The post Greg Norman reveals the tip Jack Nicklaus gave him before first major win appeared first on Golf.

The post Greg Norman reveals the tip Jack Nicklaus gave him before first major win appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to our new series, golfer-to-golfer, where we try to learn from all different kinds of avid players out there, in hopes that the rest of us can take away something that might improve our own games.

This week, we’re hearing from three of the greats: Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson, who reveal in ESPN’s new 30 for 30 the advice Jack gave Greg that helped the Shark win his first major.

Greg Norman was the best player in golf in 1986, but he was in danger of ending the season without a major to show for it.

Holding the 54-hole lead in each of the first two majors, his late Masters charge sputtered with a bogey on the 18th hole, and his U.S. Open bid ended with a final round 75.

Again the 54-hole leader at the 1986 Open Championship at Turnberry, Norman admitted that he was nervous, and that questions over how the pressure was affecting him were starting to bother him.

That’s when, as Norman entered the clubhouse following his third round, Jack Nicklaus, who was eating lunch with Tom Watson at the time, decided to intervene.

“I walked over to him at sat down, and I told him: ‘You know, I’ve watched you in the last couple of majors where you didn’t quite get it done, and I’ve seen a flaw repeated,” Jack said in the documentary.

Lighter grip pressure at setup

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The flaw Jack had spotted was Norman gripping the club too tight under pressure. That was causing Norman’s ordinarily long, loose and powerful golf swing to become shorter and tighter under pressure, which would cause him to hit wayward shots.

And as Norman retells it, Jack’s advice was simple.

“He put his hand on my shoulder: Just focus on your grip pressure tomorrow, that’s it,” revealed Norman.

“It was typical Jack, keeping it simple,” Watson adds. “Keep your hands lightly on the club, and just play golf.”

Thanks in part from that tip from the 18-time major winner Nicklaus, Norman went on to shoot one-under 69 on Sunday to win his first major championship by five strokes.

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The post WATCH: Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson hit ceremonial opening tee shots at the Masters appeared first on Golf.

The post WATCH: Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tom Watson hit ceremonial opening tee shots at the Masters appeared first on Golf.

Masters Thursday is officially here.

The pageantry of the early week is behind us, and competition for the green jacket has officially begun. But before the action started, there was one last tradition to observe — the ceremonial opening tee shots.

The ceremonial opening tee shots began in 1963 and have been an annual tradition in the nearly 60 years since. Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod hit the first ceremonial opening tee shots, and other legends of the game such as Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ken Venturi, Arnold Palmer and Lee Elder have taken part since.

This year, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player assumed their annual roles in striking ceremonial opening tee shots, while two-time Masters winner Tom Watson joined them for the first time.

“I would like to say how honored I am to be with Gary and Jack,” Watson said. “I’ve watched his ceremony many times in the past … To be part of this, I’m truly humbled.”

Check out below for videos of all three men sending their tee balls down Augusta National’s 1st fairway.

Jack Nicklaus

Gary Player

Tom Watson

The Masters is officially underway.

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The post Tour Confidential: Hideki Matsuyama’s jaw-dropper, Netflix, funky courses appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: Hideki Matsuyama’s jaw-dropper, Netflix, funky courses appeared first on Golf.

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us @golf_com. This week, we break down Hideki Matsuyama’s jaw-dropping shot to win the Sony Open, the PGA Tour’s upcoming Netflix series, funky courses and more.

1. Netflix revealed some of its plans for its upcoming behind-the-scenes series involving the PGA Tour, including the 23 participants. Among them are Jordan Spieth, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Joel Dahmen and Harry Higgs. Which player do you think will make for the most compelling viewing?

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Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): I apologize, but I have to go with three: Joel Dahmen and Harry Higgs, with a dark horse pick of DJ. Dahmen and Higgs are two of the most personable players on Tour, won’t shy from the exposure and most likely will offer more than a few lighter moments. (Just this week, Dahmen’s caddie, Geno Bonnalie, recorded himself standing in line to buy his man a hot dog ahead of the first round of the Sony.). As for Dustin Johnson, it could be really great, or it could be really not. But DJ being DJ should be … something. 

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): Gimme the funny. The quirky. The lesser known. In short, the order of interest here seems to be pretty much the inverse of where these guys sit in the world rankings.

Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler should be intriguing, mainly because those guys got so famous so fast it’s always seemed to me like we saw only the corporate version on Tour. I want to see the other side of them, if they let us in. But I also agree with what Nick said — fringe golf fans will watch and know about Spieth and Rickie and Brooks and so on, but this is a chance for those fans to learn more about guys like Higgs, Dahmen and Homa, who are sure to pick up a ton of new fans through this series.

Tim Reilly, Director of Social (@LifeofTimReilly): For a man of few words to the press, Dustin Johnson has brought us a great deal of joy with his brevity during press conferences. There’s a lot of intrigue around DJ off the course. Frankly, there’s a lot of intrigue around DJ and his fiancee, Paulina Gretzky, off the course. If we’re given ANY insight into their wedding planning and the wedding itself, that’s the most compelling reality TV they can bring us. I fully expect Joel Dahmen and his caddie, Geno Bonnalie, to become the breakout stars, though. 

