by Uncle George
I love Jack Nicklaus.
In 1975 I actually played 18 holes of golf with Jack. I've often told friends that my burial headstone will say...HE GOLFED WITH JACK. I love Jack Nicklaus.
But I feel obligated to take exception, incredible exception, to his comment following yesterday's golf tourney in which he proclaimed that Tiger Woods' chip-in on the 16th hole was the "greatest" shot in golf history.
I could go on for about six hours about this, but I'll just stick to a couple of shots that Jack seems to have forgotten.
First, the criteria for a great shot should include the venue. There are four golf MAJORS and the Memorial is not one of them.
So, I'll take just two shots for comparison...one from the U.S. Open and the other from the Masters. In 1982 at Pebble Beach Jack and one of his fearsome competitors, hall of famer Tom Watson (a tat more a competition than Levin and Sabbatini) battled shot for shot all day long.
On 17 Watson had a delicate chip shot that most observers thought was impossible. Just get it close he was advised. We all know what happened. Jack you were there. I'm not saying that was the greatest shot in history, but it was greater than the shot we saw yesterday.
Or, how about the 1987 Masters and the incredible chip-in by Larry Mize to snatch victory.
There are more. Dozens and dozens more. I love you Jack, but you just gotta be kidding, right?
I believe this argument is null because he has misquoted Jack here. Jack called it the greatest shot he has seen there (at the Memorial) given the circumstances. He didn't say that's the best shot he has ever seen nor did he even try to claim it was the greatest shot in history. So, given that, I believe Jack's opinion remains legitimate. Tournament on the line, bad lie, green sloping away, and water beyond. If you even slightly mishit that shot you leave it short in the rough or blast it into the pond. Tiger simply executed a shot that maybe only Phil Mickelson and a handful of others could pull off. Rank it behind the chip shot he had on 16 at the Master's in 2005. Superior talent makes things appear easier. It was one of the best shots of Tiger's career and it could serve as momentum for him playing his best golf again, consistently. And let's give Jack the benefit of the doubt, regardless.
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