Golden Bear Decides to Play in Masters

Jack, age 58 and battling a degenerative left hip, made a Sunday charge and finished tied for sixth in 1998.

Jack Nicklaus, golf history's greatest champion and a six-time winner of the green jacket, said Friday that he will return to Augusta National next month to compete in his 43rd Masters Tournament.

The Golden Bear made the decision to play the Masters (April 10-13) after playing practice rounds at Augusta National Sunday with his three oldest sons and again Thursday with youngest son Michael and Arnold Palmer.

"While I don't know if my golf game is good enough or not, I feel good enough, physically, and I am hitting the ball long enough to play the golf course," Jack said. "Now, it's up to me."

Jack said his scores in the two rounds were not relevant in his decision. After choosing to skip last year's Masters because of lower-back problems, Jack felt healthy enough to play this year. Still, he wanted to determine if he had the length to take on Augusta, now that the course has been stretched by 305 yards (7,290 yards) since he last played the Masters in 2001.

When Jack played the course in a practice round last year, his ailing back and Augusta's new length forced him to "hit eight woods into the par 4s."

"Last year, I hit driver, 3-wood into number one, and this week I hit 6-iron into that green," Jack said. "On nine last year, I hit 4-wood into that green, and I hit 8-iron Sunday. Take a hole like number five, with the new tee (and 455 yards long), I hit a 6-iron in."

The Golden Bear gave other examples, such as the 5-iron he hit into the 495-yard 10th hole and the 6-iron into the 490-yard 11th.

"A year ago, when I went in there, I was hitting woods into those greens," he added. "When you can hit mid-irons into those new par 4s, that's long enough for me to play the golf course."

Jack then stopped himself and smiled.

"It's certainly not Tiger Woods' length," he said. "That's not even quite Sam Saunders' length. Sam is Arnold's grandson, who played with us. He's a 15-year-old freshman in high school, and can really hit it. Sam is going to be a really good player one day."

It's ironic that Jack and Arnold - long-time friends and competitors - played a practice round Thursday. This year's Masters marks the 40th anniversary of Jack's first green jacket, and it was Arnold Palmer who, in 1963, slipped the jacket over the Golden Bear's shoulders. The two greats dominated Augusta National and the Masters' field from 1962-66, as Jack won in 1963, '65 and '66, and Arnold in '62 and '64.

It was just in 1998 that Jack, at age 58 and battling a degenerative left hip, made a Sunday charge and finished tied for sixth to become the oldest top-10 finisher in Masters' history. The following January, the Golden Bear had his left hip replaced, and has competed in just two Masters since.

In 2000, Jack not only padded his record of 37 cuts made, he was just two shots off the lead during the second round. He finished the second day tied for 18th after a two-under-par 70 made him the first player 60 or older to shoot under par at Augusta since Sam Snead shot 71 in 1975 at the age of 62.

"I'm looking forward to getting there," Nicklaus said. "I didn't want to go back there unless I thought I could contribute to the field and be competitive - competitive at my level. I certainly don't think I am going to be competitive enough to win a golf tournament, but if I really play well I might have a decent finish.

"I just need to get out and play more golf between now and then."