On the rare occasions that a person is in the presence of greatness it can be a humbling experience. I had such an experience earlier this week when I was fortunate enough to spend some time with Jack Nicklaus.
At the opening of the Jack Nicklaus Room at the USGA Museum I sat in the audience and listened to Jack and the USGA’s dignitaries and that was wonderful.
Nicklaus must have told his stories hundreds of time by now but like a true professional he retells them to his audience like they were hearing them for the first time. We all sat there anxiously waiting for his next story.
It was a special day for Jack, his family, his fans and the USGA. There are only five golfers who have been honored with rooms at the USGA, Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Mickey Wright and now The Golden Bear.
A few of the USGA staffers told me that this is “one of the best perks of this job” and that “we all have our families here today too.”
It’s not often you get to see and hear greatness up close.
After the dedication ceremony the media was given a chance to ask Jack some questions and he was his usual cordial and thorough self. He answered questions with the same passion he used to win four U.S. Opens and when the moderator tried to cut off a few more questions Jack would have none of it. He took extra questions and kindly fought back the efforts of the moderator to end the session.
He then took time for some “one on ones” a time usually reserved for the big shots, the national media who have reputations and are well known by the communication staff. But Nicklaus wasn’t just there them. He took questions for forty minutes from everyone from national media to a lowly blogger.
I got my chance and asked him if there was one particular U.S. Open that he would like to have another crack at?
Without hesitation he used his fingers to count them off,“63, 64, 65, 66, 67 I did okay (he won), Like to have another shot at ’71 with Trevino.
I left two shots in a bunker on two and three. Put me for shots behind.
But you know most of the time I didn’t do it…most of the time they did it to me.
’68 Trevino just beat me…finished second Merion, finished second Pebble Beach Watson just beat me and finished second some other time… Oh Cherry Hills.
I beat myself at Cherry Hills.
But it’s Okay, but it probably was the best thing that ever happened to me, not to win there.”
Cherry Hills was the scene of the 1960 U.S. Open and Arnold Palmer’s great comeback win and where a fading Ben Hogan said,” I played with a kid today who could have won this Open by 10 shots.” The kid was a twenty year old Nicklaus playing as an amateur.
That kid turned out to be the greatest golfer of all time but never forgot that both the golfers and the media have a job to do. And he did his best to always accommodate them. Even a blogger who’s more fan than journalist.
It was a big day for Jack but an even bigger one for me.
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It’s a great honor for the USGA to have Jack Nicklaus agree to be showcased at their HQ Museum. Jack never has taken a wrong step in his golf career, always setting the standard for sportsmanship and integrity. The same can’t be said for the USGA which has recently chased cash and scoundrels and who are now in bed with Fox Sports and Donald Trump. Perhaps the purge of corporate interests that has Mike Davis now calling more of the shots will result in a different course but the Fox deal is for ten years and Trump is like a vampire. Let’s get some wooden stakes.