Nicklaus seeks golf mountain

Press, 12 May 1979, Page 25

Nicklaus seeks golf mountain

NZPA New York Jack Nicklaus, who has been named the Athlete of the Decade, said there were no more mountains he helped to climb — he wanted to build a bigger mountain.

“I always have put great emphasis on major championships,’’ said golfs all-time winner. '‘Some day someone will come along to beat my records. My aim is to make that j<ib tougher by building a bigger mountain.

“At 38. I still enjoy the game. I want to continue playing as long as 1 feel I can be competitive. I hope to enlarge on my list of major championships.” Realistic observers believe Nicklaus has built a mountain that not man ever will scale. He has won important professional and amateur titles and more than $3.4M in prize money. No other modern player is close in either category. The late Bob Jones formerly held the record for big tournament victories (13) but six of these were

amateur titles, five United States and one British. Ben Hogan and Gary Player captured nine big professional championships each. Arnold Palmer has seven big professional crowns, and one United States amateur.

When Jones retired in 1930, at the age of 28, with his sweep of the heralded grand slam — the United States and British Open and the United States and British Amateur — those events were regarded as the “big ones.” With the sudden explosion of professional golf, the game changed, the Masters replaced the amateur events as one fff the standards. The man they cal! "the Golden Bear” became the second winner of the "Athlete of the decade” award which last year went to heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad All.

The award is sponsored by the American Cancer Society, which conducted a nation-wide poll nt 432 sports writers, editors and broadcasters.

The formal presentation will be made to Nicklaus and the finalists at a dinner in New York's Waldorf-Astoria hotel on June 7.

Nicklaus won decisively, collecting 123 first-place votes compared with 67 for the first runner-up, baseball’s Rod Carew. Other finalists included Chris Evert-Lloyd, the Olympic decathlon star Bruce Jenner, Jimmy Connors and the 1972 Olympic swimming sensation 'Mirk Spitz. The decade covered the decade of the 19705. Some of Nicklaus’ greatest, triumphs occurred during that period, climaxed last year when he rallied to win his third British open at St Andrews where he had won eight years before.