Jack Nicklaus said Adam Scott made a decision in 2016 which was ‘sad for the game of golf’

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Jack Nicklaus is actually a huge fan of Adam Scott as a person and a golfer.

Nicklaus has complimented Scott‘s golf swing on numerous occasions and he has also suggested that the Australian is one of the real gentlemen of the game.

Scott has played in 97 consecutive major championships, but he’s still 49 short of Nicklaus’s truly incredible record of 146.

The American also won a record 18 major championships during his time at the top of the game, as well as 117 professional tournaments worldwide.

While the Australian isn’t on the same level as the American, he has still enjoyed a fabulous career in the game.

He has 32 professional wins to his name including 14 on the PGA Tour and one major championship success.

The 45-year-old is a hugely popular figure in the game and seemingly hasn’t got on the wrong side of anyone.

However, Scott once incurred the wrath of Nicklaus nine years ago after a controversial decision he made.

Jack Nicklaus criticized Adam Scott in 2016 after his ‘sad’ decision

Back in 2016, Scott was one of the best golfers in the world, having won The Masters three years prior and racked up five top-five finishes in major championship since his triumph at Augusta National.

However, the Australian made a hugely controversial decision in the summer of 2016, one that Mr Nicklaus was not a fan of.

Scott qualified to represent Australia at the Olympics in Brazil in 2016.

However, the 2013 Masters champion chose to pull out of the event due to a busy schedule and his desire to spend more time with his family.

Marcus Fraser replaced Scott to partner Scott Hend at The Rio de Janeiro Olympic Golf Course nine years ago.

Nicklaus responded to Scott’s withdrawal from the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, and he made it very clear that he wasn’t best pleased with the Australian’s decision.

The Golden Bear said: “I think that’s sad. I think it’s sad for the Olympics and for the game of golf.

“I don’t know Adam’s circumstances, so I couldn’t comment on what he’s dealing with. Obviously, he felt like he couldn’t play, and if he felt that way, I understand. But it’s unfortunate.“

In fairness to Scott, he had his own reasons for withdrawing from the Olympics but it’s easy to see why Nicklaus wasn’t best pleased.

The real reason why Jack Nicklaus was so upset with Adam Scott

Nicklaus played a key role in golf being reinstated at the Olympics in 2016.

The 18-time major champion actually had an official role at the time.

He was a ‘Global Ambassador for the global effort to bring golf back to the Olympic Games’.

So it’s understandable that, after all of his hard work, Scott – one of the best players in the modern era – chose not to play in Rio, a luxury that Nicklaus and co didn’t have throughout their careers.

Nicklaus clearly would have loved a chance to represent the United States at the Olympics during his prime years.

So the fact that Scott had the chance to represent Australia at the quadrennial event but chose not to would have undoubtedly been hard to accept for Nicklaus.