Jack Nicklaus' right-hand man, caddie Willie Peterson, died on March 20 in New York City. He was 66.
Peterson caddied for Nicklaus in five of his six Masters Tournament victories. Peterson of lung cancer at his home in New York, according to his daughter, Vanessa Peterson Fox.
``Willie caddied for me at Augusta for many years and did a great job,'' Nicklaus said. ``I enjoyed Willie. He was a great character.''
Peterson's five caddie victories are tied for the most in tournament history with Willie ``Pappy'' Stokes, who carried winning bags in 1938 (Henry Picard), 1948 (Claude Harmon), 1951 (Ben Hogan), 1953 (Hogan again) and 1956 (Jack Burke Jr.). Nathaniel ``Ironman'' Avery won four times, all with Arnold Palmer.
Peterson's most famous moment probably occurred in 1975 in what many consider the greatest Masters ever.
On the back nine in the final round, Nicklaus was locked in a duel with Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller, who were just behind in the day's final pairing. As Weiskopf, the leader by one, watched from the 16th tee, Nicklaus sank a 40-foot putt from the front of the two-tier green as he and Peterson danced around the green.
Sports Illustrated's Dan Jenkins said the result ``made Nicklaus and his caddie, Willie Peterson, resemble Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.''
Peterson started caddieing in the Masters as a 16-year-old in 1949, but never caddied for the same golfer for more than one year until he picked up Nicklaus in 1959 when the Golden Bear was an amateur rookie. Their relationship continued with Nicklaus victories in 1963, 1965, 1966, 1972 and 1975 and Peterson was his caddie through 1982. Jack Nicklaus II, Nicklaus' oldest son, caddied in the 1986 Masters. Before 1983, Augusta National caddies were required at the tournament.
``He led the pack; he was a real good caddie,'' said Edward White, a veteran of 27 Masters as a caddie. ``He was always prompt. You never had to look for him. He never gave you any trouble. He was right there when you needed him. He was one of the top caddies.''
Fox remembers her father being a famous person around Augusta, with pictures at various restaurants and on television clips of previous Nicklaus victories. She watched the 1986 Nicklaus victory with her father.
``Oh man, he was real excited,'' Fox said. ``Dad could sit and watch golf all day. I even think he went to Augusta National after that round (Nicklaus' closing 65) to try and congratulate him.''
Fox said her father had suffered from cancer for a few years, first getting throat cancer, then lung cancer. After his caddieing days at Augusta National ended in the mid-1980s, Nicklaus arranged for Peterson to work as caddie master at a couple of courses in Florida and with his company in North Palm Beach, Fla.
In the late 1980s, Peterson suffered a pinched nerve in his back and then moved to New York, where a brother, sister and some aunts lived.
According to Fox, her father always wanted to be a top-notch caddie.
``As a young man, he used to hang around the caddie house,'' she said. ``I guess he got lucky to pick a winner.''
Peterson and Nicklaus had five victory dances 
