AUGUSTA, Ga. – His tears communicated what he could not bring himself to unequivocally say. His wave to the patrons, his lingering hug with his son, his purposeful surveying of the sylvan landscape all suggested that Jack Nicklaus was finally willing to bid goodbye to the Masters.
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After 45 appearances, an unequaled record highlighted by six Green Jackets and a million memories, the Golden Bear on Saturday afternoon concluded his competitive career at Augusta National Golf Club. The business of whether he plays another official Masters round remains unsettled, for, as he said, he always has the ability like all past champions to come back.
But even as he continued to hedge, admitting, “I’m not positive ever of anything,” Nicklaus dropped numerous hints along a trail of tears that lead to the conclusion that he won’t pass this way again.
After signing for his well-earned, scrambling 76, which left him at 9-over 153 and 19 strokes behind leader Chris DiMarco through 36 holes, Nicklaus took an extra moment in the tiny green scoring hut to compose himself. He instructed his son, Jackie, who had caddied for his father more than a dozen times at Augusta, to tuck away his glove and the ball he used for the par he converted on the ninth hole, the unlikely location for the finish of his final round.
“I didn’t want to see it on eBay tomorrow,” he said, forcing a laugh.
He had promised this day to Hootie Johnson, the chairman of Augusta National and he found, in the wake of the tragic drowning death of his 17-month-old grandson Jake, that he and his family needed this day -- needed it for normalcy, for closure.
“I think that’s pretty much what I’m doing,” he allowed.
After two murky days that made a difficult golf course even more unfriendly for the Golden Bear, the sun finally broke through just as it was setting on Nicklaus at one of his two favorite places in golf. The other is St. Andrews, Scotland, where this summer he will play in one final British Open, which he said is, “the last thing I want to do from a tournament standpoint.” Then, in all likelihood, golf’s greatest major championship winner will have written the final chapter of his storied career, which includes 18 Grand Slam victories among 73 PGA TOUR titles.
The Golden Bear, 65, was all business for most of the 17 holes he traversed Saturday, trying, as he said, to shoot a decent score, but after his tee shot found the right side of the ninth fairway, the gravity of the moment tugged at him incessantly until his eyes betrayed him.
Priceless were the closing moments of that last hole.
“I think he realized that this could be his last Masters the way he acted,” said playing partner Jay Haas, who was paired with Nicklaus during the third round of that magical 1986 Masters, when the Golden Bear won the last of his six titles at age 46. “His eyes were pretty wet when he got on top of that hill there. He got me choked up.”
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| Jack Nicklaus embraces his son Jack Jr. on Saturday. (AP) |
“Just hit it on the green and make a birdie,” Jackie replied, before adding a son’s soft touch, whispering the words that had swirled through the trees all week from the minds of gallery. “I love you,” he said, simply.
The stroke was impeccable, and the ball halted 5 feet from the hole. But his birdie attempt wouldn’t obey his wishes, perhaps delivering an explicit final message to its owner that his day – as he insisted repeatedly for much of the week – had indeed passed and that he no longer, well, belonged.
As he left the green, Haas put his arm around Nicklaus’ shoulder and delivered an eloquent summation of the esteem he holds and shares with his fellow players.
“I just said thanks for being an unbelievable example for everyone out here, not only with his game but how he presented himself to everyone in golf,” Haas said. “He makes being a competitor an art form.”
But there is nothing left to add to the canvas upon which Nicklaus, with meticulous brushstrokes, painted a masterpiece. No final touches are required at Augusta National, where the breathtaking number of records he has set only frames the inspiring portrait. That the public wants more from him he understands, but whatever else he applies to the picture might obscure its resonating brilliance.
“This is not a celebrity walk-around,” Nicklaus said, his eyes red from emotions that have overcome him many times on the golf course throughout his illustrious career. “This is a golf tournament, it’s a major championship, and if you’re going to play in this championship, you should be competitive and you should be able to compete with who is out there.
“I think you say goodbye when you think you can play a little bit. I think I can play a little bit, but I can’t play well enough to be playing. My best judgment is that if they want to say goodbye, they had to hurry up today.”
If that didn’t deliver the message firmly enough, he provided a few more hints of his intentions when he said that playing in the Masters is, “a treasure for me, and I’ll miss that greatly.” And there were his thoughts trudging the steep climb up to the ninth green, where he tried to enjoy the moment, and, “say goodbye properly.
“I don’t know what proper is,” he added. “But (you) do it where you can enjoy it, the people enjoy it, and the people know you’re saying goodbye.”
Such words were never spoken, but the message was clear, and it was in
