He was the Golden Bear but in 1986 most folk – himself included - thought he was a little bit rusty. No wonder. Jack Nicklaus was climbing the brae on the age front and was 46 when he pitched up at that season’s Masters. By the end of a captivating week at Augusta, the Olden Bear was shimmering again like a freshly buffed up clump of bullion.
Three decades on, Nicklaus’s magnificent Masters moment still resonates. It was his first major win in six years and it would be his last. This was win No 18 in the grand slam events for Nicklaus, a record that still stands today, and a victory that would define a quite remarkable career.
“I guess nobody really expected me to be in contention at that point in my career, particularly even me,” reflected Nicklaus. “I had not really prepared all that great for it that spring. But once I got myself in contention, muscle memory and knowing how to play golf came back. I think what it did was put an exclamation point on my career. I obviously had a pretty good career prior to that, and then to turn around at 46 and be able to finish a golf tournament, people said, ‘Hey, he can still play golf.’ ”
He certainly could. Nicklaus’s rousing final day charge, which saw him come back from four shots behind after 54-holes, was as eye-catching as his yellow shirt and checked troosers and proved once again that in this Royal & Ancient game, age is not a barrier to success.
The old cliché is that gets trotted out in gay abandon is that the Masters doesn’t get going until the back nine on the Sunday and that proved to be the case in 1986 as Nicklaus charged home in 30 en route to a sparkling 65. He birdied the 10th, 11th and 13th to get motoring but he really moved up the gears on the par-5 15th. Asking his caddie and son, Jackie, if an eagle would be any good while mulling things over on the fairway, Nicklaus was greeted with the response: “Let’s see it.”
The invitation was accepted as Nicklaus clattered his approach from over 200 yards to within 12-feet and trundled in the putt for a three which got him to within two shots of the frontrunning Seve Ballesteros. When Nicklaus made another gain on the short 16th, and Seve dumped an approach to 15 into the water, it was very much game on.
A raking birdie putt on the 17th, which was followed by the enduring, iconic image of Nicklaus raising his putter in jubilation, gave him the lead for the first time. He wouldn’t lose it and a sixth, and last, Green Jacket would be snuggled round his shoulders.
This golfing Golden Bear had emerged from hibernation. “I’m not going to quit, guys,” Nicklaus said in the glorious aftermath. “Maybe I should. Maybe I should say goodbye. Maybe that’d be the smart thing to do. But I’m not that smart.”
There were a few years left in him yet.
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