On the personal front,
Nicklaus and Barbara became proud parents of their first baby boy
whom they named Jack, on
September 23, 1961.
As a professional, he played his first tournament in 1962. It was not a
success as he lost to the golfing giants. But later that year, he won his first major as a
pro – the US Open. Nicklaus created an upset by defeating the dominator of the course,
Arnold Palmer in the fourth round. Die-hard followers of Palmer were in for a great shock
to see their hero losing out to a newcomer.
The people cold shouldered this new golfer, but Palmer sensed his
talent. Before the game commenced, he had said : "Everybody says there’s only one
favorite, and that’s me. But you better watch the fat boy." His words
turned proverbially true, after Nicklaus made it with 71, three strokes better than Arnold’s 74. After
losing, Palmer said : "Now, that the big guy’s out of the cage, everybody better
run for cover."
Nicklaus received a different message from Bobby Jones this time.
‘Congratulations !’ it read, ‘I knew you could do better’.
First Legend
The next year brought success on both
professional and personal fronts. On professional front, it was the Masters with a tough
12 footer for birdie on No. 16 and on personal front it was his second child – a baby
boy christened Steve. Nicklaus had just triggered off his series of records. The year 1964
was not great for him, as far as any major titles were concerned, even
though he had few locals to his credit,
like the Phoenix Open, Portland Open, Australian Open, Canada Cup etc.
With an immense concentration level, he rarely took a wrong decision on
the course. His swing was so sure that it surpassed Ben Hogan’s, who was a great
golfer. It is said that if Nicklaus had not hit his best it would still be equal to
Hogan’s best. In 1965, he earned the Master’s title again, making a mark in the
history of golf, during the second half of the 20th century.
Jones, the ruler of the first half century, said after watching
Nicklaus win the 1965 Masters : "Nicklaus played a game of which I am not
familiar."
The Shining 60s
The 60s brought great success. In the
beginning of the 70s, it was said that the Bear had forever robbed King Arnold off his
throne. In 1965, he grabbed his Masters by nine strokes. Jones remarked it as "the
greatest performance in golf history". His shot had shattered Hogan’s
insurmountable Masters record of 274 by three strokes.
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On home grounds, it was the arrival of a baby girl named Nancy on May 5. The Masters came along with Portland Open, Philadelphia Golf Classic etc. The following year, he managed to defend his Masters along with the prestigious British Open.
In 1967, he bagged the US Open after a long stretch of five years. The professional Bear was not having much time with his family. He concentrated only on the golf course and home was shouldered fully by Barbara. Barbara always encouraged him and set him free of the domestic responsibilities. She never interfered with Nicklaus while he was playing his tournaments. She managed all her children’s problems and needs herself, and approached her husband only when he returned home.
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A Dedicated Lady
One such event shows how Barbara
contributed in the making of the successful Bear. It was in 1967, a Saturday night, when Nicklaus was
playing his Sahara Invitational. Barbara was pregnant and had a
miscarriage, in the middle of the night. She didn’t want to disturb Nicklaus’ sleep. In the
morning when he woke up, she informed him saying, "Jack, I think I need to get to a
doctor."
Nicklaus’ dedication for the game was also unbelievable. Along with this Major,
he also had the World Series of Golf and Westchester Classic. The end of this wonderful
decade brought him another happiness. On January 15, 1969 Barbara gave birth to their
fourth child, a baby boy they named Gary. Gary was the only one who later followed his
father’s footsteps. |
