The Legendary Jack Nicklaus
Jonathon Hardcastle
The general consensus seems to be that, at the rate he is
going, Tiger Woods is destined to be the greatest golfer of all
time before his career is over. That may be true. But he has a
ways to go before he can catch the current holder of that
title, "The Golden Bear" Jack Nicklaus.
Jack
Nicklaus has been a dominant force in golf for four decades,
first on the PGA Tour from the 1960s to the mid-to-late 1980s,
then on the Champions Tour from the late 1980s to the 1990s.
His name is forever linked to that of another great golfer,
Arnold Palmer, because together, they ushered in the
renaissance of golf. The Palmer-Nicklaus rivalry was so
compelling that it made golf a popular TV sport for the first
time and spurred interest in the game all across America.
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Nicklaus took up golf at the age of ten
and shot a remarkable 51 for his first nine holes. He was
breaking 70 by the time he was 13 and he had already won his
first championship by then. At the age of 12, Nicklaus won the
first of six Ohio State Junior titles. As a student at Ohio
State University, Nicklaus won the U.S. Amateur title twice
(1959, 1961), an NCAA Championship (1961) and nearly won the US
Open (1960), finishing second by two strokes to Palmer, who won
the tournament with a final round 65.
In 1962, Nicklaus turned pro and compiled an astounding record
of 18 wins in major tournaments (three Open Championships, four
U.S. Opens, five PGA Championships, and six Masters) that is
still unmatched. He is one of only five golfers to win all four
golf majors (the "Career Grand Slam"). He was the first player
to have won all four majors more than once, with Tiger Woods as
the only other player to achieve that feat. Nicklaus is still
the only golfer to have won all four majors at least three
times. Even in the twilight to his career, at age 46, Nicklaus
won The Masters in 1986 to become the oldest player to ever win
the tournament. Overall, in major golf tournaments, Nicklaus has
finished in the "top three" 48 times (including 19 second-place
finishes and nine third-places), finished in the "top five" 56
times, and finished in the "top 10" 73 times.
Tiger may one day be the greatest of them all, but for now,
only Nicklaus has passed the toughest test of all -the test of
time.
About The Author: Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles for
http://parorbetter.com/ - In addition, Jonathon also writes
articles for http://sportsoftheworld.net/ and
http://universeofentertainment.com/
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