JACK NICKLAUS FACTFILE
Age: 80. Born: January 21, 1940. Majors won: 18 — (6) Masters: 1963, ’65, ’66, ’72, ’75 and ’86; (5) PGA Championship: 1963, ’71, ’73, ’75, ’80; (4) US Open: 1962, ’67, ’72, ’80; (3) The Open: 1966, ’70, ’78. Career wins: 117. PGA Tour wins: 73 (third all-time, behind Tiger Woods & Sam Snead who have 82). PGA Player of the Year: 1967, ’72, ’73, ’75, ’76. Senior majors: 8 — (4) The Tradition: 1990, ’91, ’95, ’96; (1) PGA Championship: 1991; (1) Players Championship: 1990; (1) US Open: 1991. M Most Green Jackets — 6 (Tiger Woods has five). M Joint-most US Open wins — 4 (Ben Hogan, Bobby Jones, and Scotland’s Willie
Anderson also have four).
M Tied 11th for Open Championships — 3 (Harry Vardon has six, while Nicklaus’s rival Tom Watson is among a group of four who have five). M Joint-most PGA Championship wins — 5 (Alongside Walter Hagen. Tiger
Woods has four).
M One of only five golfers to have completed the Grand Slam — Gene Sarazen,
Ben Hogan, Gary Player and Tiger Woods are the others. M The only man to have completed a senior Grand Slam.
RYDER CUP
As a player... Career record: 16-8-3 (W-L-H). Appearances: 6 — 1969, ’71, ’73,
’75, ’77, ’81.
M In 1981, he won 4/4 points for Team USA, partnering Tom Watson on three occasions.
M Nicklaus faced Tony Jacklin four times at the Ryder Cup and never won once. He managed a half — at the 1969 concession — while losing twice more that year and again in the 1971 edition. As a captain... 1983: a 141/2-131/2 win for Team USA at the PGA National Golf Club, Florida. Tony Jacklin was the Team Europe captain. 1987: a 15-13 defeat at Muirfield, Ohio. Jacklin was Team Europe captain again.
Other notable achievements:
M One of seven athletes to receive the US Congressional Medal — the highest honour the US Congress can bestow upon an individual group. The others are: Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Larry Doby and Roberto Clemente.
M One of four golfers to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honour the President can bestow upon any US civilian. Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods and Charlie Sifford are the others.
M Nicklaus and Palmer are the only two golfers to have received both the Congressional Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Sixteen people have been awarded both overall.
M Been involved in over 300 golf course designs, while his business Nicklaus Design has more than 400 courses open to play worldwide.