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Apr. 9—Editor's note: The Aiken Standard is looking back at the 40th anniversary of the 1986 Masters, the first one John Boyette covered as a journalist.
Family was always first and foremost with Jack Nicklaus.
Early in his career, after he and Barbara were married and started having children, he made a promise that he would never be away from home for more than two weeks.
And he stuck to that promise, even if it meant flying home in the middle of a tournament or altering his schedule to accommodate his growing family.
As his five children grew older and had sports and other activities, his schedule became increasingly busier. But he still kept his promise.
By 1986, three of the five Nicklaus children were adults or in college. Only his oldest son was in attendance in Augusta that year. He had an important job: caddie for his father.
Second-oldest son Steve was working a PGA Tour event in Hattiesburg, Miss. Daughter Nan was off with college friends from the University of Georgia. Sons Gary and Michael stayed behind in Florida.
But it was still a family affair.
His wife, Barbara, was there of course, along with two other family members: his mother, Helen, and his sister, Marilyn, and her husband. Nicklaus's father, Charlie, had died in 1970.
It was the first time Nicklaus's mother and sister had been to Augusta since he debuted as an amateur in 1959.
Helen Nicklaus phoned and made the request.
"She says, 'Jack, there's only one thing I want to do,'" Barbara Nicklaus recalled. "'I'd like to go to one more Masters.'"
All of the Nicklaus clan had one thing in common: faith in Jack Nicklaus to win again.
The caddie
Jack Nicklaus II was a fine golfer in his own right. It's always hard to carry the name of a famous relative, and Jack II was always being compared to his father.
He played golf at the University of North Carolina, and had won the prestigious North and South Amateur in Pinehurst, N.C., the summer before.
He had also caddied for his father in many major events. But it was his first time donning the white coveralls as a caddie in the Masters.
"Jackie's a good player, he knows my game, he didn't interject himself," Nicklaus said. "He knew when to keep his mouth shut, when to say something. He knew how to handle his dad."
In the caddie area, the younger Nicklaus didn't receive any special favors. He recalled eating with his fellow loopers.
"We'd eat fried pork sandwiches on even days and fried chicken on odd days, two pieces of Wonder bread and a squirt of mustard," he said.
As the tournament progressed, and Nicklaus gradually crept into contention, his son had to collect himself. For the final holes coming down the stretch Sunday afternoon, Jackie had some memorable interactions with his father.
At No. 15, Nicklaus hit a big drive and then turned to his son. "How far do you think a 3 will go here?" Nicklaus asked. "I'm talking about an eagle."
"Let's see it," Jackie replied, and his father knocked his shot on the green. Jackie jumped for joy when the putt tumbled into the cup.
At No. 16, Nicklaus fired a 5-iron to the pin tucked in the back left corner. Jackie immediately said, "Be right."
His father replied, "It is."
Sure enough, it almost went into the hole and Nicklaus had a 3-foot birdie putt that he knocked in.
"It was kind of an internally cocky comment," Jackie said. "My reaction was wow, he's really dialed in."
At No. 17, Nicklaus pulled his drive left but had an opening and hit his approach to 11 feet. Player and caddie disagreed over which way the putt would break.
"Dad, it's got to go right," Jackie said.
Nearly four decades of experience at Augusta National told the elder Nicklaus otherwise.
"I know it's going to go right," Nicklaus told his son, "but I think it's going to come back at the hole."
Sure enough, it did just that, and the birdie put Nicklaus on top of the leaderboard as CBS' Verne Lundquist made his memorable call of "Maybe ... Yes sir!"
At No. 18, Nicklaus played the demanding finishing hole almost to perfection. His second shot came up short, though, and he had a 40-foot birdie putt. He judged it perfectly, rolling it up to tap-in range to secure a final-round 65.
The duo waited for the remaining golfers to finish in Jones Cabin. When the last challenger, Greg Norman, had failed to match Nicklaus's score, the two embraced as they had earlier on the 18th green.
"I gave him a hug," Jackie said. "It was great."
Premonition
Steve Nicklaus wasn't in Augusta, but he called his father on Sunday, April 13. He was working a PGA Tour event held opposite the Masters in Hattiesburg, Miss. Its nickname was the "Mississippi Masters."
According to the elder Nicklaus, this is what his son said:
"What do you think, Pops?"
And Nicklaus replied: "Steve, I think 66 will tie and 65 will win. What do you think?"
Steve replied: "That's the exact number I had in mind. Go shoot it."
Of course, Nicklaus did just that and collected his sixth Masters victory.
Barbara Nicklaus is legendary for her devotion to her husband and for following him wherever he plays. In recent years, that includes serving as his "caddie" for the opening ceremony tee shot he hits at the Masters as an honorary starter.
In 1986, she walked among the patrons as her husband charged up the leaderboard. Because of the large gallery following him, she couldn't see him finish on the final hole or embrace caddie/son Jackie.
Later, she watched the replay and became emotional when she saw the scene at No. 18.
"It's probably a good thing I didn't see that (live)," she said. "It was probably his most special moment in golf."
For Nicklaus, 1986 was a special confluence of events that is hard to beat.
"A lot of elements that happened that were pretty neat," he said. "It's always great when you have your family with you."
Forty years later, he still appreciates the support from his family and friends.
"1986 was a year that nobody expected me to win, including me," he said. "But my son had faith in me. My wife still had faith in me. My son Steve had faith in me.
