The Bear, though not so Golden as he used to be, still owns arguably the best record in the history of golf, with 18 major championships (plus two U.S. Amateurs) and 73 PGA Tour victories.
But for a few minutes on Monday, Nicklaus went unrecognized as he and wife Barbara prepared to go out and watch his 43-year-old son, Gary, compete in the U.S. Amateur. Eventually, a few people took notice and some came up to greet him.
Nicklaus spent some time chatting with former USGA president Will Nicholson Jr., a Denver resident, and former Cherry Hills Country Club head professional Clayton Cole (they’re pictured together above). Then he became a spectator as his second-youngest son played in his first U.S. Amateur since 1991.
After Gary shot a 1-over-par 71 in the first round — he was 4 over par through seven holes but made four straight birdies in the middle of his round — the elder Nicklaus held court with the media. Here are some of the highlights:
On being a spectator rather than a player at big events: “It’s always tougher to watch your kids play. I’ve watched Gary play for about 38 years. He doesn’t have to worry about dad worrying about him. He’s quite capable of taking care of himself.
“But I wanted to be here after he didn’t have the ability to play (in the 1990 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills due to a heart-related problem, pericarditis). He qualified to play here at Cherry Hills. I was there the night that he had his episode when we were at Castle Pines. He was a pretty sad young man. … So I think it’s nice to have him come back here after all those years.”
On Gary returning to the U.S. Amateur after last playing in 1991: “I didn’t even know Gary was trying to qualify for the national amateur. I got home from overseas and they said Gary qualified for the Amateur. Fantastic. Where is it? Denver. Then we’ll go to Denver.”
On his own golf game: “I have about a 90 mph clubhead speed and hit it about 210 if I hit it flush.
“I play once a month if I have to and if I don’t have to I don’t play. I did play the other day. I had 168 yards in, and the previous hole I had the same distance and hit a 5-iron that wasn’t even close. So I ripped a 4-iron and I got it there. 4-iron is about 230 yards for these guys (at the U.S. Amateur), and I’m hitting it 168. The way I play and $10 will get you a cup of coffee most anyplace.”
On returning Tuesday to see Cherry Hills Country Club, where he finished second in the 1960 U.S. Open as an amateur, and where he won the 1993 U.S. Senior Open: “I haven’t seen Cherry Hills since I was there in ’93. I’m looking forward to it. Anyplace I win I like. I’d be pretty stupid if I didn’t, right? I’ve always liked Cherry Hills. I’ve always enjoyed the golf course. It’s a golf course of discipline. Arnold (Palmer) took a run at the first hole, but most players better have a little discipline. I had an opportunity in 1960 to play the last 36 holes with (Ben) Hogan, and you want to talk about discipline. It was just absolutely magnificent. That was a great lesson for a young guy to watch Hogan play those two rounds.”
On seeing the restoration Tom Doak did several years ago at Cherry Hills: “Cherry Hills is a nice golf course and I enjoy being there, but I’m here to watch my son, not to see Cherry Hills.”
On Rory McIlroy, who just broke Nicklaus’ PGA Championship record for margin of victory: “I like Rory a lot. He’s a nice young man. He’s a good player. He already had a pretty good record, but he’s got a great future in front of him.”
On what his two wins in the U.S. Amateur meant to him: “When I won the Amateur it was considered a major. It’s obviously changed through the years as professional golf has become more dominant on the scene. When I beat Charlie Coe down at the Broadmoor (in 1959), here I am a 19-year-old kid with an 8-foot putt to win the U.S. Amateur, and I made that putt. And that was a big putt in my career because it told me I could do what I had to do under pressure at the right time. That sort of propelled me forward.
“Once I won at Pebble Beach in ’61 there wasn’t a lot for me to do in amateur golf. It was sort of my feeling I wanted to be the best I could be at the game of golf, and the only way I could do that was to play against the best. That’s why I turned pro.”
On whether he still thinks Tiger Woods — after a four-year victory drought in major championships — will break his record of 18 major titles: “Probably. It’s getting less (likely) each time you talk about it. He’s such a good player and he’s so talented and focused, I would sort of suspect he will. Then again, he hasn’t had very good weekends in the four majors this year. Time will tell.”
On how he was never singlemindedly driven by golf: “I really enjoyed my career. I enjoyed my life. Golf did not dominate it; my family dominated my life and my career. That was far more important to me than a golf tournament. I had another golf tournament next week. But as it turned out, I did win a few tournaments and I guess I’ve got a record that somebody is shooting at. But that wasn’t my goal starting out. My goal was to be the best I could be at it, but also live a life. … I’m a pretty lucky guy.”
