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Jack’s Last Hurrah?
Nicklaus Reserves Right To Return To Memorial
By Dave Weissman, Columbus Wired

“I’m going to reserve the right to obviously be here. I think as a host here I may play, I may not play, but I’ll reserve the right and try to be able to play here.” stated Jack Nicklaus on the eve of his 29th Memorial Tournament.

Last year, as he ended his fourth round (making the cut) at this same tournament, Nicklaus said that he was happy to go out at least with making the cut. Many thought that would be the last time Jack would play competitive golf. He would indeed cut down his schedule and wanted to spend more time with his family and business dealings.

Nicklaus, unlike Arnold Palmer, did not want the hoopla and celebration that goes with playing in 45 Masters Tournaments. He did not want the ‘retirement’ tour. No rocking chair and gifts at each stop. Jack played his last Masters this year, finishing with respectable rounds of 77-76, but not making the cut.

Usually the first to commit to his own tournament, Jack waited until well up to the close of entry to announce his intention to play on his course for the 30th time. He may have called it quits last year if it weren’t for the kindness and compliments that the good folks in England did, changin the British Open’s location to St. Andrews from 2006 to 2005.

This moved Jack and he will indeed play in his last British Open in a few weeks. “I thought that St. Andrews is a place – August and St. Andrews are my two favorite places in the game of golf, and I thought it was appropriate to end it at one of those two,” he said.

Since he did not end it at the Masters, the British Open will be his last taste of real competitive golf. When pressed again, he said, “Outside of (the Memorial), I have no intention of playing any more tournament golf.”

Entering his 29th Memorial, he is the only golfer to have played in all of the tournaments here at the course he built in 1976. He has won his own tournament twice and last year was playing on the weekend, ending the tournament tied for 63rd. Not bad for an old guy.

He shot three shots better (74-73-77-71-295) than former Memorial winner Paul Azinger (297), eight better than Corey Pavin (299) and ten shots better than Thomas Bjorn (300), who’s most memorable moment was his second place finish in the 2003 British Open. Jack not only is a crowd favorite, but has made 22 cuts in 28 appearances at The Memorial.

He had not planned on even playing the Masters this year. It has been a rough year for Jack. Six weeks before the Masters, one of his grandkids drowned in a pool at his Floriday home. This devastated him and his family. But at the urging of his eldest son and a plea from Masters Chairman Hootie Johnson, Jack decided to give it one more go.

And even as this is the second to last time he is teeing it up competitively, he may return to Dublin, Ohio. And for those who think he is just here to be a ceremonial golfer, he had this to say, “

When asked about going out a competive golfer vs a ceremonial one, Jack was quick to point out, “In my mind, I’m going to play my last golf tournament, last major, last event I’m going to play, that ‘s what I’m going as, and I’m going there in the hope of being able to compete.”

Jack, we’ll miss you. Even if you are not up to snuff to beat the big boys any longer, seeing you for two days of The Memorial, is better than not seeing you at all. Thanks for the memories.