Jack Nicklaus enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the Ryder Cup throughout his highly-decorated career in the game.
Nicklaus’ most famous Ryder Cup moment came in 1969 when he conceded a two-foot putt to Englishman, Tony Jacklin, on the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale, resulting in the first-ever tie in the history of the competition.
It was a remarkable display of sportsmanship from Nicklaus, who told Jacklin immediately after, “I was sure you would hole that putt, but I was not prepared to see you miss.“
In the early years of the Ryder Cup, there was obviously a competitive spirit, but a very friendly one nonetheless.
Nicklaus, being a true gentleman of the game, embodied that ethos throughout his career.
Jack Nicklaus was the sixth highest scoring American at the Ryder Cup, but it’s worth noting that he didn’t represent the United States in the competition until he had already won seven major championships.
That’s because rules at the time stipulated that you needed to be a PGA Tour member for five years before you could play on the Ryder Cup team.
Considering the impact that Nicklaus had on the Ryder Cup throughout his playing days, the opinion that he shared on the competition 10 years ago was rather strange to say the least.
Nicklaus spoke ahead of the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine in 2016 about how he truly felt about the competition.
“To me, the competition is incidental,“ the Golden Bear controversially claimed.
“Who wins bragging rights – and I know everyone wants to win – but that’s not the important thing. The important thing is the game of golf and people having good relations and goodwill.
“The Ryder Cup to me, we make a little bigger deal out of it than I think should be. I think it’s a goodwill event. It’s a great event to have bragging rights for Europe or bragging rights for America.
“There’s a lot of nice things about it, but I wish we wouldn’t make such a war out of it.”
Sure, the Ryder Cup started out as an exhibition match between the United States and Great Britain.
However, like all great sporting events, the competition has evolved over the past 98 years, and especially so since the War on The Shore at Kiawah Island in 1991.
Gone are the days when the matches would be played with a friendly spirit.
The Ryder Cup is an absolute behemoth in the golfing landscape now.
European and US players desperately want to win and not just for bragging rights, but to enhance their legacies and to leave indelible marks on the game.
The money, sponsorship and increased fan interest that have flooded the game over the past few decades have all played their part in the Ryder Cup’s exponential growth.
Jack Nicklaus regularly offers incredibly poignant and accurate takes on the current state of the professional game, but he seriously missed the point with his statement on the Ryder Cup back in 2016.