: Maybe I am being too *** the man, but I have to say that Peter
: Jacobsen's selfish act of walking up the 18th fairway with Jack Nicklaus,
: in what could well be his Jack's last Open was completely unthinking on
: his part and innappropriate.
: Anyone who has been around golf, understands the value and knows the
: tradition of that special walk up the 18th fairway. Just a few years ago,
: that solo walk was accorded Arnold Palmer in his final Open. It was only
: fitting that Jake step aside or stay back in the fairway in deference to
: Jack and let Jack walk up alone. To walk up with him to the green, and
: repeatedly engage him in a conversation and deny Jack the pleasure of just
: enjoying the moment, is inexcusable for someone like Jacobsen. In fact I
: still can not believe that Jake ran to catch up with him so he could join
: Jack, even as the crowd had begun their applause.
: Without making a federal case out of this, I am greatly disappointed in
: Peter jacobsen, who in my mind lost a few pegs on the respect board.
: Surely Jack was deserving of a better final moment after 40 years of
: stellar performances in the US Open than what he got, which amounted to a
: walk with an annoying and babbling Peter Jacobsen who by merely standing
: beside him, stole some of Jack's thunder.
I like Peter Jacobsen but I too thought it was strange that he didn't let
Jack walk up the 18th by himself. The announcers made some reference to
him trying to keep Nicklaus from getting to choked up but so what if he did.
I do know that one of the great moments in the history of sports "a la" Lou
Gehrig's farewell speech may occur in the year 2000. It is my
understanding that the British Open will be played at St. Andrews that
year and for that reason Jack Nicklaus may play in it. If all this is true
my one hope is that at age 60 Jack would make the cut and walk up the 18th
fairway in the 4th round of that Open. People like longevity in sports and
Jack will have played competitive golf over 40 years by then. And to have
the greatest golfer walk up the 18th fairway at the old course of St.
Andrews in front of the British golf fans for the last time would indeed
be one of sport's most dramatic moments ever.
James Jackson