Gary Nicklaus, the fourth of Jack and Barbara Nicklaus’ five kids, is in Colorado to play in his first U.S. Amateur since 1991. And he’s quick to point out he’s looking to stick around a while this coming week.
Asked what his expectations are for 112th U.S. Amateur, given his lack of big-time tournament exposure in the last nine years, Nicklaus said Saturday, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could win. It’s like riding a bike; you don’t forget how to do it. You just get a little rusty. You just put a little grease on there and get it moving again.”
Nicklaus actually arrived in Colorado several days ago to prepare for the Amateur, which will be held at Cherry Hills Country Club starting Monday (Aug. 13), with CommonGround Golf Course being the second site for the stroke-play portion of the event Monday and Tuesday.
Jack Nicklaus won the first and last of his eight USGA championships in Colorado — the 1959 U.S. Amateur at the Broadmoor and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills. And Jack and Barbara will be back in the state to watch Gary compete this week. But Gary didn’t play Cherry Hills for the first time until Thursday, and his first trip around CommonGround was Saturday (when he was pictured above).
At one time, Gary Nicklaus hoped to make a major impact on the PGA Tour, where his dad won 73 times, including 18 major championships. Gary played 122 events on the PGA Tour and made almost $700,000. His best finish came at the 2000 BellSouth Classic, where Phil Mickelson beat him in a playoff.
Nicklaus last played on the PGA Tour in 2003, and eventually was reinstated as an amateur in 2007. And on July 16 of this year, the 43-year-old recaptured some of the old magic by earning the second and final U.S. Amateur qualifying spot at a tournament in Wellington, Fla.
“This is the first time I’ve played anything nationally in 10 years,” Nicklaus said on Saturday at CommonGround. “I haven’t played anything. I haven’t worked at my game, practiced on my game for anything for a long time.
“Since I qualified for this, I’ve been working hard trying to get ready. This is not a professional major but it’s definitely a fantastic championship and one I’d love to perform well in.”
Nicklaus said he played in about a half-dozen U.S. Amateurs from 1985 to ’91, with his best showing being a first-round loss in match play in ’91, shortly before he turned pro. He missed the 1990 Amateur at Cherry Hills after being hospitalized in the Denver area with heart-related problems.
————————
U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. For Aug. 13 tee times, CLICK HERE.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71), and CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (7,378 yards, par-70). Cherry Hills will be hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Top Name Players Expected in Field: Jordan Spieth (2-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion, low amateur in 2012 U.S. Open), Beau Hossler (17-year-old led U.S. Open during second round), Gary Nicklaus (son of the legendary Jack Nicklaus), college player of the year Justin Thomas, 2011 Masters low amateur Hideki Matsuyama, 2012 NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters.
Players in Field with Strong Colorado Ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Parker Edens of Greeley, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Englewood, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, DU golfer Andy Yang.
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Aug. 15 2-4 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 16 4:30-6:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.
————————-
Other U.S. Amateur-Related Stories on COgolf.org:
Yang Joins Sister as USGA Qualifier. DU golfer advances to U.S. Amateur along with Axlund, Chapman.
Kids and Pros Alike Have a Blast. U.S. Amateur Alumni Day at CommonGround draws a few hundred fans.
CGA, CWGA Gear Up for U.S. Amateur. With CommonGround as Companion Course, associations expand role.
CommonGround Impresses USGA Executive Director. Five tees were added for U.S. Amateur.
]]>
The last U.S. Amateur held in Colorado featured some of the greatest golfers of the last two decades.
Among those who competed in the 1990 Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club were champion Phil Mickelson, who’s gone on to win 40 PGA Tour events, including four majors, Jim Furyk (16 Tour wins, one major), David Duval (13 Tour wins, one major) and Justin Leonard (12 Tour wins, one major).
As the U.S. Amateur returns to Cherry Hills next week (Aug. 13-19) — with the Tom Doak-designed CommonGround Golf Course being the second site for stroke play Aug. 13-14 — it’s a good bet that several future stars of the game will be competing.
The 312-man field features 13 of the top 14 players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, including No. 1 Chris Williams, winner of the recent Western Amateur; No. 2 Hideki Matsuyama, low amateur in the 2011 Masters; and No. 3 Jordan Spieth, the top amateur in this year’s U.S. Open and a two-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion.
Among the other prominent players entered are Beau Hossler, the 17-year-old who led the U.S. Open during round 2; college player of the year Justin Thomas; and NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters. There’s even a son of arguably the greatest golfer of all time, Jack Nicklaus’ second-youngest, Gary.
