Accomplishments

Early days

Career

This bear was golden on the links

By Larry Schwartz

Special to ESPN.com

Before we delve into Jack Nicklaus' accomplishments, let's reflect upon a few quotes from years past concerning the golfing kingdom:

Grantland Rice, in The Saturday Evening Post in 1940: "There is no more chance that golf will give the world another (Bobby) Jones than there is that literature will produce another Shakespeare, sculpture another Phidias, music another Chopin."

Nicklaus, at 20 in 1960: "Ben Hogan is the greatest hitter of the ball that ever played the game. But I should hit the ball as well as Hogan someday. Maybe better."

More Nicklaus in 1960: "Jones is the greatest golfer who ever lived and probably ever will live. That's my goal. Bobby Jones. It's the only goal."

Arnold Palmer, in 1962, after losing the U.S. Open to 22-year-old Nicklaus in a playoff: "Now that the big guy's out of the cage, everybody better run for cover."

Without commenting about literature, sculpture or music, it's fair to say that Nicklaus and Palmer had a better handle on their game than did Rice, one of the most famous sportswriters of the 20th century.

While it is arguable if Nicklaus stroked the ball better than Hogan, there's no question he did it at least as well. While Jones was the greatest golfer of the first half of the 20th century, it is certainly possible that Nicklaus, the greatest golfer of the second half of the century, had surpassed him. Jones himself said after watching Nicklaus win the Masters in 1965: "Nicklaus played a game of which I am not familiar."

Arnold Palmer, in 1962, after losing the U.S. Open to 22-year-old Nicklaus in a playoff: "Now that the big guy's out of the cage, everybody better run for cover."

Without commenting about literature, sculpture or music, it's fair to say that Nicklaus and Palmer had a better handle on their game than did Rice, one of the most famous sportswriters of the 20th century.

While it is arguable if Nicklaus stroked the ball better than Hogan, there's no question he did it at least as well. While Jones was the greatest golfer of the first half of the 20th century, it is certainly possible that Nicklaus, the greatest golfer of the second half of the century, had surpassed him. Jones himself said after watching Nicklaus win the Masters in 1965: "Nicklaus played a game of which I am not familiar."

Acompishments

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Early Days

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