Nicklaus' involvement boosts the Honda

By Craig Dolch
Courtesy of the Palm Beach Post

Nicklaus.

In golf, the name seems priceless. In addition to winning a record 18 major championships, Jack Nicklaus has built a brand worth millions of dollars because of his playing record, prolific golf-course design work and squeaky-clean image.

But what will the name mean to the Honda Classic? That's the $5.5 million question (the prize money) that will be answered this week when the vagabond PGA Tour event moves to PGA National's Champion Course for the next six years.

The PGA Tour believes the Nicklaus name means a lot. That's why the Tour took the rare step of removing Honda's old foundation board of the struggling event and making the Nicklaus Children's Healthcare Foundation its primary beneficiary. It then asked Jack and Barbara and the rest of their family to lend their support (Barbara is the executive director of the foundation and son Gary the president).

So, how much will the Nicklaus family help the Honda, which has been at five sites the past 12 years, in its new position as leadoff on the Florida Swing?

"I think it has tremendous impact," said two-time PGA Tour winner Olin Browne of Hobe Sound, sidelined with a finger injury. "Obviously, he's an icon in golf. His record is indisputable and his legacy in the game is historical. Any time you get someone like that involved in your event, you raise its stature.

"It's no accident the Memorial is one of the premier events on Tour."

But this is not the Memorial, a tournament Nicklaus founded and nurtured. Nicklaus built Muirfield Village and has a home there; he only redesigned the Champ course in 1990.

The point: We're comparing apples and oranges.

"The way I see my role is we live here and our foundation is the primary beneficiary," Nicklaus said. "I'm a former (two-time) champion of the event, and I like to see anything that comes to Palm Beach County and South Florida to do well. The game of golf has had sort of a rough go in this area in recent years, but this tournament is about benefiting our children. We will provide whatever background support they ask of us."

Nicklaus will give a free junior clinic at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and he and Gary Player will attend a news conference that day as opposing Presidents Cup captains. But when the tournament begins, he will maintain a low profile.

"This is Honda's event, not our event," Nicklaus said.

Barbara Nicklaus said it was the Honda Classic that persuaded them to start the foundation when the tournament was in Broward County and considering a move to Palm Beach County.

"That's kind of how the whole idea for the foundation started," Barbara said. "Jack and I had talked about it for years - there's really nothing between Arnold Palmer and Joe DiMaggio (referring to the children's hospitals in Orlando and Hollywood). We're not the hosts of this tournament - just big supporters."

Still, you can be sure that Honda Classic Executive Director Ken Kennerly, who worked for Nicklaus' company for three years in the mid-1990s, has mentioned the Golden Bear's involvement a few times while recruiting players on the West Coast the past month.

"Any time you have the Nicklaus family involved in golf anywhere in the world, it's an enormous thing," Kennerly said. "It's even more so when it's in your back yard."

Nicklaus will stop short, though, of picking up the phone and asking a player to enter the Honda.

"He doesn't do that with Memorial," Barbara said. "He doesn't want to put players in that position."

Already there's speculation on when Tiger Woods, who recently bought a mansion on Jupiter Island, will play the Honda for the first time as a professional (he missed the cut in 1993 when he was given a sponsor's exemption). It probably won't happen this year or until Woods moves his family to South Florida.

David Duval said he wasn't aware of the Nicklaus' involvement in Honda until he was asked about it by a reporter. He said he wasn't sure what the impact would be.

"Players typically play where they play," he said. "It certainly could help, though."

Honda Classic Schedule of Events

Monday, February 26
12:00 pm Silver Pro-Am Shotgun
5:00 pm Silver Pro-Am Awards

Tuesday, February 27
All Day PGA TOUR Professionals Practice Rounds (Champion Course)
3:30 p.m. Jack Nicklaus Golf Clinic
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Play Golf America Expo (Haig Practice Range)

Wednesday, February 28
7:00 am Gold Pro-Am Tee Times (Champion Course)
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Play Golf America Expo (Haig Practice Range)
7:00 pm Gold Pro-Am Awards Celebration

Thursday, March 1
7:00 am Honda Classic - First Round begins
9:00 am - 5:00 pm The Nicklaus Children's Hospital Fan Zone
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Play Golf America Expo (Haig Practice Range)
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm After Play Concert - Joe Scott Band - Jazz Under the Stars

Friday, March 2
7:00 am Honda Classic - Second Round begins
9:00 am - 5:00 pm The Nicklaus Children's Hospital Fan Zone
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Play Golf America Expo (Haig Practice Range)
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm After Play Concert - Eclipse - Dance to the Honda Beat

Saturday, March 3
9:00 am Honda Classic - Third Round begins
MetroPCS Fan Appreciation Day - 1st 2,000 spectators receive a free gift
9:00 am - 5:00 pm The Nicklaus Children's Hospital Fan Zone
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Play Golf America Expo (Haig Practice Range)
1:30 pm Junior Golf Clinic (Champion Practice Range)
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm After Play Concert - LaHinch Mob - The Irish Invade The Honda Classic
7:30 pm MetroPCS Fireworks Spectacular

Sunday, March 4
9:00 am Honda Classic - Final Round begins
9:00 am - 5:00 pm The Nicklaus Children's Hospital Fan Zone
12:00 pm - 5:00 pm Play Golf America Expo (Haig Practice Range)
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm After Play Concert - Florry Duncan - Reggae Night at The Honda Classic