2. As part of the Netflix series, a Tour spokesman also said: “We do not have editorial control. We will be involved to the extent that Netflix and the producers have the access they need to film at our events. We want them to make a great show, and we all agree the documentary needs to be as authentic as possible.” In addition, the show will have access to all four majors. “For the first time ever, the PGA Tour and the governing bodies that conduct men’s major championships — Augusta National Golf Club, the PGA of America, the USGA and The R&A — will provide entry into the sport’s biggest events,” the show announced in a release. With that creative freedom, what little-exposed part of Tour life do you hope comes to light?

Piastowski: It has to be whatever we can get out of Augusta National, right? Outside of what the majority of us see on TV and on the grounds every April, there is so little we know of the Masters host. Do we get access to the Champions Dinner? Do we get access into the clubhouse? What about the locker room? On and on. Feed our Augusta appetite!  

Sens: Can’t disagree with Nick here. In theory anyway. So long as it truly is something new and revealing, and not too stage-managed. How about Higgs and Dahmen take us on a guided tour of Augusta’s best fishing holes? In terms of Tour life itself, the less golfy the better. Can DJ fix a broken sink? Does Higgs have a Chia Pet collection? Surprise us. Otherwise, this has the potential to be really boring.

Berhow: Good timing, as anything behind the scenes at Augusta would be great, but don’t forget we are going to the best Open Championship venue of all this year in St. Andrews. Lots to like there. Beyond that, I’m interested in their casual golf rounds with buddies (can they shoot 62 in their sleep?), family life (DJ the dad!) and what it’s like to basically be a Tour player going into a place like Target and buying home essentials. Give me it all!

Reilly: I want to see as much behind-the-scenes action from practice round money games. I think we’ll get the most insight into what these guys are really like in those moments. 

3. Hideki Matsuyama trailed Russell Henley by five at the turn on Sunday of the Sony Open, but Matsuyama played the back nine in five-under to shoot 63 and force a playoff. Then came the shot of the week (and since it’s just January, the year): a towering 3-wood from 277 yards out on the first playoff hole to set up a kick-in eagle and his eighth career PGA Tour victory. Where does it rank among the most awe-inspiring shots in recent memory?

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Berhow: I’m going to fail miserably to give it proper context in a ranking, but to hit a 3-wood that far, with that kind of ball speed and to have it land that softly on a green is something my own game is not familiar with. With apologies to this tournament, I don’t think we’ll be talking about this shot years from now or anything, but man, that was fun to watch.

Sens: Don’t want to sound jaded here, but nowadays on Tour, shots like that aren’t ridiculously outlandish, not for someone of Hideki’s gifts playing modern equipment. I’m not sure exactly how to rank it, but when you weigh the magnitude of the event and the probabilities of the shot itself, I’d say Rahm’s putt on 18 last year at Torrey was probably tougher. And don’t even get me started on Corey Pavin’s 4-wood to 18 at Shinnecock. But I’m dating myself. 

Piastowski: The shot was so, so good. Don’t forget what Matsuyama’s opponent in the playoff, Russell Henley, did with his third shot, from about 150 yards closer — he airmailed it over the green. In recent memory — I’m thinking the past two or so years — Collin Morikawa driving the green on the 16th at Harding at the 2020 PGA is tops, and Rahm’s putt that Sens mentioned is No. 2. But Matsuyama’s shot is definitely in the conversation. 

Reilly: We’re talking about a shot at the Sony Open, right?! I mean, it was a great shot. I’d be talking about it for the rest of my life if I hit it. Matsuyama is one of the best ball-strikers in the world, and this shot was a reminder of that. But when I think about all-time great shots, I think about those that happened in majors and marquee events. I can’t put this in that conversation. I’ll enjoy watching the replay at Sony Opens for years to come. Hell of a shot! 

4. Kevin Kisner, on this week’s Subpar podcast, dished on his feeling of again not being selected to play for the U.S. Ryder Cup team. “I don’t know. I didn’t give a s—,” he said. “It’s too political for me, I didn’t really care, and I don’t really get caught up in that s—. I love [Steve] Stricker to death, but he didn’t pick me this year, which I get — I didn’t play worth a s— in the playoff.” What say you? Is the selection process too “political?” And, if so, any way to remedy that?

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Piastowski: Oh, like any hiring process, it is a little. Every captain has a different personality and their own thoughts behind their picks, and that certainly makes the selections less than scientific, for sure. That being said, it’s not like Stricker, or any captain, would leave off someone who clearly should be there for something petty. They want to win. Should Kisner have made the team? Yeah, I think so. Why wouldn’t you take a match-play wizard? That being said, six of the picks were automatic (and based on performance) this year, and the six wild cards appeared to be strongly based on recent form. And clearly it worked. But for conversation sake, I’ll toss this out there — why not take the pool of “at-large” players to the course and let them settle it there? There’s no way it would happen, but a play-in event would be pretty great. 

