turn to NICKLAUS, 4C AcQ.4p �aQbf sosa VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH HISTORIAN The Glory Years . 0 1 .. isklaus —Froyn I C Nicklaus said. "I just wasn't pu-tting enough effort into my game. Dad's death made me realize that life's not that long, and there I was wasting three of the best years of my life. It., bothered me because my golf.game had meant so much to Dad, and I was just going through the motions." Set --records in Open, Masters 1_1�illiant victork---ts in the 1965 Masters and the ij.S, Open at Ballrtusrol, estabfisf0ng tourriannent J.- records in bot -h, at1 -1 . a -re k: h ke vic'Vories most purists poi -,n. to, Nic'klauss shafterci-I the Masters reec)r-dll t) -y three strokes with rounids of 6-7, 71, 64 and 69, prompting Jones to sav at the presen.tation ceremony, "Jack is playing an entirely different a game I'm not even familiar with." By 1980, Nicklaus' game h;.. becomer,,Yiorefamil- iar but no less awesorne. Ile user, an Open -record 63 in the first round. to s a 7 2 -hole with 27 2, two strokes in front of Isao Aol;i, .. The victory at Asf) important be- cause it came. at a time ,lien Nicklaus was supposedly f inishea. His obituary, in fact, has been written at least a dozen times during his career. Yet he has always finds a 'Way to silence his critics, usually with an exclarynation point. IFIve times he has ended long, disappointing slumps by winning a major champion- ship: the 1967 UJ.S. Open, the 1-970 British Open, the 1978 British Open, the .1980 U.S. Open and the 1986 Masters. To Nicklaus, the golf season hfa.s always consisted prUnarily of the four major charnplonships: Masters, U. S. Open, British Open and PGA ChampionsWip. T-ficklaus views the other tournaments ­ while they carry theii own significance, especially his Memorial as preliminaries to the main events. Schedule geared around majors Nicklaus, golf calendar runs from the second we?K_ of April tintil the second week of August -- the skart of the Masters and the conclusion of the PGA C hampionship. : Nicklaus' reasoning is simple: (140 rhese events have tenure and continuity. They are played on the best courses. They attract the finest f fields. And they are the tournaments that people enjoy watching the most and relliember the longest." And it is his domination of these four Grand Slam events that has ensured Nicklaus' spot as a living legend. His 20 victories are remarkable, but so are his number of near -victories. In 97 tries as a professional, he bas 19 seconds and 19 thirds. Further, he has 69 top - 10 finishes, which means he's had legitimate chances to win two of every three majors lie entered. It, became almost too easy. "There was a time when I lost' interest," Nicklaus said-. "Just about every major tournament that I pi I ayed in, I wort. And if I didn't win, it was because of a .f.T.1,Justalke that I had made. There was no challenge to it. "Now tbat, I think back on it, I have to believe that I expc:cted to win one or two each year. That was a rii€ ,ulcus assumption. I'm almost ashanned to admit r toy I !.1 -x -q . t - 10 f inisher top I I I -lis expectations were riot that -car t of line. A. Nicklaus finished in 4s der that from 1970 to 1978, t�;--R top 10 in 31 of 33 majors. (Ile was 11th and I.3th in 'C.­--,,� otherts). And from 1966 to 1980, he finished among the top six in the British Open. `Jack Nicklaus always had more ability to rise to the occasion to win the majors," jors," said Byron Nelson, who won four majors. "He'll be playing along and, suddenly, something hits him. I call it an adrenal release. The speed of his walk will change. wren Jack starts walking real fast, that usually means the rest of the- field is in trouble." Nicklaus' pace usually quickened whenever he arrived in Augusta, Ga. He finished out of the top 10 only three times in his first 18 Masters: five times he left with a green jacket. His caddie, Willie Peterson, should have been a world-class high jumper, consider- ing the number of times he leaped in the air to cele- brate Nicklaus' birdies. "I must have jumped a thousand times or more for that man," Peterson said recently. "My favorite was when he made that long putt on the 16th hole to win his 4[ifth Masters 'in 1975). PflE�15 2. .."L -AGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH HISTORIAN "You could tell how he was going to play by the way he came out of the clubhouse.on Sunday. If hehad that stare in his eyes --- and I could tell right away --- knew that he was going to play well." Some bad memories, too Still, not all of Nicklaus' memories from the majors are pleasant ones. First, there was the 1972 British Open, when Lee Trevino chipped in from a 'bunker on the 17th hole to beat Nicklaus by a stroke. The loss was especially painful because Nicklaus had won the Masters and U.S. Open that year and had his sights set on the unthinkable — sweeping the Grand Slai-,.i events. There were also the unbelievable events of the. 11.977 British Open when Nicklaus, tied for the lead after two rounds, closed with scores of fiE,. and 66 --- and lost. Watson was just one stroke better, shooting consecutive 65s to win. Watson also dug a sand wedge through Nicklaus' heart with his chip- i P_ from the rough on the 71st hole to win the 1.982 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. "It took me a long time to get over that chip f corn Mr. Watson," Nicklaus, who lost by a stroke, said later. Lost in Nicklaus' records, perhaps, was his domi- nation of the regular PGA Tour. Despite playing an abbreviated schedule for the latter part of his caree,,r, Nicklaus still has. won 70 events, was Player of the Year five times and was the leading money winner and he)d the lowest scoring average eight times. These e accomplishments) however, must take a back seat to his performance in the 'major champion- ships. That's the way Jack Nicklaus planned it a long -time ago. Nicklaus celebrates 1980 U.S Open title ... second -to -last inajor victory before the 1986 Masters VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH HISTORIAN Aftg�.3' Junes �7f 111a Year Masters U.S. British PCA Open C 1.958 I . 