Jack Nicklaus is not among the illustrious list of names to have recorded multiple victories at the event now known as the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Nicklaus went into the 1982 Colonial National Invitation having never won on his previous nine visits to the Fort Worth venue.
The Golden Bear had also not won any PGA Tour event in nearly two years. His most recent victory at that stage had come at the 1980 PGA Championship. He had also missed the cut in two of his previous five starts before heading to Colonial.
How Jack Nicklaus ended a near two-year wait for a win at Colonial in 1982
Nicklaus started the final round two shots behind Andy North. But, after a turbulent day, a birdie on the 16th ensured that the then-17-time major champion went out in front.
Ultimately, he ended up winning by three shots. It proved to be the 71st PGA Tour victory of Jack Nicklaus‘ incredible career.
As reported by the New York Times, Nicklaus explained after his win how much of a relief it was to get across the line again, particularly as he felt that he had been playing well for some time.
“Lots of times I’ve played well this year, but somebody played better,” he said. “The feeling to have won again is a nice feeling. When they get far apart, you sometimes forget how long it is.
“Since early this year, I’ve been saying I’ve been playing well, even though I haven’t been hitting the ball well. Then I missed a few cuts. But when you feel you’re playing well with no results, then people ask: ‘What’s he saying? Look at the scoreboard’.
“This week, being able both to play well and win the tournament puts to rest the doubts of how you’re judging yourself. It’s certainly the best tournament I’ve played this year, though not my best putting tournament.”
The experiment that helped inspire Jack Nicklaus’ victory
It is interesting that Nicklaus mentioned that he was not at his best on the greens.
That may have something to do with an ‘experiment’ that he tried at Colonial. As noted by the New York Times, Nicklaus had his caddie, his son Stephen, read greens for him.
Nicklaus had been struggling with a problem with his eyesight over the previous couple of years. The report claimed that even a specialist could not work out what was causing the issue.
So perhaps he had some difficulty putting his full faith in the reads he was given. But a 17-foot putt for birdie down the stretch ended up proving to be pivotal in ensuring that Nicklaus got the victory.
And Nicklaus suggested that his son played an important role in his win.
“Steve will get a bonus,” he said. “But we haven’t negotiated it yet. Steve and I went 72 holes without a disagreement and a whole week of living together without a cross word. That’s a record for a father and son.”
