The 10 Greatest Major Moments

8 Jack Nicklaus

     1962 US Open, Oakmont Country Club

Having burst onto the scene with his second place finish in the 1960 US Open while still an amateur, 1962 was Nicklaus’ rookie year as a pro and he joined a very small group of players whose first professional win was a Major championship title. This also triggered the start of a rivalry with runner-up Arnold Palmer that boosted the popularity of the sport among middle-class Americans to record levels.

            The 1962 Open was held at Oakmont, giving Latrobe-born Arnie “home” advantage. Arnie’s Army was very vocal in their support of their man, and very disparaging about the appearance and weight of the young challenger (“Ohio Fats” was one of the less disparaging nicknames given to the burly Columbus native). Nicklaus claimed to have been completely unaware of the heckling going on, but members of his family and friends were involved in a number of incidents where they challenged some of the more egregious comments. Thankfully such behaviour wasn’t seen again on tour, at least not until the US crowds got more than a little carried away with their heckling of Monty during the 1999 Ryder Cup.

            Often described as an Arnie meltdown, rather than a Nicklaus win, the reality was that Nicklaus simply handled the pressure far better than his infinitely more experienced opponent. Over five rounds (including the playoff), Nicklaus recorded only one three-putt whereas Palmer had 13 according to his own estimate. It’s a given that if Palmer had putted better he would have won handily, but the stats confirm that Nicklaus’ approach shots were relentlessly accurate and his putting nerveless. Nevertheless, Arnie’s profligacy is highlighted by a stat from 2007 when Sergio Garcia led the PGA Tour with 19 three-putts – for the entire season!

            This victory confirmed Nicklaus overnight as a credible challenger to the then dominant Palmer, Casper and Player, and he won two more tournaments in 1962. By the end of the following year he had amassed three Major titles and nine top-10 finishes in Majors. Nicklaus, of course, remains the leading Major winner of all time, with 18 titles to his credit.