Golden Bear says goodbye
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Wiping tears from his eyes, Nicklaus saluted thousands of appreciative patrons at No. 9 green as he completed his 163rd and final round at the Masters. Nicklaus parred the hole to finish at 9-over par.
“That was like 4-under par for me, maybe five,” Nicklaus said of his 4-over 76 in the second round. “It’s great and fun to play in the Masters, but it’s definitely no fun to play that way. It’s no fun to go out there and hack it around and try to figure out a way to shoot 80.”
The 69th Masters was Nicklaus’ 45th. He won the tournament a record six times, and along with long-time nemesis and friend Arnold Palmer helped make the Masters golf’s most prestigious event.
Nicklaus admitted after his round he didn’t intend to play this year, even before he lost his grandson in a hot-tub accident last month. Hootie Johnson, chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, called and asked Nicklaus to come back and play one more year and give the patrons and the club a chance to say farewell.
“My best judgment is if they wanted to say good-bye, they’d better have hurried up today,” Nicklaus said. “I can play a little bit, but I can’t play well enough.”
Nicklaus still didn’t completely rule out a comeback sometime in the future, although he did outline what would have to happen for him to return.
“Unless I gain 10 mph of club-head speed, I’m not coming back. And I don’t see that happening,” Nicklaus said. “Or if they shorten the holes 30 yards. That’s not going to happen either.
“This is just too tough for me. I cannot do this.”
Nicklaus will continue to attend the Masters. He said he’ll return to Augusta National for the Champions’ Dinner and will participate in the par-3 contest, played annually the day before the tournament starts.
“I think I can still reach those greens,” Nicklaus said of the par-3.
Nicklaus did suggest the club institute a tournament for past champions to be played on the Tuesday of Masters week.
