When Jack Nicklaus was a young man, the golfer he most admired was Bob Jones.
Therefore, in the fall of 1961, Jack strongly considered remaining an amateur golfer and following in Bob Jones’ illustrious footsteps. After a successful amateur career, including two U.S. Amateur championships, Jack liked being referred to as “the greatest amateur since Bobby Jones” and had a dream of breaking Jones’ records, so he had a tough time deciding whether he should turn pro.
Luckily for the game of golf, he did. As a pro, Jack Nicklaus has represented and promoted the game of golf far beyond what he could have as an amateur. One of the ways he has given back to the game, and to the Dublin and Columbus, Ohio areas that he grew up in, was to create the Memorial Tournament.
On the Memorial Tournament website, it states: “. . it was Jack’s vision to create a golf club that embodied his personal and professional life, and would forever stand as a representation of his love and respect for the game of golf. It was also his vision to create a golf tournament that would long represent his passion for tournament golf, and would give back to a community that has embraced him and the game.”
In May 1976, the first Memorial Tournament was played on the course that he designed at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Every year, the Memorial raises many dollars in charitable contributions to benefit needy adults and children throughout Ohio.
Part of Nicklaus’ vision was to hold a tournament that would, like the Masters, have global interest and pay tribute to the history and traditions of the game. In particular, Nicklaus wanted to honor those individuals who built the game’s foundation, for him, and for the millions of people who enjoy golf around the world.
Therefore, each year the Memorial Tournament is themed around a person, living or dead, who has made a great contribution to the sport. The honorees are chosen by “The Captain’s Club,” a group of statesmen who act independently of the tournament, but also advise on player invitations and the conduct of the event. Not surprisingly, the first Memorial Tournament Honoree was Robert Tyre Jones Jr., followed in 1977 by Walter Hagen, Francis Ouimet in 1978, Gene Sarazen in 1979 and Byron Nelson in 1980, to name the starting five.
This year, the honoree is Tom Watson. He has had 39 tour victories, including two Masters, a U.S. Open and five British Opens. He came very close to winning another British title in 2009 when he was almost 60. He was tied for first place after 72 holes at Turnberry and lost in a four-hole playoff to Stewart Cink.
Turnberry must be a special place for Watson, because that’s where the “Duel in the Sun” took place in 1977; that was the name given for the battle that occurred over the final 36 holes of the British Open between Watson and Nicklaus. Watson shot 65-65 to Nicklaus’ 65-66 to win by one stroke. In another stunning flair for the dramatic, Watson chipped in from deep rough on the 17th hole at Pebble Beach on his way to his win over Nicklaus for the 1982 U.S. Open. Watson has been a great ambassador for the sport, always showing sportsmanship and class. For that reason, he was selected to the Memorial Tournament’s Captain’s Club in 2009.
You can see the rest of the Memorial Tournament honorees at www.thememorialtournament.com/honorees/pastyears.php.
• Quote of the day — “Some things cannont possibly happen, because they are both too improbable and too perfect. The U.S. hockey team cannot beat the Russians in the 1980 Olympics. Jack Nicklaus cannot shoot 65 to win the Masters at age 46. Nothing else comes immediately to mind.” — Thomas Boswell
• Upcoming events — A couples event is being planned for June 30 at Hulman Links. Golf, food, beverage and even Margaritaville down by the shelter on Hole No. 5. Some lucky couple will win the grand door prize of a get-away weekend at Indianapolis’ Crowne Plaza, which includes accommodations in one of their train cars, cocktails in Pullman’s Bar and breakfast for two in Pullman’s Restaurant.
Jennifer Myers can be reached by e-mail at jfmyers@xsthe.net.
On & Off the Course
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Memorial just one of many visions of Jack Nicklaus
- On & Off the Course
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
• Gary R. Wright
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Donna Lynn Strahla Bown
Donna Lynn Strahla Bown passed away early Friday morning, Jan. 25, 2013, with her children by her side.
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‘The Match’ pitting amateurs vs. pros recalled 62 years later
Quote of the Day: “I play golf with friends sometimes, but there are never friendly games.” — Ben Hogan.
Bubba Watson has had a busy fall. Not only did he play all the way to the final round of the FedEx Championships, and in the Ryder Cup, he also played in an event commemorating a very famous match played at Cypress Point in 1956, pitting two of the greatest golf pros at the time against two of the best amateurs.
Come to think of it, all four were some of the best golfers of all time. This year’s event was celebrating The First Tee’s exceeding $100 million in pledges to reach 10 million new young people. It wasn’t televised and kept very quiet; only 225 people were in the gallery.
One of the people in the gallery was Mark Frost, the author of a book titled “The Match,” which is about that match played 62 years ago that was re-enacted in modern terms last week. The pros in 1956 were Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and the amateurs were Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. It was supposed to have been a private affair, built around a wager by two millionaires, George Coleman and Eddie Lowery. -
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf from the wrong side of the brain
Imagine this scenario: a woman, small in stature (possibly freckled), walks into a hospital emergency room and says, “I have an emergency, I need a doctor quickly!” The admitting nurse, ever trying to be helpful, asks what the emergency is.
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Farmers looking at widely varying yields
Combines will roll through fields this weekend, bringing in the harvest from a summer with nearly no rain.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf debut in London would have been nice
As the Olympics get underway in London this weekend, I was thinking it’s too bad that the Olympic committee decided too late to add golf as one of the sports for this event; instead it will be added to the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Getting to Hoosier country’s best golfing venue part of the fun
If you are looking for Indiana’s premier golfing destination, then you should look no further than French Lick.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Indiana's Pete Dye courses worth the drive
You’ve probably heard of the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail throughout Alabama, but you might not be aware that Indiana has its own “Pete Dye Golf Trail” comprised of seven courses.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fathers typically a big influence on golfing sons
Some events fall naturally into place around holidays. The Fourth of July always falls somewhere during Wimbledon, giving all of the Yanks in attendance something to be boisterous about, to the chagrin of their hosts; The Masters often, but not always, ends on Easter Sunday, which is fitting since golfers find it such a reverent occasion.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Memorial just one of many visions of Jack Nicklaus
When Jack Nicklaus was a young man, the golfer he most admired was Bob Jones.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: With some tricky rules, golf is not a walk in the park
Golf is not a casual sport, even though it has a term called “casual water.”
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On and off the course: Sycamores seeded sixth heading into MVC golf tourney
It wasn’t too long ago that Indiana State University didn’t even have a women’s golf team.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: A hard ticket to come by
This is the weekend of the Masters Tournament, the first of the four major tournaments.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
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On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
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ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
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On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
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On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
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On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
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On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
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On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
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