Sens: No doubt it can get political. But with good reason. On top of the cold, hard stats, you’re picking based on who you like, who you think will get along. Chemistry. Has any of it ever resulted in a grave injustice? Only if you think a golf exhibition qualifies as a grave matter. If you want to get rid of any politics, go strictly by the rankings. But then you lose all the joy of second-guessing the captain, and where’s the fun in that?

Berhow: The selection process surrounding the captain could get political, I guess, but you could say that about anything in which one person is chosen by a small group to lead a slightly larger group. As for when it comes to players, it’s hard to say since there’s more that goes into putting a team together than the top 12 players in a ranking. There will always be tough decisions and second-guessing of snubs, but I can’t recall an egregious omission from either of the teams in the past several years.

Reilly: What isn’t political in the world these days? Captains are trying to put together the best team without sacrificing team chemistry. It’s as simple as that. Kisner is a tremendous match play competitor. He did a hell of a job as a member of the ’17 Presidents Cup. I think 2018 was his year to be part of the U.S. Ryder Cup team. This year, there was no arguing with the team assembled. Right or wrong, Kisner’s Ryder Cup window may have closed with the level of young American talent that seemingly all gets along. 

5. Tom Watson, Augusta National announced this week, will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as an honorary starter at this year’s Masters. Did the green coats make the right pick? If not, who should have gotten the nod?

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Piastowski: That’s a good call. I wouldn’t have minded seeing a rotating third spot — perhaps as a nod to an anniversary of winning — but Tom Watson works well for me. 

Sens: Makes perfect sense. Especially since the only guy not in the field who’s got more wins will be announcing the event.

Berhow: Great pick. Well deserved. Will be a nice addition to their Thursday morning press conference, too.

Reilly: It’s time to start introducing new faces as part of that tradition. It’s always sad watching legendary figures age, but it won’t be long until we see other new faces join Watson as honorary starters. 

6. The first PGA Tour swing of 2021 — the Hawaiian one! — is in the books. What’s your biggest takeaway as we head back to the mainland for the West Coast swing?

Piastowski: Jon Rahm is gonna win a whole bunch of tournaments this year. And Hideki Matsuyama might successfully defend at Augusta. 

Sens: Agreed, Nick. I’ve got Rahm to win multiple majors this year, and I’m sticking to it.

Reilly: That golf needs a longer offseason. Maybe I’m just too caught up in the NFL playoffs, but it doesn’t feel like I should be watching golf again yet. I’d love for the season to wait until the bye week before the Super Bowl. That would be a great week to be front and center in the sports world. I need more time to miss the action. 

Berhow: That when Hideki can putt, and pair it with his unreal ball-striking, it’s almost unfair. Also that these guys are really good and can and will eat up any course that might allow it. Lastly, I need to visit Hawaii.

7. Our Alan Bastable dished on what he called “America’s funkiest golf facility,” writing that Edgefield Golf Course in Oregon has 32 holes and a pub in the pro shop, among other quirks. What’s the quirkiest course you’ve visited?

Travel

Piastowski: Whew, I’ve been to a few. But I’ll go with a course I played about a decade ago in central Nebraska. You paid whatever you thought was right and put your money in a mailbox. If you wanted a cart, there were three with keys in them. There was zero cell service in the area. And zero noise — I was the only player on the entire nine-hole course that day, and I counted only one car passing by on the nearby highway in my 90 minutes there. And the course was called “Augusta Wind.” So very quirky. 

Sens: I’ll go with the Nullarbor Links, the world’s longest golf course, stretching around 800 miles through the Australian Outback. It took me a week to play it, driving from one lonely roadhouse outpost to the next, roughly one hole per town. At one of the stops, a kangaroo hopped out of the brush and accepted a big slug of beer, straight out of the bottle, from an Aussie guy I was with. It was like Kangaroo Dundee or something.

Berhow: Easy. I played a Beatles-themed golf course last summer, complete with a yellow submarine in the pond on 18. The best part? It’s a terrific value, and I’ll be back again in 2022.

Reilly: Shelter Island’s “Goat Hill” nine-hole course. Michael Bamberger describes the experience playing Goat Hill better than I ever could, and I recommend reading his takeaways here. This except summarizes my own experience, too: “I hit about the best opening tee-shot of my golfing life. When I got out there, I was amazed to see my drive was almost hole-high. I hit a beautiful pitch right at the flagstick, only to discover that the flagstick marked not the hole’s location but the direction of the hole. I still had another 60 or so yards to go.” If you ever find yourself on Shelter Island, wedged between the forks off Long Island’s East End, play Goat Hill. 

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The post Tom Watson named Masters honorary starter beginning this April appeared first on Golf.

The post Tom Watson named Masters honorary starter beginning this April appeared first on Golf.

Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player will welcome another longtime friend to the 1st tee at the Masters later this year as Tom Watson has been announced as an honorary starter by Augusta National.

