Childhood & Early Life
Jack William Nicklaus was born on January 21, 1940, in Columbus, Ohio, USA, to Charles Nicklaus, a pharmacist, and Helen Nicklaus.
He grew up in the well-to-do suburb of Upper Arlington and attended ‘Upper Arlington High School.’ He played basketball, baseball, and tennis throughout high school.
A child prodigy, he started playing golf at ten and by the time he was 12, he had won the ‘Ohio Junior State Championship.’ At 14, he had won the ‘Tri-State High School Championship.’
In 1961, he graduated from the ‘Ohio State University’ with a major in Pre-pharmacy, and he planned to join his father’s pharmaceutical business after graduation.
While studying at the ‘Ohio State University,’ he actively participated in sports and won the ‘U.S Amateur’ title twice and also won the ‘NCAA basketball championship.’
He studied insurance for a brief period and sold insurance policies while attending college.
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Career
In 1962, he began his professional career in golf with the ‘PGA Tour.’ His first win was at the ‘U.S Open,’ where he defeated Arnold Palmer to become the ‘U.S Open’ champion.
In 1963, he won some of the major golf championships in the U.S – ‘The Masters Tournament,’ ‘Tournament of Champions,’ the ‘PGA Championship,’ and the ‘World Golf Cup.’
In 1963, he won some of the major golf championships in the U.S – ‘The Masters Tournament,’ ‘Tournament of Champions,’ the ‘PGA Championship,’ and the ‘World Golf Cup.’
In 1965, he won ‘The Masters Tournament’ and set a new record with an aggregate score of 271. The same year, he teamed up with Tony Lema and formed the ‘U.S Team’ for the ‘World Cup.’
In 1966, he won ‘The Open Championship’ in Muirfield, Scotland. He participated in 22 official worldwide events that year and won four major tournaments.
In 1967, he won his second ‘U.S Open’ title at the ‘Baltusrol Golf Club,’ New Jersey. The same year, he teamed up with Arnold Palmer to win the ‘World Cup’ in Mexico City.
In 1970, he won the ‘Open Championship’ at the ‘Old Golf Course’ at St Andrews, Scotland, and also came out victorious at the ‘Piccadilly World Match Play Championship.’
In the 1971 ‘PGA Championship’ tour, he defeated Billy Casper. Later that year, he claimed his third ‘World Cup’ victory and won the ‘Australian Dunlop International’ game.
In 1973, he broke the records held by Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen in the ‘PGA Championship Tournament’ when he was just 33 years old.
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In 1980, he won the ‘U.S Open Tournament’ and the ‘PGA Championship.’
In 1986, he recorded one of the major victories of his career when he won his sixth ‘Masters Tournament,’ a match where he scored six birdies and an eagle.
In 1990, he won the ‘Senior Players Championship,’ where he defeated Lee Trevino by six shots.
In 1993, he defeated Tom Weiskopf at the ‘U.S. Senior Open Tournament.’ He also won the ‘Wendy's Three Tour Challenge’ that year.
In 2000, he played his final ‘U.S Open’ at the ‘Pebble Beach Golf Links,’ California. Later that year, he paired with Tiger woods and Vijay Singh for the last ‘PGA Championship’ tournament of his career.
In 2005, he played the last tournament of his professional career at the ‘U.S Open Championship’ at ‘St Andrews Golf Course,’ Scotland, where he received a standing ovation. That year, he also played his final ‘Masters Tournament.’
At the age of 75, Nicklaus hit his first-ever hole-in-one at ‘Augusta National Golf Club’ while participating in ‘Masters' Par 3 Contest’ on April 2015.
Awards & Achievements
From 1959 to 1961, he was given the title ‘world’s top amateur golfer’ by ‘Golf Digest,’ a monthly golf magazine.
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In 1962, he was featured on the cover of ‘TIME’ magazine after he won the ‘U.S Open Tournament.’
In 1962, he was honored with the ‘PGA Tour Rookie of the Year’ award.
In 1974, he was inducted into the ‘World Golf Hall of Fame.’
In 2005, he was awarded the ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’ by President George W. Bush.
In 2008, he was elected as the Global Ambassador of the ‘International Golf Federation.’
Personal Life & Legacy
On July 1960, he married his long-time girlfriend Barbara Bash, and the couple has five children.
In early 1963, he injured his hip while playing golf.
He was featured on a special commemorative issue of a five-pound note, issued by the ‘Royal Bank of Scotland.’ This made him the first living person to appear on the bank note, besides the Royal Family.
In 2002, the ‘Ohio State University’ dedicated 24,000 square foot to ‘Jack Nicklaus Museum’ in his honor. The museum offers a comprehensive view of his life and achievements.
