Given that Jack Nicklaus is the most successful golfer in the history of the game, it is not at all surprising that he once struggled to pick one shot to describe as the best of his career.
No player has won more majors than Jack Nicklaus, with the Golden Bear winning 18 titles between 1962 and 1986. Remarkably, Nicklaus also managed to finish second on 19 occasions in the four biggest events of the year.
Nicklaus leads the way for the most Masters titles, while no one has been more successful in either the PGA Championship or the US Open.
But it was a stretch of holes during his maiden Open Championship victory which Nicklaus did describe as the best sequence of his career.
The best stretch of holes Jack Nicklaus played in his career
Nicklaus was tied for the lead after the first round at Muirfield before going one shot clear at the halfway stage. But with 18 holes to play, he found himself two shots back of Phil Rodgers.
However, Nicklaus went on to win by one shot in Scotland. And speaking to Golfing World in 2014, he explained how pivotal the final three holes proved to be.
“I would say the first time that I won at Muirfield in ’66. I stood on the 16th tee and I was tied with [Doug] Sanders and Dave Thomas at the time, and I said to myself, ‘okay Jack, I want a three, four, four finish – par three, par five, par four’. And I said, ‘I think you’ll win The Open if you do that’,” he said.
“I made a nice par at 16. And we were playing a small ball at the time. I hit a three iron off the tee at 17 and five iron into the green. I made my four there. And then I hit a one iron and a three iron right in to 20 feet right of the hole. So I did what I wanted to do and won it.
“We’re back in ’72 and I stood on the 16th tee. I had [Tony] Jacklin and [Lee] Trevino behind me, and not in front of me at that time. I said, ‘okay Jack, three, four, four and you’re going to win the championship again. I finished four, five, four, and lost by a shot. So I had my own destiny in my hands, and I just didn’t do it.
“You asked my best shot, I look at that sequence as a very important sequence in what I did.”
Jack Nicklaus’ outstanding record in The Open Championship
There was further heartbreak for Sanders at the hands of Nicklaus four years later. Sanders missed a short putt on the final hole to win the Claret Jug at St Andrews and ended up in a playoff with Nicklaus.
Nicklaus won the 18-hole playoff by one shot at The Old Course.
And the Home of Golf would prove to be the site of Nicklaus’ third and final Open Championship victory eight years later. He had not even been in the top 10 over the first two days.
As well as the victories, no one came second at The Open Championship more often than Nicklaus – with seven runner-up finishes under his belt.
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