Early Days |
||
| Other sections
|
Not only did the person once known as Fat Jack vanquish his competitors on the course, he also won over a country. A 1960 cover story by Sports Illustrated was headlined: "One Whale of a Golfer." The article said Nicklaus' fraternity mates at Ohio State called him Blob-o, his neighborhood friends called him Whaleman and his wife Barbara had even called him Fat Boy. When Nicklaus started on the tour, his main rival was the popular Palmer, America's darling -- energetic, virile, human and a winner. Nicklaus was the fat kid with the blond crew cut who should have been playing tackle for Woody Hayes' Buckeyes or commanding a platoon in the ROTC. In the seventies, the 5-foot-11 Nicklaus lost about 20 pounds, getting down to a svelte 190, grew his hair longer and started becoming more popular with the galleries. He truly went from Fat Jack to "the Golden Bear." "He was not homespun like Sam Snead, funny like Lee Trevino. His pants didn't need hitching like Palmer's," Sports Illustrated's Rick Reilly wrote. "Instead, he won over America with pure, unbleached excellence." Like Jones, Nicklaus was also a golf prodigy. He was born Jan. 21, 1940 in Columbus, Ohio, and was raised in the suburb of Upper Arlington. His father, a pharmacist, led him to the golf course and at 10, Jack shot a 51 for his first nine holes. At 13, he broke 70. He spent hours on the practice range as a teenager, and cured himself of a hook that sometimes plagued him. In 1959, at 19 years and 7 months, he became the youngest player in 50 years to win the U.S. Amateur. He won his second amateur two years later. In between, at the 1960 U.S. Open, he shot a 282, finishing second by two strokes to Palmer, who won the tournament with a final round 65. Despite his outstanding showing, Nicklaus wasn't thrilled. "I didn't win," he said. "Nobody ever remembers who finished second at anything." That's not always true, for we all remember Germany for finishing second in world wars, but Nicklaus' sentiment showed his competitive fire. After maintaining that he wouldn't turn pro, Nicklaus did, in late 1961, and left Ohio State. In his first pro start, at the Los Angeles Open in January 1962, his 289 left him 21 strokes behind the winner. He earned $33.33. Before that year's U.S. Open at Oakmont, Pa., Palmer said, "Everybody says there's only one favorite, and that's me. But you'd better watch the fat boy." Trailing Palmer by five strokes with 11 holes left (12 for Palmer), Nicklaus made up all five between the seventh and 13th holes and forced a playoff. His par 71 was three strokes better than Palmer's 74. Nicklaus finished 1962 third on the money list with some $113,000 and was named the Rookie of the Year. |