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Golden Forebearance

Jack Nicklaus, the greatest golfer of his time and maybe of all time, is this blog's sports hero of the week. A little background, however, is required before we describe the feat for which Nicklaus won this prestigious award.

Nicklaus is a chatterbox. In his playing days, he was not only willing to speak with the media, he did so until their pens ran out of ink and their tape recorders' batteries went dead. Not that Jack needed the publicity, of course, he's just garrulous by nature. It's a part of his open, sunny Midwestern personality (the stone killer competitive athlete part only makes itself known every so often when Nicklaus speaks).

When the U.S. Senior Open was played at Salem Country Club a few years back, Nicklaus shot a round on Saturday that put him a stroke or so off the third round lead. As he came into the press tent for a mass interview, a line of violent thunderstorms struck the area, and in fact, pretty much all of Greater Boston.

For "violent," read "terrifying." In the supposedly safe confines of the permanent clubhouse, sparks six inches long were coming out of electrical outlets. In the press tent, power went out immediately, and we were left in the dark, contemplating that structure's composition of plastic draped over metal tubing.

The interview room, which had no windows, was the darkest spot in our oh-so-temporary shelter. Without missing a beat, Nicklaus changed the topic of his remarks from his day's play and delivered about a 10 minute monologue on Memorable Thunderstorms in the Career of Jack Nicklaus. I think people got killed in only a couple of them. He was as cheery as when he described his birdie putt on 14.

So that is the context for the rest of this essay and Jack's award. The PGA Tour's stop this week, the Honda Classic, is being played in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., which happens to be where Nicklaus lives. Naturally, he showed up to offer blessings to the event. Even more naturally, the media sought Jack out. One guess, and only one, is required for what they wanted to ask him about.

This being the golf press, the subject was put delicately. Did Jack think Tiger Woods would play the Masters next month.

Nicklaus said he didn't know, but that if a golfer had a chance to compete at Augusta, he usually did. And then, Nicklaus became a hero.

"I've tried to stay kind of noncommittal about this," Nicklaus said. "Because, you know, it's really none of my business."

Now if there's one person on earth other than Woods' family for whom Woods' business IS his business to, it's Jack Nicklaus. It's his record and legend Tiger's is chasing after all. Yet Nicklaus' sense of propriety overruled his deep-seated need to express himself. Bravo!

If every day one more person hears the name "Tiger Woods" and responds "that's none of my business," that's a day that ends with all of us living in a better world.

posted by Michael Gee @ 7:54 AM