1965

By Robert Eubanks
Chronicle Sports Editor

Augusta, Ga., Monday, April 12, 1965 -- Jack Nicklaus, blond young goliath with awesome power, won his second Masters title Sunday by nine shots with a record shattering 17-under-par 271 and established himself firmly as golf's new superstar.

It was a slaughter.

The 210-pound Golden Bear, a comparative babe of 25, climaxed one of the game's great all-time performances with a final round 69 and an unprecedented margin over his two fellow members of The Big Three, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.

Palmer and Player shot 280, Arnie finishing with a 70 and Gary scrambling for a 73.

Mason Rudolph shot par 72 for 283 and fourth money. Dan Sikes had 75 for 285 and fifth.

Nicklaus' rounds of 67-71-64-69-271 cracked by three shots the record 274 that Ben Hogan set in 1953 and proudly held for a dozen years.

The previous largest winning margin in this tournament, a mushrooming spectacle that lures the world's best players, was seven strokes - the gap by which Cary Middlecoff won in 1955.

After the powerful Nicklaus once started his charge at the halfway point, the others never had a chance. The world's finest golfers and the massive, demanding Augusta National course - 6,980 yards of frustration and elusive par 72 - were left numbered by the impact of the big Columbus, Ohio, boy's assault.

On his closing round, Nicklaus had only one bogey - at the fourth hole, his first in a stretch of 29 holes - and four birdies. He missed other birdies by inches.

``Curler'' On No. 15

Big Jack refused to be disconcerted by this unlucky turn. He parred the short 16th easily and on the 400-yard 17th rifled his approach to within 18 inches for is final birdie.

By this time a large part of the gallery of 50,000 swarming over the picturesque course, was lining the fairway and hugging the green. They let out a deafening roar and it was easy to see that courses were in for a new gallery menace - Jack's Pack, replacing the rampaging Arnie's Army.

This indeed may well be the start of the Nicklaus era, just as the game passed through periods in which Bobby Jones, Ben Hogan and Palmer dominated.

History's name is Nicklaus
Hogan's old mark falls with a crash

By Jim Martin
Chronicle Sports Editor

Augusta, Ga., Tuesday, April 12, 1966 -- History wore a floppy hat this Sunday in April. History had big muscles and a bigger smile and an even bigger golf game. History also had a name.

It's Jack Nicklaus.

Nicklaus, no longer a boy but very much a wonder until the end of time, finished a 72-hole playing lesson for the sole benefit of the ages Sunday to the Augusta National Golf Club.

He charged $20,000 as glory was built into monotony.

Nicklaus shot a three-under par 69 Sunday to turn the 29th Masters Tournament into a wholesale rout.

The 25-year-old Ohioan imprinted solid significance on the ``Nicklaus era'' of golf by shooting a 72-hole score of 271 to shatter the once-sacred record of Ben Hogan by three strokes and won his second Masters title in three years by an incredible nine strokes.

NICKLAUS' 271 may never be broken, unless it is by the champion himself.

Bob Jones called it, ``The greatest tournament performance in all of golfing history.''

Defending champion Arnold Palmer and Gary Player tied for second at 280, good enough to win many years but not even close in this year of the Nicklaus rampage.

The past four days Nicklaus played like he may never lose again.

He shot rounds of 67-71-64-69.

NICKLAUS' AWESOME power off the tee, coupled with putting he called ``my best in a tournament ever,'' sent the prestige of the proud Augusta National reeling.

Nothing could stop ``The Golden Bear.''

Nicklaus, after tying the course record of 64 in the third round - which probably is the greatest round ever played over the National, including Lloyd Mangrum's 64 - did nothing but increase his five-stroke lead as neither Player nor Palmer offered any resistance to history.

Palmer, helpless in the grasp of Nicklaus in his attempt to become the first man to win two Masters titles in a row, did manage to nail Player in the battle for second place. Arnie shot a 70 to Player's 73. The each won $10,200.

Oddly enough, Palmer was extremely consistent. With rounds of 70-68-72-70, he had nine hole scores of 35-35, 34-34, 36-36 and 35-35.

MASON RUDOLPH, the colorful Tennessean paired with Nicklaus on the final great day, shot an even par 72 and nudged out Dan Sikes for fourth place at 283. Rudolph won $6,200.

Sikes was at 285 and Spain's Ramon Sato and Gene Littler came next at 286. Frank Beard and Tommy Bolt, both at 287, were the only others in the field to break par.

None of them did it with overpowering heroism of this Nicklaus fellow, now firmly established as the game's No. 1 player.

His Sunday 69 was also the day's lowest round.

Nicklaus hit 62 of the 72 greens in regulation and had 22 birdies and five bogies. He had 22 one-putt greens, 49 two-putts and a lone three-putt. That occurred at the 15th hole Sunday when Jack, 50 feet from the hole with the tournament in the bag, charged at an eagle putt in a bold attempt to lower Hogan's record even more. He went six feet by and his putt for birdie looked in the cup and spun back out.

NICKLAUS STARTED the day with a towering drive over 300 yards down the left of the first fairway. That set up the ensuing birdie at the very first hole. He never had to use his three wood all day, except to drive at the third hole to get better position for his second shot.

At that, he always had a wedge to the green, something very much a Nicklaus custom.

His power is too fierce for any other human to handle. The 271 proved it.

Nicklaus followed that opening birdie with another at the fourth hole, a former 220-yarder shortened to about 175 yards for the final day. His six iron shot was 15 feet above the hole and he calmly rolled it in.

Player had started the day five strokes behind and got a birdie at the second. But just as immediately, he ran into three straight bogies at the third, fourth and fifth and the tournament was over. Palmer was too far back to begin with.

NICKLAUS BOGEYED the fifth hole when his low three iron second shot failed to hold the green. He missed a nine-footer for his par.

Jack, playing cautiously with an eye cocked for historians on the loose, made the turn in a one-under par 35. A heavy majority of the near 50,000 present for the final day followed in his heavy footsteps.

He gave them something to see on the back nine. After two-putting from 40 and 50 feet on Nos. 10 and 11, Nicklaus ran down a 25-foot birdie at the 12th, despite the treacherous warnings up from the swirling wind over Rae's Creek.

He went for the green at both 13 and 15 and failed to birdie either of them, coming out of a trap 25 feet shot at the 13th and three-putting the 15th.

AFTER FAILING on a 12-footer at the 190-yard 16th, Nicklaus followed a booming tee shot with a nine iron only inches from the hole at No. 17. That put him three under for the day, 17 under for the tournament and a good deal paunchier in both the bank and record books.

He got a standing ovation when he splint into a grin while walking up the 18th green. His approach came back off the green but he chipped to within six inches and holed the putt for his 271st stroke.