Masters Chairman Fred Ridley made the announcement Tuesday morning in a press release, saying, “I am honored that Tom has accepted our invitation. I look forward to commemorating his love for the game and impact on the Masters with his millions of fans across the globe as he hits a tee shot alongside two of the Tournament’s other all-time greats, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.”

Watson, 72, is a fitting character for the annual duty as he led one of the more impressive, elongated careers in the history of the tournament. Watson’s Masters career spanned 43 years, where he amassed the 5th-best career scoring average (72.74) in tournament history. While his number of green jackets (2) is less than his 1st-tee compadres, both of those wins came in contention alongside Nicklaus and Player.

Nicklaus finished second to Watson in both the 1977 and 1981 Masters, by two strokes each time, which Watson remembers quite well. And when Player famously won in 1978 at the age of 42, it was only after Watson bogeyed the 18th hole to miss out on a chance of defending his title in a playoff.

“Augusta National in April is one of my favorite places to be,” Watson said. “With the many fond memories of both watching the Masters as a youngster and then competing in the Tournament for so many years, I am greatly honored to join my friends and fellow competitors, Jack and Gary, as an Honorary Starter in this upcoming Masters. In both of my victories, Jack was on my heels. And when Gary won his third Tournament in 1978, I was there to help him put on the Green Jacket. Moments like those stand out in my career, and the opportunity to share the Honorary Starter tradition with Jack, Gary and the Masters patrons will be very special.” 

The opening tee shots, which began in 1963, have become an emotion-filled ceremony — whether it’s happiness, sadness, laughter, or some combination of them all. Last year’s iteration was devoted to Lee Elder, the first Black man to compete at the Masters. It was a milestone commemoration for a career devoted to the game and to fighting for human rights. It became even more meaningful in the months since as Elder passed away on Nov. 28. 

The 2022 ceremony will take place on Thursday, April 7.

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The post The surprising reason Tom Watson starts every warm-up with his hybrid appeared first on Golf.

The post The surprising reason Tom Watson starts every warm-up with his hybrid appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Play Smart, a game-improvement column that drops every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Game Improvement Editor Luke Kerr-Dineen to help you play smarter, better golf.

Tom Watson has 70 professional wins in his career, including 39 PGA Tour wins, eight major titles and 14 PGA Tour Champions victories. With so many wins over such a long period of time, it’s safe to say he’s a golfer who knows how to warm up effectively.

Warming up is a bit of a pet topic of mine. I study how pros do it, ask experts the best way to do it, and look closely at all the bits in between. Often, the advice I get back is to start with a few stretches before hitting smaller wedge shots before gradually moving onto bigger golf swings. It’s a good template for the rest of us, and one most pros follow.

Instruction

But then on Monday, while on the grounds of the Berenberg Classic — a charity event hosted at GlenArbor Golf Club to raise money in the fight pancreatic cancer — I had my entire warm up worldview rattled. I watched Watson stroll onto the range, whip out his hybrid and begin bashing golf balls rapid-fire into the distance. No stretches, no wedges. He hit about 10 minutes of hybrids, then about 10 minutes more of drivers, before ending with a handful of shorter clubs and heading to the putting green.

If I saw an average golfer warming up this way I’d be outraged. Yet here was Tom Watson doing things seemingly totally backwards. How could this be? Turns out, it’s an intentional decision.

Bigger swings…

“For starters, I want my first swings of the day to be bigger swings,” Watson says. “Hitting little wedge shots isn’t going to get me loose. Making a longer hybrid swing is going to get me loose in a hurry.”

Watson has been starting his warmup sessions with a hybrid or long iron for years now, and not just for physical reasons. Sure, it helps get him looser, faster, but he says it also gives him a mental boost.

…lower expectations

“If I start with a wedge, and I can’t hit that good, I know it’s going to be a bad day out there,” he says. “I know that if I can’t even hit a wedge, it’s going to be ugly.”

Which is why Watson employs a bit of reverse psychology and starts with the clubs that are the most difficult to hit.

“If I don’t hit the hybrid good then who cares? It’s a hard club to hit, and it’s the first swing of the day,” he says. “If I can hit [my hybrid] well without warming up, I know it’s going to be a good day.”

All of which is to say — and I never thought I’d write this sentence — that maybe starting your warmup with a hybrid might work for you.

Ready to overhaul your game? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.

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The post Masters holes: Augusta National’s par-4 1st hole, explained by Tom Watson appeared first on Golf.

The post Masters holes: Augusta National’s par-4 1st hole, explained by Tom Watson appeared first on Golf.

In the 65 years since the Masters Tournament was first televised, golf fans have seen every inch of Augusta National’s beauty in high-def close-up. What you’ve never seen is the course — hole by hole, tee box by tee box — through the eyes of 18 living Masters champions, from Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Dustin Johnson, Ben Crenshaw and beyond. Until now. Eighteen holes, 18 winners, 18 ways of seeing Augusta National anew.

