Jack Nicklaus Shares Memories with Opening of USGA Nicklaus Room

The USGA Museum now has a room dedicated to the career of Jack Nicklaus. It is only fitting because Nicklaus won eight USGA events in his career, including four U.S. Opens.

During the ceremonies to open the exhibit, Nicklaus reminisced in some surprising ways about a few USGA tournaments he had played. While most golf fans would expect to hear about his great victories, Nicklaus chose to talk about some of the less-than-stellar performances he's experienced on the golf course, including the time Bobby Jones came out to watch him for the first time.

The Jones encounter occurred at Nicklaus' first U.S. Amateur competition. Although he was just 15, he knew who Jones was. The event was held at the James River Country Club in Virginia. At the end of his last practice round, Nicklaus hit the 18th green in two shots.

"There was a gentleman in a cart off the 18th green who said, 'Come here, young man. I'd like to say hello.' It was Bob Jones, and he said, 'I've been here for a couple hours, and there's only been three people who have reached this green in two today. You're one of them. I wanted to meet you,'" Nicklaus recalled. Jones said he would come out and watch Nicklaus the next day.

The next day Jones kept his promise. He went out to watch the match with Nicklaus and Bob Gardner, who was older and a Walker Cup player.

"I had him one down after 10 holes," Nicklaus said about Gardner. "Bob Jones showed up. Bogey, bogey, double bogey. I'm now two down. Mr. Jones said, 'I'm going to get out of here!'"    

While Nicklaus was not successful in that Amateur, he went on to win the title four years later—in 1959 and again in 1961. Those victories exempted him into the Masters. Like Arnold Palmer, who won the U.S. Amateur in 1954, Nicklaus credits his Amateur victories with giving him confidence that he could play against the best of his era.  

Nicklaus first played in the U.S. Open in 1957. He was 17. Initially, it looked like he might be a contender.

"On the first hole, I hit 3‑wood, 7‑iron, 35 feet, boom, right in the hole," Nicklaus recalled. "Parred the second hole, parred the third hole. My name went on the leader board, one under par. All charged up, I double-bogeyed the fourth hole and was never to be found again."

Clearly, Nicklaus learned from those early experiences and went on to become, in the opinion of many, the greatest golfer ever. However, he was not focused on the records of those who played before him.

"The first time I ever even thought about major championships was 1970," Nicklaus recalled. It was at the British Open at St. Andrews. "I walked in the press room, and Bob Green, an AP reporter, Bob is like, hey, that's 10 majors now, only three more to tie Bobby Jones. I never even—never entered my mind."

However, the death of Nicklaus' father early in 1970 inspired him to remember to play his best, particularly at majors.

"Sure, I was making money and winning golf tournaments, but I wasn't winning the ones that were important." he admitted. "I wasn't prepared like I should have been."

Remembering his father, he refocused his energy at St. Andrews.

"I just sort of felt like he had been there, and he always said, if you're going to play something, give it your best," Nicklaus added. He won the British Open that year, the second of three he would win over his career.

According to Nicklaus, it is hard to be at the top of your game all the time. As great a player as he was, as prepared as he tried to be, even the Golden Bear finished second in majors 19 times.

"I don't think you can give your best every time. Maybe you think you can, but I don't think that you're able to," he said. "I just don't think that either mentally or physically or something, it doesn't allow you to sometimes. But you'd like to think that you give it your best."

In terms of the USGA exhibit items, Nicklaus said he is the one who kept the clubs, and his family members kept everything else.

"I give all my stuff away," he said. "The only golf clubs from my major championship wins that I don't have is my putter that I won the Masters with in 1986. Where it is, I have no clue."

Copyright USGA/Jonathan Kolbe

The putter he used to win the 1980 U.S. Open at Baltusrol was missing for a long time, but he finally got that back through a connection his son had at Florida State.

Joe Messler played defensive back at Florida State when Steve Nicklaus played at Florida State. He was cleaning out his garage one day and found a putter that Steve had given him. He remembered it came from Steve and asked Jack Nicklaus if it had any significance.

"I said, 'Yeah, as a matter of fact it does,'" Nicklaus said. "It's the one I won Baltusrol with."

Strangely enough, the club had been given to him after a round he played with Deane Beman and Fred Mueller at Baltusrol in 1967, a year before the formation of the PGA Tour and seven years before Beman would become its second commissioner. Beman had given the putter to Mueller a year earlier and for whatever reason, thought Nicklaus should have it. Mueller found the club, and it went on to make history.

"I got the putter, and I won the U.S. Open. That was White Fang." Nicklaus recalled.  

While others like to talk about his playing career and achievements on the course, Nicklaus has a surprising attitude toward his victories and what others call his legacy.  

"I never really worry very much about my legacy," he said. "If I worried about my legacy, I think I probably would have prepared myself better and won more like 25 major championships."

Kathy Bissell is a Golf Writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand or from official interview materials from the PGA Tour, USGA, R&A or PGA of America.