“This is my favorite event of the year actually,” Hossler said after playing a practice round Saturday at CommonGround with Thomas, Derek Ernst and Parker Edens of Greeley. “I’m looking forward to this week, that’s for sure.”
(Hossler, the youngest player to make the cut at a U.S. Open since World World II, is pictured above at left with Spieth at CommonGround on Saturday.)
Thomas, who will be a sophomore at the University of Alabama, thinks the Amateur is the ideal way to end the summer season before returning to college golf.
“This is the coolest event of the year; I love it,” he said. “It just has a lot different feel than any of the other events. Not that we don’t try really hard at each event, but I think this one gets our attention just a little bit more. Especially this time of year, we’re trying to cap off a summer.”
Also competing next week will be nine players with strong Colorado ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Edens, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Cherry Hills Village, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, and University of Denver golfer Andy Yang.
This will mark the ninth USGA championship held at Cherry Hills, and the second U.S. Amateur, which is the oldest USGA championship.
“I loved the golf course; I thought it was spectacular,” Mickelson recently told USGA.org. “I think that there is so much history there from (Arnold) Palmer driving the green on 1, to (Ben) Hogan backing up his wedge (into the water) on 17 (both in the 1960 U.S. Open that Palmer won). There’s been so much history that took place there that you can’t help but feel it. I’m glad that they’re having a big tournament there again. I think it’s great for the Amateur to return there.”
Cherry Hills will play at 7,409 yards and to a par-71 for the Amateur. That’s almost 300 yards longer than in 1990. CommonGround will be set at 7,378 yards, playing to a par-70.
Asked what he thought of CommonGround, which is only three years old, Hossler said, “It was good. I really like it actually. The greens are really good and firm and pretty fast, so it will be nice. You have to definitely drive it well because of the fescue and everything off the fairway. It’s a good track. This is definitely a challenge, especially if it gets windy like it did today.”
Nicklaus knows that CommonGround’s main defense is its green complexes.
“It’s interesting,” he said. “There’s a lot of room off the tee, and then there’s a lot of funkiness to the greens. Golf begins when you get to these greens.”
As for Cherry Hills, thick rough — from 3 inches to 4-5 inches — will keep many free-swinging players in check. And green speeds in the 11-11.5 range on the Stimpmeter also will put players to the test.
The Palmer tee at the par-4 first hole — where Arnold Palmer drove the first green in the final round en route to rallying to win the 1960 U.S. Open — will be utilized for the majority of match play, according to the USGA.
Tickets for the U.S. Amateur are available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket runs $17.50, with a weekly package costing $85. Kids 17 and under will be admitted free with a ticketed adult.
Unlike in many professional tour events, few gallery ropes are used at the U.S. Amateur.
————————
U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. For Aug. 13 tee times, CLICK HERE.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71), and CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (7,378 yards, par-70). Cherry Hills will be hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Top Name Players Expected in Field: Jordan Spieth (2-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion, low amateur in 2012 U.S. Open), Beau Hossler (17-year-old led U.S. Open during second round), Gary Nicklaus (son of the legendary Jack Nicklaus), college player of the year Justin Thomas, 2011 Masters low amateur Hideki Matsuyama, 2012 NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters.
Players in Field with Strong Colorado Ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Parker Edens of Greeley, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Englewood, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, DU golfer Andy Yang.
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Aug. 15 2-4 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 16 4:30-6:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.
————————-
Other U.S. Amateur-Related Stories on COgolf.org:
Yang Joins Sister as USGA Qualifier. DU golfer advances to U.S. Amateur along with Axlund, Chapman.
Kids and Pros Alike Have a Blast. U.S. Amateur Alumni Day at CommonGround draws a few hundred fans.
CGA, CWGA Gear Up for U.S. Amateur. With CommonGround as Companion Course, associations expand role.
CommonGround Impresses USGA Executive Director. Five tees were added for U.S. Amateur.
]]>
Later, he gladly posed with the Havemeyer Trophy behind the 18th green — on one condition: that he didn’t touch it.
But make no mistake, Spieth would dearly love to wrap his arms around the trophy in about four weeks.
“I’m extremely excited for this event,” the two-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion from Dallas said. “This is one I mark off every year. This will be my fourth U.S. Amateur. I’m looking forward to making it a couple matches further (than last year, when he was a quarterfinalist) on a venue such as Cherry Hills that I’ve heard so much about, even from major champions I’ve talked to.”