Hole No. 1: Par-4 / 445 yards (Tea Olive)

By Tom Watson (1977, 1981 Masters champion)

What you see off the tee: “A very wide expanse of fairway up to the bunker on the right at the top of the hill. You see the hole go downhill and then back uphill. And, of course, it’s totally lined by people — it starts narrow by the tee, then spreads out, and that really frames the hole.”

What you don’t know until you’ve played it: “The green has a false front. If you land short — in the first 20 to 30 feet — it’s going to roll all the way back off the green. So you have to carry the false front, and that makes the green smaller.”

Where you will make the biggest mistake: “Some players will approach the first hole differently because it’s the Masters and, obviously, that’s exciting. But you really have to suck it up and make a good swing and not get too tense.”

Why it’s unforgettable to me: “The final round in 1977, [when I won], I hit my ball in the right trees. Fortunately, I had some sort of opening, and I got it down just to the right of the green with a really good chip and made par. But that tee ball — it was not a good way to start.”

Did you know… In 1968, Roberto De Vicenzo eagled hole No. 1, only to lose the Masters in a heartbreaker later that day. It was his birthday.

1/3

2/3

3/3

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The post Masters holes: Augusta National’s par-4 1st hole, explained by Tom Watson appeared first on Golf.

The post Masters holes: Augusta National’s par-4 1st hole, explained by Tom Watson appeared first on Golf.

Two-time Masters champion Tom Watson breaks down the par-4 1st hole at Augusta National Golf Club, so you know what to watch for on TV.

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The post Tom Watson on Augusta’s hardest shot, one course tweak he’d make and his 2021 Masters pick appeared first on Golf.

The post Tom Watson on Augusta’s hardest shot, one course tweak he’d make and his 2021 Masters pick appeared first on Golf.

He is a two-time Masters champion and owner of one of golf’s most envious swings. He is Tom Watson, and in addition to earning a seat at the Champion’s dinner, is always willing to regale his history (and legacy) at the game’s most famed event.

Today, he sits down to answer 20 questions, providing golf fans with not only his deep reverence for Augusta National, but also a heavy dose of Masters history.

1. What do you remember about your first round at Augusta National?

I played with Doug Ford, 1970, as an amateur, and [on the first hole] I hooked my ball into the left trees.

I couldn’t see the green from where I was, so I had to walk up about 40 or 50 yards to get a line to the pin. I walked back in line with the pin, but then I lost my line so I had to walk up there again. Doug Ford was already waiting for me on the back of the green. Doug was a very fast player. 

2. There’s a saying: Augusta picks its winners. What does that mean to you? 

Well, it doesn’t mean anything to me. 

3. Other than your own, what was the most exciting Masters win? 

When I was a boy, I watched Arnold Palmer win his four Masters, and each one was absolutely, totally exciting to me. He was my hero. He was the King. I wanted him to win and he won. He just loved playing Augusta, and he played with great passion. It was really special. 

4. You got the better of Jack Nicklaus in both of your Masters wins. Were those more gratifying than besting him at the Open at Pebble in ’82?

I can’t compare the two at all. Anytime you beat the best in the game it’s special, because that’s what you’re trying to do. And if you can come down head-to-head with the best in the game, that’s the dream come true for me. 

5. What do you most look forward to Masters week? 

First and foremost, playing the tournament. But I always enjoy the Champions Dinner and getting together with the generations of Masters winners. It’s a pleasure. 

6. Who has served the best Champions dinner?

I can’t really say, but the food is always good, especially the corn bread and olives. Graber olives. You can buy them in the can! They’re great. G-R-A-B-E-R. 

7. It’s been five years since you played your last Masters. What do you miss the most about competing at Augusta? 

The excitement of teeing off on the first hole and trying to face the challenge of the course, and to beat the course the best I can. That’s me in a nutshell. 

8. If you could change one thing about the course, what would it be?

[Long pause] Well, I thought a couple of the hazard lines were not marked properly, like the cross hazard left of 13. They kind of went overboard. But you don’t call ’em hazards anymore, you call ’em penalty areas.

9. If you could change one thing about the tournament itself, what would it be?

I wouldn’t.

10. What part of your game did you focus on most leading up to the Masters? 

Trying to hit a draw with the driver, making the ball work right to left. On holes like 9, 10, 13 — you have to do that to make the course play shorter.

11. Did you make any gear tweaks specifically for Augusta?

I tweaked my swing, not my gear. I’d pull my right foot back and take the club a little bit more to the inside and rotate a little bit stronger going through the impact area — the old standby lesson on how to draw the ball.

12. Do you still have any of your Masters-winning clubs, and, if so, where do you keep them? 

I do. I have a driver that I won the Masters with, sets of irons I won with. I keep them stored away in my house. 

13. You’re a photography buff. If you could shoot the course, where would you go first?

The 11th and 12th greens, surrounded by the azaleas. That’s where I’d go.

14. Do you have a favorite restaurant in Augusta? 

Well, we ate in a lot of ’em. The last few years we would go to TBonz and have a steak dinner. It was a lot of fun. 

15. What is the hardest shot on the course?

The most dangerous is the tee shot at No. 12. Play that properly or else you lose the tournament. We sure have seen that recently. 