"John Montgomery, who put the article up, still had faith in me. And as I played, I regained some faith in myself."
Continue reading...
Family was always first and foremost with Jack Nicklaus.
Early in his career, after he and Barbara were married and started having children, he made a promise that he would never be away from home for more than two weeks.
And he stuck to that promise, even if it meant flying home in the middle of a tournament or altering his schedule to accommodate his growing family.
As his five children grew older and had sports and other activities, his schedule became increasingly busier. But he still kept his promise.
By 1986, three of the five Nicklaus children were adults or in college. Only his oldest son was in attendance in Augusta that year. He had an important job: caddie for his father.
Second-oldest son Steve was working a PGA Tour event in Hattiesburg, Miss. Daughter Nan was off with college friends from the University of Georgia. Sons Gary and Michael stayed behind in Florida.
But it was still a family affair.
His wife, Barbara, was there of course, along with two other family members: his mother, Helen, and his sister, Marilyn, and her husband. Nicklaus's father, Charlie, had died in 1970.
It was the first time Nicklaus's mother and sister had been to Augusta since he debuted as an amateur in 1959.
Helen Nicklaus phoned and made the request.
"She says, 'Jack, there's only one thing I want to do,'" Barbara Nicklaus recalled. "'I'd like to go to one more Masters.'"
All of the Nicklaus clan had one thing in common: faith in Jack Nicklaus to win again.
The caddie
Jack Nicklaus II was a fine golfer in his own right. It's always hard to carry the name of a famous relative, and Jack II was always being compared to his father.
He played golf at the University of North Carolina, and had won the prestigious North and South Amateur in Pinehurst, N.C., the summer before.
He had also caddied for his father in many major events. But it was his first time donning the white coveralls as a caddie in the Masters.
"Jackie's a good player, he knows my game, he didn't interject himself," Nicklaus said. "He knew when to keep his mouth shut, when to say something. He knew how to handle his dad."
In the caddie area, the younger Nicklaus didn't receive any special favors. He recalled eating with his fellow loopers.
"We'd eat fried pork sandwiches on even days and fried chicken on odd days, two pieces of Wonder bread and a squirt of mustard," he said.
As the tournament progressed, and Nicklaus gradually crept into contention, his son had to collect himself. For the final holes coming down the stretch Sunday afternoon, Jackie had some memorable interactions with his father.
At No. 15, Nicklaus hit a big drive and then turned to his son. "How far do you think a 3 will go here?" Nicklaus asked. "I'm talking about an eagle."
"Let's see it," Jackie replied, and his father knocked his shot on the green. Jackie jumped for joy when the putt tumbled into the cup.
At No. 16, Nicklaus fired a 5-iron to the pin tucked in the back left corner. Jackie immediately said, "Be right."
His father replied, "It is."
Sure enough, it almost went into the hole and Nicklaus had a 3-foot birdie putt that he knocked in.
"It was kind of an internally cocky comment," Jackie said. "My reaction was wow, he's really dialed in."
At No. 17, Nicklaus pulled his drive left but had an opening and hit his approach to 11 feet. Player and caddie disagreed over which way the putt would break.
"Dad, it's got to go right," Jackie said.
Nearly four decades of experience at Augusta National told the elder Nicklaus otherwise.
"I know it's going to go right," Nicklaus told his son, "but I think it's going to come back at the hole."
Sure enough, it did just that, and the birdie put Nicklaus on top of the leaderboard as CBS' Verne Lundquist made his memorable call of "Maybe ... Yes sir!"
At No. 18, Nicklaus played the demanding finishing hole almost to perfection. His second shot came up short, though, and he had a 40-foot birdie putt. He judged it perfectly, rolling it up to tap-in range to secure a final-round 65.
The duo waited for the remaining golfers to finish in Jones Cabin. When the last challenger, Greg Norman, had failed to match Nicklaus's score, the two embraced as they had earlier on the 18th green.
"I gave him a hug," Jackie said. "It was great."
Premonition
Steve Nicklaus wasn't in Augusta, but he called his father on Sunday, April 13. He was working a PGA Tour event held opposite the Masters in Hattiesburg, Miss. Its nickname was the "Mississippi Masters."
According to the elder Nicklaus, this is what his son said:
"What do you think, Pops?"
And Nicklaus replied: "Steve, I think 66 will tie and 65 will win. What do you think?"
Steve replied: "That's the exact number I had in mind. Go shoot it."
Of course, Nicklaus did just that and collected his sixth Masters victory.
Barbara Nicklaus is legendary for her devotion to her husband and for following him wherever he plays. In recent years, that includes serving as his "caddie" for the opening ceremony tee shot he hits at the Masters as an honorary starter.
In 1986, she walked among the patrons as her husband charged up the leaderboard. Because of the large gallery following him, she couldn't see him finish on the final hole or embrace caddie/son Jackie.
Later, she watched the replay and became emotional when she saw the scene at No. 18.
"It's probably a good thing I didn't see that (live)," she said. "It was probably his most special moment in golf."
For Nicklaus, 1986 was a special confluence of events that is hard to beat.
"A lot of elements that happened that were pretty neat," he said. "It's always great when you have your family with you."
Forty years later, he still appreciates the support from his family and friends.
"1986 was a year that nobody expected me to win, including me," he said. "But my son had faith in me. My wife still had faith in me. My son Steve had faith in me.
"John Montgomery, who put the article up, still had faith in me. And as I played, I regained some faith in myself."
Continue reading...
