The Famous Gesture by Jack Nicklaus That Inspired the Creation of This Famous Golf Club

Eighteen-time major champion Jack Nicklaus has influenced the game in many ways. But beyond results and records, there is one moment that stands out for a different reason. It did not lead to a title. Instead, it led to the creation of a golf course.

That moment came during the 1969 Ryder Cup, where Nicklaus faced Tony Jacklin in the final singles match. On the final hole, Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin were level with the result depending on that match. 

Both players reached the green in two. Nicklaus had a birdie putt from around 15 feet but sent it about five feet past the hole. Jacklin then played his putt and left himself a short one, around two feet.

Nicklaus stepped up and made his five-foot putt. As he picked the ball out of the hole, he didn’t wait. He reached down and picked up Jacklin’s marker, conceding the two-foot putt before it was taken. The match ended tied, and so did the Ryder Cup.

“I had a downhill left-to-right slider that I made, and I knew the match was essentially over from the standpoint of losing. I didn’t think of all this at the same time, but Tony had been the first hero that England had had in a long time. If he would’ve missed that putt, the British press would’ve barbecued him.”

Jacklin had just won The Open that year and carried weight for British golf at the time. The decision kept the result level, with the United States retaining the trophy as holders.

And that moment’s legacy still echoes in modern golf

A Gesture That Veterans Recall to This Day

Reflecting on that moment, 66-year-old Paul Azinger said during a press conference at the Senior PGA Championship on Monday:

“Jack came in here with Tony Jacklin. The whole thing was Ryder Cup here, and you never want to lose sight of that. One of the greatest acts of sportsmanship probably set the bar for all of us in how to behave, maybe for every sport really, to congratulate your opponent or to not force your opponent to make that putt or whatever that was. That was one of the great shows of sportsmanship.”