Jack Nicklaus has spent the last 66 years coming to Augusta National. The six-time Masters champion knows all the ins and outs of the famed course and has for many years.
But that wasn’t always the case. When Nicklaus arrived at Augusta National as an amateur in 1959, he wasn’t versed in any of the course’s rules — and he accidentally broke one without even realizing it.
“When I first drove down Magnolia Lane in 1959, I’ll never forget it, I drove down with my college friend named Bob Obetz,” Nicklaus said on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. “I didn’t know you couldn’t bring guests, nobody even asked. It never entered my mind. I’m a 19-year-old kid, and I remember Alex Osborn, a member here, met us at the club. Alex never said a word that you can’t bring [a guest]. Alex just says, ‘Oh, hi, I’m Alex Osborn.’ I say, ‘I’m here. This is my friend Bob.’ He says, ‘Oh, I’ll take care of Bob this week. We’ll play.’ And we played for about three, four days in a row and he never said a word. … I mean, that was what Augusta National meant to me, is you start off with the graciousness, the way people treated people. I mean, I’m a 19-year-old kid. He could have embarrassed me very easily without even trying. But that’s the way it started for me, and it’s never changed.”
Nicklaus shot 76-74 and missed the cut by one stroke in his maiden appearance in 1959. He played two more Masters as an amateur before playing in 42 as a pro.
After missing the cut at Augusta in 1959, Nicklaus only missed one cut at the Masters between 1960 and 1994. He withdrew from the 1983 Masters due to a back issue. The 18-time major champion played in his final Masters in 2005 and now serves as one of the Honorary Starters along with Gary Player and Tom Watson.
Now 85, Nicklaus takes the first tee at Augusta on Thursday just hoping he can get the Masters off to a proper start.
“You might want to start with when I walk up, make sure I don’t trip,” Nicklaus said Thursday after the 89th Masters started. “Second one is make sure I get the tee in the ground without falling over, and the third one is just don’t kill anybody. Don’t laugh too much about that; that’s actually the thoughts that I have. As a matter of fact, from that point on, I just stand up and try to make as short a swing as I can make, and I didn’t have to work on that, and just make sure I make contact and hit it somewhere I won’t hurt somebody.”
Thankfully, Nicklaus’ unintentional rule-breaking didn’t damage his relationship with the club. More than 50 years and six green jackets later, Nicklaus can probably bring whomever he wants to Augusta National.