16. What is the easiest shot on the course?

I never really took any shot there as an easy shot.

17. What’s the lowest number you think you could post on the course today, in tournament conditions, if you had everything going?

I’d be hard-pressed to shoot 75 from the back tees. It’s a long golf course from back there. Way too long for me.

18. The winner of the 2021 Masters will be …?

I think I’d put it on Justin Thomas. He hits the ball high and hits it a long way. He’s got all the shots you need to play there. He’s due to win that club tournament.

19. Will we see you there this year?

Well, it depends on whether they have crowds or not. If they don’t allow crowds, then you’re probably not going to see me. If they don’t have the Par 3 tournament, I don’t think I’ll be there.

20. What’s the most unusual place you have worn your green jacket? 

Never worn it outside of the club. 

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The post ‘Yes, Sir!’: The 80 greatest Jack Nicklaus moments appeared first on Golf.

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Jack Nicklaus with his wife Barbara after Jack won the 1970 Open Championship at the Old Course in St. Andrews.

Getty Images

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June 13, 1957
As a 17-year-old, he plays — but misses the cut — in his first U.S. Open, at Inverness.

June 13, 1958
Makes his first cut at the U.S. Open, at Southern Hills Country Club, in Oklahoma, his second appearance in the event. Finishes T41.

September 25, 1958
He first meets Arnold Palmer, at Dow Finsterwald Day, an annual 18-hole exhibition match in Athens, Ohio.

Early 1959
Still under the guidance of Jack Grout, Nicklaus is selected to the U.S. Walker Cup team. In his career, he’ll play on or captain 17 national teams, including eight Ryder and four Presidents Cups.

Jack Grout and Jack Nicklaus pictured at the Walker Cup.

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March 1959
The azaleas are in bloom and Jack’s eyes are bulging as he drives down Magnolia Lane for the first time, to compete in his first Masters. Even before the tournament begins, Jack makes his presence felt by eating two steaks at dinner every night, along with many sides. The story goes that his voracious appetite prompts the club to put a limit on free food. But that’s just legend. This is fact: Jack’s roommate in the Crow’s Nest that week is Phil Rodgers, who, 20 years later, helps revive Jack’s flagging game with some key short-game instruction.

May 1959
On his first trip to Scotland, Jack visits North Berwick, where he buys the hickory-shafted Ben Sayers putter that he’ll use in his two U.S. Amateur Championship wins.

September 19, 1959
At 19, captures his first U.S. Amateur Championship, defeating Charlie Coe, 1-up, in the 36-hole final at the Broadmoor, in Colorado.

Spring 1960
As a member of the Ohio State University golf team, Jack is named an NCAA All-American, an honor he repeats in 1961.

June 18, 1960
Competing as an amateur, finishes runner-up to Palmer in the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. His four-day score of 282, two shots behind the King, remains the lowest ever by an amateur in the U.S. Open until Viktor Hovland beats the record in 2019. Paired with Jack in the final group, Ben Hogan declares: “I played with a kid today that would’ve won by five shots if he knew what he was doing.”

June 1961
Wins the NCAA Championship, individual title.

September 16, 1961
Wins his second U.S. Amateur Championship, defeating Dudley Wysong in the finals, 8 and 6, at Pebble Beach.

September 23, 1961
Jack Nicklaus Jr., the first of Jack and Barbara’s five children, is born. Laying eyes on his son for the first time, Jack Sr. faints. As legend would have it, he does the same at the birth of each of his children.

Fall 1961
Writing in the Melbourne Age, journalist Don Lawrence dubs Jack “the Golden Bear.” Taken by the name, Jack picks the Golden Bear logo for his shirts.

November 8, 1961
Turns pro. A day later, Jack receives a letter from Bobby Jones, encouraging him to remain an amateur. “Bob Jones had always been his idol,” Barbara Nicklaus recalls later. “I think in his mind, he wanted to stay an amateur because he adored Bob Jones. But we were married. He was trying to sell insurance, go to school and play golf…. We talked it over and he said, ‘You know, if I want to be the best, I need to play with the best.’”

June 17, 1962
At 22, he’s still practically a kid, up against the King on his home court in an 18-hole playoff at the U.S. Open. The course is Oakmont, the heart of Palmer country, and to say the crowds are partisan is putting it politely. But Jack is unfazed from the start. In those days, the winner of a U.S. Open playoff received not just a first-place check but also the proceeds from the day’s ticket sales. On the range before their head-to-head, Palmer sidles up to Jack and suggests that they split the pot, regardless of the outcome. No thanks, Jack replies. Winner take all. And he does. It’s the first of his 18 major crowns.

Jack Nicklaus took down Arnold Palmer at Oakmont to win his first major title.

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June 29, 1962
Lands on the cover of Time.

Winter 1962
Jack quits smoking on the golf course, a decision he makes after watching a replay of his playoff with Palmer in the 1962 U.S. Open. “We must have looked like two chimneys,” Jack says. “I never smoked again in public after that.”

