Posted on 07/16/2005 4:34:50 AM PDT by beyond the sea
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Never has there been a golfer who better understood the value of a moment and could keep himself in it, who could make the unforgiving minute stutter, who could hold back the years like some Olympian god. So it was no surprise when Jack Nicklaus compressed time at the home of golf with one final perfect stroke that represented all of the competitive magic he brought to major championships for nearly half a century.
On Friday at the Old Course, one of his most cherished places in the world, with the stubborn Scottish sun at his back, the Golden Bear mustered the waning remnants of his immense talents to close the circle on the long, gray line of his career. He ended his 164th and final major championship the way he began his very first at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, as a 17-year-old kid playing in the 1957 U.S. Open.
He made a birdie. Let the record show that at 6:01 p.m. local time – and the clock striking midnight on a golden era – Nicklaus’ final stroke traveled 13 feet, curled six inches from left to right, and connected generations. It connected those who witnessed him at the height of his powers and those who caught a last fleeting glimpse but who mostly can only see in their mind’s eye Nicklaus’ greatness through the exploits of the man who pursues his records, Tiger Woods.
Nicklaus bowed out of the 134th British Open with a round of level-par 72, an acceptable score that at once allows him to go out with dignity yet suffices as clear proof that his presence in the arena he once dominated is no longer required. His 147 total, 3 over par, was two shy of making the cut.
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Yeah, I saw that final putt. It was nice that he got to finish on a good note.
Hard to believe how much Jack was despised when he first came out on tour. A chubby young guy who started to beat Arnold Palmer right off the bat. But he hung in there, always gracious and eventually turned it all around.
All things considered that was a pretty good score. He beat a lot of younger, stronger, and more flexible guys in the field.
I just heard that Jack's grandchild died in a freak hottub accident. Do you know when that happened?
I'm going to miss him........ but, I cannot help but think (hope) that perhaps, just perhaps, since he played so well in Scotland....... he may want to continue. We'll see.
I wish he would continue.
Yeah, he was known as "Fat Jack" and people resented him for displacing Arnie. But as you said, he turned it all around. Lost weight, got the cool hair. Most of all, he was the greatest. He remains the gold standard, and I am glad I got to see him play in his prime. A class act all the way.
To Jake, with love from Grandpa Jack
****
Very, very sad.
;-)
Uh-oh. Well, bts, maybe he left his wallet in his other pair of plaid pants!! I hear you -- Lou Gehrig was a notoriously bad tipper too. Sometimes being a good guy and a bad tipper can go hand in hand. It's more fun to hear about the guys who overtip. Still love The Bear, though.
Me too!!!
And I LOVE golf. It is a game of great integrity........for example:
****
Four golfers who like to gamble a little wind up in the same foursome. The pot builds throughout the day until they reach the 18th green, where Charlie has a chance to putt for dough. If he makes his 10-foot putt, he wins $200.
Charlie lines up his putt, but just as he's about to take his stance, a funeral procession begins passing by on the road that runs alongside the 18th hole.
Charlie steps away from his ball, sets down his putter, takes off his hat and places it over his heart, and waits for the funeral procession to completely pass. Once all the cars in the funeral procession have passed, Charlie picks up his putter and begins lining up the putt again.
"Wow," one of his opponents says. "That was the most touching thing I have ever seen. You've got a makeable putt for $200, yet you stopped and paid your respects.
You really are something."
"Well," Charlie says, "we were married for 25 years."
Hee hee. Always liked that one. All seriousness aside (as Steve Allen used to say), golf IS a game of great integrity and wonderful history. And it's great that we can see our favorites play for decades and grow old with them. Wish I could have seen Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen. Those Bobby Jones instructional films the Golf Channel used to show were fun to watch. I still think none were better than Jack, except maybe Hogan, and maybe 10-15 years from now we'll say Tiger.
schmock, schmock!!!
;-)
*****
Without that terrible car accident, who knows what Hogan could have done.
****
A few laughs for you:
"If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball." -Jack Lemmon (LOL)
"Never bet with anyone you meet on the first tee, who has a deep suntan, a one iron in his bag and squinty eyes." -Dave Marr (Very true)
"You don't know what pressure is until you've played for five dollars a hole with only two in your pocket."-Lee Trevino
"Putts get real difficult the day they hand out the money." -Lee Trevino
http://www.finkbine.com/quotes.htm
Tiger in the gorst (spelling?) on #6. Things are getting interesting.
Classics, bts. Just took a break from watching the Open to check in. Trevino had a million of them, didn't he?
Yes!
.............. I want one of those Scottish bank notes with Jack on it!
;-)
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