Nicklaus and Palmer remain the standard in golf rivalries
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — Jack Nicklaus says if he were in a high-stakes match in Las Vegas in his prime, the most compelling opponent would be Arnold Palmer. Never mind that he considers his toughest golf rival to be Tom Watson. Or that he finished runner-up to Lee Trevino in majors four times in seven years.
With apologies to the superhyped exhibition between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on pay-per-view, any talk of rivalries in golf starts with Nicklaus and Palmer.
“I rarely lost to Arnold,” Nicklaus said last week before an American Cancer Society benefit. “We never ended up coming down the stretch very much.”
Nicklaus was a runner-up to him six times, including the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills as a 20-year-old amateur.
But unlike Woods-Mickelson, who never really squared off in a major until Woods’ fifth year on the tour, Nicklaus famously beat Palmer in a playoff to win the
1962 U.S. Open at Oakmont in Palmer’s backyard.
“Arnold and my rivalry became more from the two us,” Nicklaus said.
“We would play together a lot. We were paired a lot. And usually we beat each other up and we ended up giving the tournament away. That’s why they talk about the rivalry.
“Everyone was interested in who won that day, not who won the tournament.”
Nicklaus also finished runnerup in the majors four times to Watson, all coming down to the final few holes, none more dramatic than Turnberry in 1977.
“Watson was the toughest,” Nicklaus said. “He was a kid with blinders on. I love the way Tom played.”
Trevino won by four shots at Oak Hill in the 1968 U.S. Open, then beat Nicklaus in a playoff at Merion in 1971 and denied Nicklaus the third leg of the Grand Slam a year later by beating him at Muirfield. And in 1974, Trevino got him by one shot at Tanglewood in the PGA Championship.
“He thrived on competitive moments,” Nicklaus said. But Palmer? That was different.
He said the rivalry started in 1958 when Nicklaus, an 18-year-old amateur, was invited to take part in a day honouring Dow Finsterwald.
“On the first tee we had a driving contest,” Nicklaus said. “Arnold drove it on the green. I drove it 30 yards over the green. I never let Arnold forget that. I’d say, ’Hey AP, we had one driving contest, I hit it 30 yards by you.’ He’d say, ’Yeah, but I shot 63 that day and you shot 67.’ To me, that was the start of our rivalry. Ever since we played, we always had fun with that.
Champ’s bonus
Cameron Champ had an ideal start to his rookie season by winning the Sanderson Farms Championship, making all five of his cuts and earning nearly $1.3 million. And while he lost a chance to win at Sea Island, he cashed in another way.
Champ won $300,000 through the “Birdies Fore Love” competition by making the most birdies over the fall part of the season.
The money goes to the charity of his choice, and the 23-year-old already has the Cameron Champion Foundation geared toward STEM education and youth golf.
Desert start
Rory McIlroy is skipping his traditional start in Abu Dhabi for the first time when healthy. In his place, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship won’t be entirely without star power.
Dustin Johnson already has said he’s playing for the third straight year. He will be joined by U.S. Open and PGA champion Brooks Koepka, who returns for the first time since his rookie year on the European Tour in 2014.
“Last time I played in 2014, I was ranked 93rd in the world, so a lot has happened since that time,” Koepka said.