January 30, 1963
At the Palm Springs Golf Classic, meets Angelo Argea, who carries Jack’s bag on his way to victory. Argea remains Jack’s caddie for more than 20 years.

April 7, 1963
At 23, Jack wins his first Masters, becoming the youngest player ever to capture the Green Jacket. Afterward, he hands Bobby Jones the winning ball.

July 21, 1963
Wins his first PGA Championship, at Dallas Athletic Club, two shots ahead of runner-up Dave Ragan. His winnings: $13,000.

April 7, 1964
Jack is given a Masters locket by Ben Hogan for entrance into the Masters Club dinner.

April 11, 1965
Wins his second Masters — and fourth major — finishing nine shots clear of Palmer in a dominating performance that prompts Bobby Jones to say: “He plays a game with which I’m not familiar.”

1965
The two had crossed paths in Ohio before, at the 1957 U.S. Open, where Pete Dye finished eight strokes ahead of Jack. Now, Dye is back in Jack’s home state, not as a competitor but as a course architect. He’s building The Golf Club, just east of Columbus, and he asks for input from the multiple major winner. Though Jack downplays his knowledge of design, he kicks in with ideas and enjoys the process. Nicklaus the architect is born. “The thing I admire about Jack’s design work is a lot of golf professionals want to stick their names on it and have someone else build it,” Dye observes years later. “Not Jack. He’s been very active in his golf course design business.”

April 11, 1966
Wins his third Masters — and fifth major — becoming the first back-to-back winner of the event.

Jack Nicklaus won the Masters a record six times.

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July 9, 1966
Wins his first British Open Championship, at Muirfield, for his sixth major title, completing the career Grand Slam.

June 18, 1967
Wins his second U.S. Open, at Baltusrol, four shots ahead of Palmer. His final-round 65 gives him a four-day total of 275, a new record for the event.

Winter 1967
Voted PGA Player of the Year, an honor he will go on to earn five times.

September 20, 1969
Concedes a short-par putt to Tony Jacklin on the final hole of the Ryder Cup, halving the hole, halving the match and halving the Cup. The gesture, which came to be known as The Concession, is often called one of the game’s greatest acts of sportsmanship.

November 27, 1969
Harbour Town Golf Links opens on Thanksgiving Day. It is the most heralded of Pete Dye and Jack’s four design collaborations.

July 12, 1970
Wins his second British Open — and eighth major — at the Old Course at St. Andrews.

February 28, 1971
Wins his second PGA Championship — and ninth major — at PGA National, completing his second career Grand Slam.

April 9, 1972
Wins his fourth Masters — and 10th major — leading the event wire-to-wire.

June 18, 1972
Wins his third U.S. Open — and 11th major — at Pebble Beach, a victory punctuated by his famous flagstick-rattling 1-iron on the par-3 17th hole during a blustery final round.

Jack Nicklaus closed with a 74 to beat Bruce Crampton by three and win the 1972 U.S. Open.

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August 12, 1973
Wins his third PGA Championship at Canterbury Golf Club, in Ohio, breaking Bobby Jones’ record for career major titles (14; including U.S. Amateurs).

April 1974
Named one of the original 13 inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame, part of an inaugural class that includes Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer.

May 27, 1974
Muirfield Village opens. That same month, the course is dedicated with an exhibition match between Jack and Tom Weiskopf.

1974
Simon and Schuster publishes Jack’s hugely influential instruction book Golf My Way.

Jack Nicklaus' Golf My Way is still a popular golf buy among fans and aspiring players.

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April 13, 1975
Wins his fifth Masters — and 13th major — one shot ahead of runners-up Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf.

August 10, 1975
Wins his fourth PGA Championship — and 14th major title — at Firestone Golf Club.

1976
Jack’s first solo course design, Glen Abbey, in Oakville, Ontario, opens for play.

July 9, 1977: The Duel in the Sun
Nearly as astounding as his 18 major titles are his 19 runner-up finishes in majors, none more memorable than a British Open battle with Tom Watson better known as the Duel in the Sun. Paired for the last two days at Turnberry, the rivals turn the tournament into a two-man competition that leaves their closest pursuer, Hubert Green, 10 strokes behind. On the closing hole of the final round, trailing by one, with Watson looking at a two-footer for birdie, Nicklaus lashes an improbable approach from beneath a bush to 35 feet, then drains an even more unlikely putt that makes his opponent’s clincher something more than a formality. For all the scintillating play, the image that lingers comes moments later, as Watson and Nicklaus walk from the 18th green, each with an arm over the other’s shoulder, gracious in both victory and defeat.

Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson's epic 1977 Open Championship battle will forever be known as the Duel in the Sun.

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September 21, 1977
Worlds collide when Jack sits for a portrait with postmodern art icon Andy Warhol. While snapping Polaroids, Warhol asks him to move his “stick” to the left. “Excuse me,” Jack replies. “This is not a stick. This is a club.”

February 26, 1978
Wins Jackie Gleason’s Inverrary Classic to top Ben Hogan in all-time PGA Tour wins, with 65.

