Good Bye Jack

An era of greatness is coming to an end. On July 14 at St. Andrews Jack Nicklaus will tee it up for the last time in a competitive tournament. It is true that Jack hasn't been a force in competitive golf for quite some time but as long as he was playing, there was the hope he would do it just one more time.

My biggest sports regret is that I didn't watch the 1986 Masters. I don't know why except I was in college and just very busy. I had watched the final round of the Masters every year for probably the 6 years previous and I have seen every one since. But, I missed what in my mind was the finest Masters ever as Jack Nicklaus at 46 became the oldest player to win the Masters as well as the only one with 6 titles.

You see, Jack Nicklaus was my sports hero when I was growing up. If ever given the opportunity for one sports fantasy it would be to play a round of golf with Jack and to make it even grander to play it at Augusta National.

Many argue that Tiger is the best to ever play the game but you won't hear that from me. Until he has 19 major tournament victories it will always be Jack and if he ever does win number 19, in my mind it will still be Jack. Arnie made the game popular but Jack defined it. He set the bar for greatness and everyone will always be in his shadow. Would Tiger be as motivated to play if he wasn’t chasing Jack?

Just a few numbers from Jack's career:
73 PGA Tour Victories
18 Major Title Victories - Record
6 Masters Victories - Record
4 US Open Victories - Record
5 PGA Victories - Record
17 Years consecutive top 10 on the money list - Record
8 Years Number 1 on the money list - Record

Good Bye Jack, I'll miss you.