1972

By Robert Eubanks
Chronicle Sports Editor

Augusta, Ga., -- The man and the course, but isn't that what golf is all about.

Jack William Nicklaus shared top billing with the Augusta National Golf Course this past week. In the end he didn't conquer her, that fickle old lady - he just was intimidated less than others.

Nicklaus had predicted early in the week that anything under par would be okay come Sunday and it was. Nicklaus' 286 was the only score under par in the 36th Masters Tournament. He thus tied Arnold Palmer's record of four Masters crowns.

``It was the course's week,'' Nicklaus said. ``It was similar to 1966 (when he won in a playoff after tying at 288). Nobody could score. I was fortunate to get under par and stay there. ``Nobody was doing anything. Nobody was making a move and nothing was happening.''

His was a story of success almost to the point of boredom. Nicklaus, who also tied Ben Hogan's record of nine sub-par Masters, became the third man to lead from wire to wire. Only Craig Wood in 1941 and Palmer in 1964 have been able to lead all the way.

The edge Nicklaus rang up on the first day with his blistering 31 on the back nine, including a bogey at 10, eventually proved the difference.

A CHALLENGE TO his superiority never materialized and he found himself going for the fat part of the green instead of the pin, as is his custom, just trying to protect his lead. He closed with a final round of two-over-par 74 but the runners-up at 289, Bruce Crampton, Tom Weiskopf and Bobby Mitchell, agreed he would have shot better had he been pressed.

And Nicklaus said it was tough for him to try to maintain the lead. ``I usually play better when I'm behind or maybe tied,'' he said. The victory came as a relief because Nicklaus had not won here since 1966. He became the youngest ever to win with a 286 in 1963, then tied the single round record of 64 and established the tournament mark of 271 in 1965. Nicklaus is the only man ever to win back-to-back.

NICKLAUS NOW HAS won 12 major golf tournaments, just one behind the late Bobby Jones. And the Masters win puts him on the road toward the modern version of the Grand Slam. Jones won both the U.S. and British Opens and Amateurs in 1930 and Nicklaus is favored to complete the modern circuit of Masters, U.S. and British Opens and the PGA because they are being played on courses he likes.

Big Jack, who recently passed Palmer as golf's all-time money winner, picked up $25,000 and now has won three tournaments and $134,473. His career total is 37 wins and $1,517,637.19. Jim Jamieson, the roly-poly pro from Moline, Ill., who had been only one back of Nicklaus going into the final day, soared to a 77 and 290. Silver Fox Paul Harney and Weiskopf had been at one-under-par 215. Harney double bogeyed 13 and 16 and shot 81 while Weiskopf had a 74.

Crampton and Mitchell each closed with 73s and the trio picked up $15,0833 apiece. Arnold Palmer had his highest Masters round of 81 for 300, second only to his 301 of 1956. Only a couple of three-putt bogeys on 14 and 15, where Nicklaus momentarily lost his touch, made it close at all. He still had a three-stroke lead at that stage and kept it with a curling, eight-foot, par-saving putt on the 17th, where he had bunkered his approach.

After Weiskopf, Crampton and Mitchell came Jamieson, Bruce Devlin, Jerry McGee, Jerry Heard and Homero Blancas at 290. Devlin took a 71, McGee 72, Blancas and Heard 74s. South African Gary Player, never really a factor, closed with 71-291.

DEFENDING CHAMPION Charles Coody had 75 for 292, Billy Casper 74 for 294, England's Tony Jacklin 74 and 297 and Lee Trevino a par 72 for 300. Player, Devlin and Dave Stockton (291) were the only ones to break par on this chilly, but sunny Sunday. The 28-year-old Jamieson said he felt like a winner despite taking bogeys on four of the first seven holes, one of the collapses that left Nicklaus with a huge lead most of the day.

``Just playing in the Masters is a privilege,'' said Jamieson, who is winless on the tour. ``And when you consider what happened to Gene Littler and Gay Brewer, I have to feel like a winner.'' Littler underwent an operation for cancer last week. Brewer, a former winner, withdrew when he suffered internal bleeding Wednesday night. His still is in University Hospital.

Nicklaus had been tabbed to win and although he wasn't overwhelming, he scrambled enough to triumph. Actually, there was little doubt most of the way that the 32-year-old Nicklaus had it all wrapped up. Jamieson went over the green and bogeyed the first hole. Jack hooked his tee shot and although he also went over, he scrambled for a par which indicated his destiny. Nicklaus, barely missing a 12-foot eagle putt, and Jamieson both birdied the par five second but Jamieson went over the green and lost another stroke. That gave Nicklaus a three-shot lead and it never really was close after that.

Jack saved par with a chip to one foot at three but missed a three-foot birdie at four. After two-putting five for a par, he rapped a beautiful five-iron to 15 feet but missed the bird on six. At seven, his wedge approach skipped into the rear bunker where he displayed his first tendency toward caution. Rather than go for the pin and possibly blast back into the front traps, he blasted short and missed a 15-footer for a bogey. He chipped to nine feet for a birdie at eight and missed a 12-foot bird at nine to turn with a five-stroke lead.

THAT'S WHEN HE began to back off. He said he didn't want to hook his tee shot on 10 and hit a monstrous blast through the fairway deep down the hill. A favorable ruling when he found he would have to stand in ground under repair enabled him to hit a five-iron to the back fringe and make par.

``I could have hit the ball but I would break my arm swinging through,'' he said.

He three-putted from 60 feet for a bogey at 11, two-putted for a par at 12 and narrowly missed chipping back into the water after reaching 13 in two. Nicklaus saw a 3-foot birdie putt slide by. Nicklaus three-putted 14 for a bogey and made bogey six on 15, which he had double-bogeyed on Friday. ``I made a three there Thursday and said this is going to be an easy hole,'' he said. Jack was one over par on 15, usually a birdie hole, for the week.

BY THAT TIME it really didn't matter. He clinched it, adding this one to the Masters titles he had won in 1963, 1965 and 1966, with a crucial, scrambling par on the 17th.

Nicklaus put his second shot to a bunker there. He blasted out about eight feet by the cup. He took his usual careful survey of the situation - staring at the cup form his characteristic side-stance, his blue eyes narrowed as if daring the hole to frustrate him - and curled it in, the ball just catching the low side of the cup.

That did it.

He had a three-stroke lead with one to play and it was all over.