Ohio Golf Journal February 2020

All I ever wanted to do was play competitive golf against the best players in the world. The Real GOAT Turns 80 J ack Nicklaus achieved that goal, plus much, much more. On January 21st last month, the Golden Bear turned 80 years old. Nicklaus is not only the best golfer to ever come out of the state of Ohio, he is the BEST golfer to ever walk a fairway. Tiger Woods may one day surpass Jack, but he has a little work left on his plate to truly be considered an equal, or better than Nicklaus. Over the past few years, both Jack and Barbara have received numerous awards from golf’s governing bodies. When his competitive days were over, Barbara encouraged her husband to use that same focus and determination to raise funds for their foundations that have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for children’s medical care in both Ohio and Florida. But for Jack it all began over seventy years ago at Scioto Country Club near his home in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Living just a couple of blocks from the course, he and his father would walk over for a quick nine before dinner. Plus, he developed friendships that would last his lifetime at the club. We all know the numbers, 73 PGA TOUR wins, 18 major titles including, three OPEN Championships, four PGA’s, five U.S. Open’s and six Masters’ Green Jackets. The last coming in a memorable back nine of six-under par 30 at Augusta National, at the age of 46, with his son Jackie on the bag. In a 10-year span from 1970 to 1979, Nicklaus entered 40 major championships and only Ohio Golf Journal