Spieth, future University of Texas teammate Beau Hossler and Jack Nicklaus’ son Gary will be three of the biggest names in the 312-man U.S. Amateur field when Cherry Hills hosts the championship Aug. 13-19. CommonGround Golf Course, which is owned and operated by the CGA and CWGA, will be the second course for the stroke-play portion of the event Aug. 13-14.
Both Spieth (pictured above on Monday) and Hossler will give the Amateur some star power this year. Hossler became a household name among golf enthusiasts when he led the U.S. Open as a 17-year-old during the second round. And Spieth ended up as the low amateur in the Open, placing 21st overall.
While both players have obviously competed on bigger stages, they have their sights set on making a run at the title in the U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship, having debuted in 1895.
“It’s the biggest amateur tournament in the world, so I’m going to make sure I’m prepared and hopefully I have a good chance to win,” Hossler said via teleconference on Monday. “I couldn’t be more excited to go out there to Denver, especially playing at altitude and hitting it pretty long.
“The U.S. Amateur at Erin Hills (in Wisconsin last year) is probably one of the favorite tournaments I’ve ever played in. That was a great event. So I’m looking forward to this year’s event at Cherry Hills.”
Both Spieth and Hossler have sprinkled PGA Tour events into their 2012 schedule. In a year in which he led the University of Texas to the NCAA title as a freshman, Spieth made the cut not only in the U.S. Open but the Texas Open and the John Deere Classic. Hossler did likewise in the U.S. Open and the AT&T National.
Asked if his mindset is different in amateur tournaments than it is in Tour events, Spieth said, “I would say it is in most events other than the U.S. Amateur. In the U.S. Amateur the competition is similar to a Tour event.
“And the golf course is set up like a Tour event or harder. It’s up there with the toughest events. I thought the courses I played for the U.S. Amateur were the toughest courses I’ve ever played obviously until the U.S. Open this year. But it’s not far behind. It’s fair and set up great for match play. The preparation for the U.S. Amateur is the same as it as if I were preparing for the U.S. Open. It means that much to everyone who plays in this event.”
Ben Kimball, USGA co-director for the U.S. Amateur, believes Cherry Hills and CommonGround will be formidable despite the world’s top amateur players challenging them next month.
“The most rigorous, most difficult yet fair test in amateur golf is what awaits these men come August,” Kimball said. “An examination both physically and mentally is what we prepare for those who come to Cherry Hills and CommonGround … two remarkable venues that will help us identify the best amateur player in the world this August.”
Not surprisingly, Kimball said the Palmer tee on the first hole at Cherry Hills — where Arnold Palmer drove the green in the final round of the 1960 U.S. Open en route to rallying to win the event — will be heavily utilized during the match-play rounds at Cherry Hills.
“What a way to start off most matches — give the players the opportunity to drive the first green, just as Arnold Palmer did in the 1960 U.S. Open,” he said.
Tall, thick rough will be one of the best defenses Cherry Hills has against many ultra-long-hitting amateurs. On most holes, the first cut of rough will be 3 inches deep, with the second cut being between 4 and 5 inches. Already on Monday, things were pretty gnarly when players strayed off the fairway.
Meanwhile, the greens at Cherry Hills will Stimp out between 11 and 11.5 feet, just as they did during the 2005 U.S. Women’s Open.
As for CommonGround, it was designed by renowned course architect Tom Doak, who also did a major restoration project at Cherry Hills several years ago.
“They’re very contrasting in terms of the kind of course,” U.S. Amateur general chairman Jeff Dorsey said of CommonGround and Cherry Hills. “CommonGround is a great Doak design and I think it’s going to be a stern test for the players.”
CGA executive director Ed Mate is hoping the U.S. Amateur players leave CommonGround as impressed as USGA executive director Mike Davis was when he first visited the site.
“There’s a really good golf course out there, and we’re really excited to showcase that golf course to all these great players,” Mate said. “We couldn’t be more excited.
“Having a ‘home game’ is particularly special for us this year because not only are we the host association, but we’re the host companion course.”
As for the fans, the USGA believes they’ll get their money’s worth during U.S. Amateur week.
“This is truly a spectacular experience if you enjoy golf,” said Robbie Zalzneck, another USGA co-director of the U.S. Amateur. “The level of competition is second to none. … You’ll see something special even if the majority of the names are quite household names yet. They will be in the future.
“The neat thing about the U.S. Amateur is we don’t rope the fairways so we encourage the fans to not just watch but to walk alongside the players and really embrace this and see these guys and their talent. You’ll see something special.”
Tickets for the U.S. Amateur — which run $17.50 per day or $85 for the week — are available at area King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. Youngsters 17 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.