July 15, 1978
At St. Andrews, Jack wins his third and final British Open — and 15th major — completing his third career Grand Slam.

November 11, 1978
Days before winning the Australian Open for the sixth time, Jack lands a near-record 1,385-pound black marlin, off the Great Barrier Reef.

1979
Becomes the first player to reach $3 million in career earnings. Four years later, he becomes the first player to reach $4 million.

August 5, 1979
Finishes 65th at the PGA Championship, the final major of a decade that saw Jack post eight major wins and 35 Top 10s in 40 events.

Winter 1979
After a subpar season, Jack works on his short game with Phil Rodgers. The fine-tuning helps propel him to two major titles in 1980.

June 15, 1980
Wins his fourth U.S. Open — and 16th major. After the victory, he swings by McDonald’s for a Big Mac. “That’s where Michael, our youngest son, wanted to go,” Barbara says.

August 10, 1980
Wins his fifth PGA Championship — and 17th major — at Oak Hill Country Club, in Rochester, N.Y.

June 20, 1982
After finishing two shots back of Tom Watson at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, Jack finds his young nemesis behind the 18th green and says: “You little son of a b—-, you’re something else!”

November 27, 1983
The first Skins Game is held, featuring Jack, Arnie, Tom Watson and Gary Player. Aired by NBC, the event has a total purse of $360,000, of which Jack wins $40,000.

April 13, 1986: Wins the Masters at 46
“Nicklaus is gone, done. He just doesn’t have the game anymore. He’s 46, and nobody that old wins the Masters.” The article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which a friend posts on the fridge of Jack’s rental home in Augusta, gets one thing right: Jack’s age. Wielding an oversized MacGregor putter, with his son Jack Jr. on his bag, Nicklaus closes with a back-nine 30, en route to his record sixth Green Jacket. “Yes, sir!” Verne Lundquist declares on the telecast, as Jack’s birdie putt drops on 17, giving him his first lead in the Masters in 11 years. Cup your ears around Augusta and you can hear the ground still shaking in the wake.

Jack Nicklaus' 1986 Masters victory is still believed to be among his greatest of his 18 majors.

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1988
After a disappointing performance, Jack is given a McDonald’s cup by Barbara, on which she has written: “There is no excuse for not being prepared.” The words become his motto.

April 1, 1990
In his first Senior PGA Tour appearance, Jack wins, at the Tradition at Desert Mountain. Within two years, he becomes the first winner of the career Champions Grand Slam — the Tradition, the U.S. Senior Open, PGA Seniors, and Senior TPC.

April 8, 1995
For the second time in two days, Jack holes out from the fairway for an eagle-2 on the 435-yard 5th hole at Augusta National.

June 12, 1997
Plays in the same U.S. Open with his son Gary.

April 12, 1998
At 58, finishes T6 at the Masters, becoming the only player to compete in 154 consecutive major championships.

December 1999
Named Golfer of the Century by, among many others, the Associated Press, the BBC and GOLF.

May 20, 2000
The Jack Nicklaus Museum opens at Ohio State.

August 19, 2000
During the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla, Jack and Tiger Woods are paired for the first time in competition. Jack has spent the summer bidding farewell to each major. On the 13th hole, both men play nice approach shots to the island green. As they march toward the narrow connecting bridge, each slows to a halt. Woods motions with his hand to wave Jack ahead. Jack returns the gesture: No, after you, insisting that Tiger lead the way.

Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, now with 33 major titles between them, played the 2000 PGA Championship side by side.

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Summer 2004
Work begins on Tseleevo, the first of three award-winning courses that Jack builds in Russia.

November 9, 2005
Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush.

July 15, 2005
If you sent the story to a Hollywood producer, they’d tell you it strains belief. Jack’s farewell to the British Open also marks the close of his competitive career, and it happens, naturally, at the Old Course at St. Andrews, where Nicklaus ends things — how else? — with a birdie on 18. Though he makes little ceremony of the occasion, others do, including the British, who issue a commemorative 5-pound note, making Jack the first U.S. citizen to appear on British currency.

April 8, 2010
Makes his first appearance, alongside Arnold Palmer, as an honorary starter at the Masters.

Jack Nicklaus hits the opening tee shot at the 2010 Masters.

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August 10, 2010
A ceremonial round featuring Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer to mark the opening of The Golf Club at Harbor Shores, a Nicklaus design in Benton, Michigan. On the 10th hole, Jack sinks a snaking 102-foot putt that Miller described as “unmakeable.”

March 24, 2015
Receives the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor given by the U.S. Congress.

May 27, 2015
The USGA Golf Museum opens its Jack Nicklaus Room, a 1,200-square-foot exhibit hall devoted to Jack’s career.

June 4, 2016
Opens his 400th golf course worldwide: American Lake Veterans GC in Tacoma.

April 4, 2018
As Jack looks on, his 15-year-old grandson GT makes an ace at the Masters Par 3 Contest. Jack calls it his favorite Masters memory. And that says it all.

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