DUBLIN, Ohio -- You wonder how Jack Nicklaus does it. Feeling just well
enough to play Thursday, the 62-year-old gentleman shot 71 the first
day, faltered briefly with a 74 Friday to make the 36-hole cut, and then
came back with a another 71 Saturday. Holy Toledo, it was the first cut
he's made in two years. Can his 71st win be far behind?
Nicklaus got a tremendous roar when he birdied No. 18 Saturday with a
4-iron approach that stopped six feet away, then poured the ensuing
putt in the back of the cup. The crowd in his hometown of Columbus
loved it.
"It must be pretty easy," Nicklaus joked of the 18th hole. "I played it with a 5-iron (Thursday) and two
4-irons (Friday and Saturday)." He was laughing because most of the field is using, 7-, 8- or 9-irons
on the approach into 18.
Of course, a 62-year-old body is a 62-year-old body, playing a 7,244-yard course. Nicklaus still winces
occasionally, but what the heck - he's shooting even-par golf and a lot of the field has already
packed their bags and gone home.
"I'm sore, I'm stiff and I'm delighted to be that way," he said.
"No, I'm fine. I'm doing pretty well this week. Today was wet, cold, kind of a little harder to play. But I
did fine."
Surprisingly, Nicklaus thought he struck the ball better when he shot the 74 Friday than he did with
the 71 Saturday. "I thought I hit the ball pretty decently today," he said, "but not quite as good as
yesterday."
Nicklaus only made one bogey Saturday. "I managed my game well," he said.
The only problem was he was playing at 8:52 in the morning instead of 1 in the afternoon. Nicklaus
spent an awful lot of years playing afternoon golf and finishing in the early evening, instead of being
an early man out because his score placed him in the front of the field.
"I thought it was very nice," Jack said with a smile. "Especially if you can do it for four days.
"I would much rather it (his finish) be about 6 o'clock in the evening of Saturday and Sunday. That's
the time to really do it, rather than noon."
Nicklaus should feel very proud, however. Also finishing third round in 216 was three-time
defending champion Tiger Woods.
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