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“A Difficult Time in Golf”: Jack Nicklaus Opened Up About the Most Difficult Moment He Had in His Golf Journey in 2019

Published 02/06/2023, 1:30 PM EST

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Jack Nicklaus has become a legend in the sport of golf with a record-breaking career spanning beyond four decades, to be precise. Our very own Golden Bear has captivated everybody with his charm on and off the course. He has become a true inspiration not only on the course but also off it. He not only holds the record for the most Major wins but he has also successfully and happily maintained his marriage for over six decades.

Back in 2019, the Golden Bear sat in on the question-and-answer session at the Rolex Tournament of Champions. He talked about the most difficult moment he has had in his remarkable golf career.

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Difficult moments of Jack Nicklaus in golf

During a chit-chat session at the Rolex Tournament Championship in 2019, Jack was asked about the most difficult moment he has had during his golfing career. After a lot of procrastination, Jack took a longer route to explain the most difficult moment he has had. The 18-times Major winner had a fascinating tale to tell. Everything began when his wife, Barbara, was expecting their first child. With his golf instructor, Bob Kepler, Jack was competing in a competition as an amateur golfer in Cincinnati.

‘Not My Whole Life’: Jack Nicklaus’ Once Had a Powerful Argument to Reflect on His Career Achievements

He called Barbara one evening and learned he had become a father the following day while competing in the event. Narrating the story, he said, “…the next day at eight o’clock in the morning I get a phone call and that’s Barbara so Barbara yes you know I don’t play with secretary so I just wanted to call you and tell you you’re a dad.” When Jack returned to the hospital to meet his newborn son for the first time, he collapsed backward into the terrazzo floor. He jokingly spoke, “…so that was a difficult time for me in golf and we went back the next day and won the tournament.

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Retracting to the question, Jack mentioned a few difficult instances for him. One instance is from 1972, when he won the first two grand slam legs but lost the US Open by a single shot. The other time was in 1982, when Jack Whitaker from ABC interviewed him while he was standing on the 18th green.

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How Jack Nicklaus handled adversity in golf

Just like any other sports person, Jack has had his share of ups and downs in his career. Yes, he has registered numerous records under his name, but that does not imply that he has not had the taste of failure. But one thing that makes him different from the rest is his positive attitude and great sportsmanship.

In the interview, he said, “How did I handle those. Hey they performed the shots. Do you have to perform shots to win? Performed a couple to win for myself and so uh you know all I do is stick up my hand and say congratulations well done.” With his utmost honesty, he said, ” that’s all you can do and uh you know it would have been nice to win those but they did better than I did so it was well done.” He understood that winning and losing are all a part of the game.

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What do you have to say about this marvelous player? Drop your thoughts in our comment section below.

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Written by:

Manisha Upadhyay

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One take at a time

Manisha is a Golf writer at EssentiallySports. A Philosophy graduate, she possesses a writing experience of over 2 years now. Having picked up on the sport for quite some time now, Manisha looks up to Tiger Woods and admires his fortitude and charisma.
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Edited by:

Ajinkya Aswale

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