Liguori: United States Golf Association Opens The Jack Nicklaus Room

By Ann Liguori
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Preserving the history of sports is important, particularly if the sport or the individual being preserved has a clean, positive and family-friendly history to celebrate for the ages.

In light of the recent FIFA indictments with officials of soccer's governing body being arrested on charges of corruption, and with all the other sickening headlines in sports -- be it domestic abuse, murder charges and cheating scandals by well-known stars -- it's always refreshing when a sport can honor a legend who puts family first and represents the integrity of the game.

Jack Nicklaus lived up to these qualities during a 24-year professional career that included winning a record 18 major championships (six Masters, four U.S. Opens, three British Opens and five PGA Championships) in addition to 73 PGA Tour victories. His stellar amateur career included wining two U.S. Amateurs and playing on two victorious USA Walker Cup teams.

To celebrate Nicklaus' legacy and history, on and off the course, the United States Golf Association officially opened the Jack Nicklaus Room on Wednesday at its headquarters in Far Hills, New Jersey. The new room joins galleries that honor Bob Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Mickey Wright.

The 1,200-square-foot exhibit space contains more than 80 artifacts, many on loan from the Jack Nicklaus Museum in Columbus, Ohio. The Jack Nicklaus Room presents six themes: competitive spirit, integrity, self-belief, commitment, perseverance and vision – all qualities that Nicklaus possessed during his legendary career and post-playing days.

Some of the noteworthy items on exhibit include the MacGregor Tommy Armour 3-wood that Nicklaus used to win all 18 of his major championships and both U.S. Amateurs, and the "White Fang" Acushmet Bull's Eye putter that he switched to just before he used it to win his second U.S. Open title. It was painted white and a pencil was jammed into the end of the grip.

He sunk eight birdies with this putter to card a final-round 65 to win the 1967 U.S. Open. His MacGregor VIP 1-iron is also in the collection. Who hits a 1-iron today? Well, Nicklaus won seven majors with this iron. Two of his most memorable shots were hit by this club -- the 238-yard approach shot to the 18th green at Baltusrol in the final round of the 1967 U.S. Open and the tee shot at the 71st hole at Pebble Beach when he won the U.S. Open there in 1972.

Also included in the exhibition are Jack and Barbara's wedding invitation and napkin. Jack and Barbara were married in 1960, and Jack has always credited Barbara as his biggest supporter and the reason he has had such a successful career.

All five of Nicklaus' children attended the ceremony except for Michael, who couldn't get a flight in time. Jack and Barbara also have 22 grandchildren.

"You don't have me without them," Nicklaus said about his wife, Barbara, and his family. "They've been my life. Golf is a game. Barbara is my family. Barbara is my wife. I understand golf is a game and I've never treated it as anything else. Family is something that is very special, and so they all contributed to the room.

"(My kids have) always been part of my life. And then after I stopped playing a lot seriously, Jackie caddied for me a lot. Steve caddied for me a lot. Gary caddied for me, Michael caddied for me. And now my grandkids are caddying for me.

Nicklaus leaves behind a tremendous legacy, and it is captured in the Jack Nicklaus Room. But he said he didn't even think about his legacy until he won his 10th major, the British Open at St. Andrews.

"It never entered my mind," recalls Nicklaus, "until I walked in the pressroom (at the British) and Bob Green, an AP reporter, said, 'That's 10 majors now, only three more to tie Bobby Jones ... Tiger has had it on his wall since he was five years old. It never entered my mind.

"I was interested in just doing my best, and when I wasn't giving my best, that's what we were talking about. Then, I needed to give my best. I never really worry very much about my legacy. If I worried about my legacy, I think I probably would have prepared myself better and won more like 25 major championships. Could I have won more? Yes. Could I have prepared better? Yes.

"Would I have known my family the way I know them? Probably not."

And that, my friends, tells the whole story of Jack's legacy.