AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Jack Nicklaus reminisced about the Masters Tournament Monday night at a ceremony in his honor, and then took the opportunity to indicate that there would be at least one more year to add to the memories.
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One month after a family tragedy prompted him to all but eliminate consideration for entering this year's event, the six-time Masters champion confirmed Monday that he would compete this week at Augusta National Golf Club.
"It (Augusta National) is a place that's meant a lot to me in my life," Nicklaus, 65, said Monday night at the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Botanical Gardens, where he received a key to the city during ceremonies that also honored Lee Elder for breaking the color barrier at the Masters 30 years ago. "I'm coming up here to play and fulfill a request by Hootie (Johnson, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club) and a desire on my part. I feel like I can play so I'm going to play."
Golf has meant many things for Nicklaus throughout his life, but in the last month it has been a balm in the wake of the accidental drowning death of his grandson, Jake Walter Nicklaus, who was 17 months old. The Golden Bear canceled most of his business commitments to spend more time with his son Steve, his second oldest son and Jake's father. They ended up playing quite a bit of golf together.
"I wanted to spend the last month with Steve. He really wanted to play golf. I wanted to play golf. I don't have a whole lot of a golf game, but I've played a lot of golf," Nicklaus said.
Nicklaus visited Augusta National two weeks ago and shot a pair of 74s. Those scores, achieved even though "I don't hit it anywhere and I putted horribly," he said, and the fact that he is relatively healthy -- about 80 percent, he estimates -- got him thinking that maybe he could play in the 69th Masters.
"I shot lights out and shot 74. That's about as good as I could do," he said with a chuckle. "I played a fairway wood into every par 4. Physically I feel fine. My hip feels good. My back feels good. My legs are good from the walking I've done the last few weeks. I spent yesterday with (instructor) Jim Flick and we made some changes, and … I'm certainly not in any tournament shape. I don't expect to be in any tournament shape."
He doesn't expect much of anything. Asked if his family had been encouraging him to play, he replied, "I think they would all like to see me go play, but they're not inside this body," he said, grinning.
"I would like to walk away with some decent golf," he added. "Last year was a pair of 75s. I suppose I could walk away from a pair of 75s, but they (club members) said you've got to come back. Well, I know I was going to go to the British Open. I didn't think I was going to have any time to play golf. But I have, so while I'm doing that I might as well go play."
