Each April, when the minds of the sporting public turn towards Augusta National and the Masters Tournament, we reflect on a number of things. The beauty and immaculate condition of the course, the natural excitement of the first major championship in eight months, and, of course, the history of the event. However, we delve even more deeply than just a simple reflection of the past, as we remember those who shaped an era of Masters Tournaments. Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros Nick Faldo, and, in more recent years, Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. But with that all being said, one name always stands out more than any Masters champion. Someone who did not just define one era, but several.
Mr Jack Nicklaus.
His six Masters victories spanned three decades, 23 years to be exact, and he remained an almost constant presence until his retirement in 2005. Arguably the most famous Masters remains 1986, as Nicklaus defied time to complete won last charge on the back-nine to claim a sixth Green Jacket at the age of 46. Some would also point at the 1975 Masters as being the ultimate Tournament, as Nicklaus fought off Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf in one of the most thrilling Sundays in Masters history.
Every Masters, as the years progress, provides us with an opportunity of reflection. 10 years ago Mike Weir became the first left-hander to win at Augusta. 20 years ago Bernhard Langer claimed a second Green Jacket, as did the late Seve Ballesteros a decade previously. Everyone should reacquaint themselves with Ben Hogan's record-breaking triumph in 1953, as he took the first step to one of the most incredible achievements in the history of professional golf. Just four years after a near-fatal car accident, Hogan won the Masters, the U.S. Open, and the Open Championship in the same year, an achievement that is yet to be repeated.
However, most eyes this week will be cast back, rightly, to 1963. Half a century ago, a 23-year-old Ohioan would etch his name into the history of the Masters, with a promise of so many more moments to come. But, 1963 was the start for a certain Mr Jack Nicklaus.
Coming into 1963, Nicklaus had played the four previous Masters Tournaments, with a tie for 7th as an amatuer in 1961, his best effort at Augusta National. It was away from the Masters though, where Nicklaus forged his early reputation. Finishing 2nd to Arnold Palmer in the 1960 U.S. Open, as a 20-year-old, fixed Nicklaus firmly in the golfing spotlight. He finished fourth in his national Open the following year, before turning professional in 1962. He quickly progressed to the next level, as Nicklaus went into the 27th Masters, in 1963, as a major champion.
Defeating Palmer in a legendary U.S. Open 18-hole playoff at Oakmont, Nicklaus had won a major championship in his first year as a professional, and observors expected the rivalry to be rekindled at the Masters.
After both opening with 74s, Nicklaus and Palmer found themselves tied for 14th, five shots off the lead. But this is where the two American greats would depart from each other, as Nicklaus powered through the field on Friday with a stunning second round of 66. The 23-year-old found himself one back of the lead, held by Mike Souchak, and they were paired together for the third round.
Saturday, the 6th of April 1963, was an astonishingly wet day in Augusta, as the heavens opened above the National, and a dramatic downpour covered large parts of the course with standing water. Nicklaus reflected on these conditions yesterday at his annual Masters Press Conference:
"It just poured down with rain. Nobody thought any player would finish. Now the players go as far as they can and they just start replaying from that point but back then they’d wash the whole round out. I remember on the 13th fairway, there was so much water that there really wasn’t any place to drop the ball.But they forced us to keep on playing, and finally the rain stopped. We got to the 18th green and I remember looking at the leaderboard. I’m red-green colour-blind and I saw several figure ones on the board. I said to my caddie Willie Peterson, “How many of those ones up there are red, meaning under par?” He replied, “Just you, boss, just you”.
In these possibly unprecedented conditions, Nicklaus had survived to post a 74, as Souchak walked off the 18th with a 79. Jack Nicklaus, in his fifth Masters, held a one-shot lead with 18 holes left to play.
50-year-old Sam Snead made a charge on Sunday, as he sought a fourth Masters title. Nicklaus, playing alongside 1954 U.S. Open champion Ed Furgol, held firm to hold off the chasing pack, which became headlined by the popular Tony Lema, who posted a final round of 70 for a 72-hole total of 287 (-1). Nicklaus, however, held his nerve and managed to hold on for a one-shot victory.
Jack Nicklaus, the 23-year-old Ohioan was the Masters champion.
And so began a legendary affiliation with the Masters Tournament, and one that has spanned over half a century. His later victories, are perhaps more memorable, but it was 1963 that set him on that path of six Green Jackets. A fact which Nicklaus emphasised himself at Augusta National on Tuesday:
"I think that, after that first victory, I could see that the potential to win more was there and to finish with six green jackets is great. That first one was special because I was just 23 and had become the youngest champion. My dad was there and I had won the tournament that belonged to Bobby Jones, his idol and my idol."
Of course he would go on to win a further 16 major championships, including another five Masters titles. As the assembled media listened intently, Nicklaus readily provided a quick overview of each of his victories in typically understated fashion.
"Two years later, I won again with a record score, shooting the easiest 64 in my life. It was just one of those days — it felt like a piece of cake. Then, in 1966, I became the first man to win back-to-back. In 1972 and 1975, I was right in my prime and then to win again in 1986, having not won in a while, was really amazing. I had my mother and sister there, who hadn’t been since 1959. I have no idea why they came that year, but they did, and I had my son Jackie on the bag, too. So when you look back they’re all special, aren’t they?"
They are all indeed special, and generations of golf fans cherish the memories of Nicklaus' wins. But he concluded his period of reflection with one last emphasised point on the personal impact of the 1963 Masters Tournament.
"It all started in 1963; it was one of the most important weeks of my career. It established my ability to win at that course, and set up the rest of my career at Augusta."
And what a career it was. As Jack Nicklaus takes to the 1st tee on Thursday morning to hit the ceremonial tee-shot, alongside Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, all of these victories will be reflected upon. Both by him, and by us. But it is 1963 that will be reflected upon most intently as he helps signal the start of the 77th Masters Tournament.
The 1963 Masters. The beginning of the Augusta legend of the Golden Bear.