0 41* C 1960 1.3t 2 1962 15t Won 32t 3t ELLdot.......... ........ . W ­ 1964 2t 23t 2 2t I:�� . � �o t .l. �t 1966'** on 3 W011 22t St 1968 5t 2 .......... 2t mc;:, .. ... .. 197© 8 49t #7' Von: 1972won Won 2 .4. 1.974 4t 1.0t 3 2 t 1976 3t Ht 2t 4t .7 19-787 6t Won MC ... .......... . ,19 ........... . ........... ... ........ .. . . . .... ...... ...................... . . . ... ... . ... ... . ..... ... . . . ......... 2ti 1980 ...... 33t Won 4t, Won. . ..... ....... t 4 1982 lit 2 lot f98 4t 1984 18t 21A 31t� ............ 1986 Won amateur: t — tie; MC — missed cut, VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH HISTORIAN Aftg�.3' Junes Arnold Palmer (left) watches Jack Nicklaus putt in practice before an early matchup; Palmer was crowd favorite in the early days VIUAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH HISTORIAN Aae. 4:�- U popk1 re nular. Nic* ...aus even d w boos in e.r, I da s Y Y ater'. he * los, t wetg1tt, gatned respet4t from golf- fans By Craig Dolch tiffW'r *tier If a scorecard cotfld have. measured Jack Nicklaus' image early in his professional ca- reer, he might -never have made a. tournament cut. It was definitely sub -par in the wrong way. Back in 1972, Nicklaus once said: "I guess a lot of peu-wple still think of, me as the fat, rich kid with the crewcut who beat Arnold Palmer in the 1962. Open. That's the image I had 10 years ago and it might stick with me for the rest of my, life." True, that was the public's perception of Nicklaus at one time, but it has since been turned around. He has gone from, one of the least -liked superstars in the 1960s to perhaps tbe, mi. :est popular athlete of the '80s. The reason is image. Nicklaus' turnaround in that department would have to rival any comeback he has ever made on the golf course. Early image unflattering For many old-timers, there will always be an indelible image of a Nicklaus possessing too rnuch weight and too little emotion. At 920 pounds, he was known, as "Fat Jack" or "Ohio Fats." He was certainly no slave t�F fashion, either, especially when fie wore what wife Bar- bcara refer -T. -ed to. as his "'Army refugee" pants. 'it didn't help that Nicklaus had the rnisfor- tune to eryierge at a time when the golf world was still. agog over a belt-Augging charist'llatic Pennsylvanian nairxed Arnold Pahrner "The fat kid with the crewcut'was seen as a usurper to Paltu.erls crown, and some fans never forgave Nicklaus for beating their hero in that head-to- head playoff for the 1962 U.S. Opel title at 1 guess a lot. of people still thitik of me as the filt., rich kid Nvitii the crewcut who beat Art-iold Pah-ner in the 1-962 opc ' 'u . That"s t1w, initage I had 10 years ago. and it might stick with me for the rest of *my life.' Jack Nicklaus Oakmont. Men-yibers of Arnie's Army even taunt- ed and jeered the beefy Ohio youngster. during those final 18 holes, much to Palmer's chagrin. But those days are longgone. Nicklaus is and cheered wherever he goes, ad he's got a bet -ter Ificknaflie, too. Just how did the Golder, Bear become so golden? It all started on a plane ride back to the .United States f rom the 1969 Ryder Cup matches at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England. This was the match 'where Nicklaus conceded a short putt to Tony Jacklin on the final hole — thus ensuring the only tie in the competition. But more importantly, Nicklaus also conceded he needed to lose some weight. "I got -real tired the last day of the matches, and I didn't like'the way I felt," Nicklaus said. "I knew I had always been a 1.1ttle overweight, but, my doctor had always told me I would know when it was, time to go on a diet." It was time. Weight Watchers diet helped When Nicklaus arrived at his Lost Tree Village home, he informed Hart, Schaffner and VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM WACH HISTORIAN P045r- 5 JuNj� 2, Marx that he would soon be needinv, new pants., - What followed was a Weight Watchers diet that forever reshaped Nicklaus' image. 11P. went from 210 to 185 pounds in three weeks, taking an inch from his waistline (35 to 34) and almost seven inches from around his hips. The extra weight around his chin aDd neck also disappeared. As his weight dropped, his popularity, increased. Nicklaus then 'took a trip to 441 -he barber for a new hairstyle, and the crewcut was replaced by a shock of yellow hair that gave him an even younger appearance. The transformation was complete when Hathaway (the shirt compaiiy) and Hart, Schaffner and Ma -Ax sent him their new clothing lines. Suddenly, Nicklaus found something new with his game: sex appeal. "I get a kick out of that sex appeal talk," Nicklaus said at the time. "But my wife sure kids tate about it." To this day, Nicklaus n'lain'tains there was never a conscious effort on his part to construct a new image. "I took the weight off for health reasons', and the hairstyle and clothing were just a sign -of the times," he said. Through the 1970s he continued to reltax VDore on the g( -)1f course, and that endeared, hirn 11 P further with his grotwing legion of fans. His g,lowlng g1cilf record didn't hurt itis popularity, (-.,,ithen "Inevitably you change soinewhat as you 'J .1 gain experience," Nicklaus said. "It simply t()ok me a while to learn that you have to give the fans a little more of yourself than just a golf game," Nick I laus' early ii-irage: overweight, short-halred- rio.-°h kit. . . . but I improved looks and continued fine play eventually wm-i tF.)ier crcr.j-&-, VILLAGE OF NORTH PALM BEACH HISTORIAN P�9r- 4 JvNg I