Jack Nicklaus

Back in Time #5 – 1986 Masters Final Round, “Tracking the Bear”

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(About the Series: Based upon my Conversation with guest Derek Meinecke, I’m going back in time to be in the stands at 10 sporting events. This week, it’s #5. You’re able to find links to the previous installments below.)

Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus follows his birdie putt into the hole on Augusta National’s 17th hole. (Photo by Getty Images)

I “retired” from playing golf over a decade ago. I never exhibited the patience or time needed to move to become as proficient as I’d like. It was, as the old expression notes, “a good walk spoiled” for me.

Watching golf’s Majors, however, has always been enjoyable.

I’m fairly certain I was interested in The Masters April 10-13, 1986. My neighbor during freshman year at Eastern Michigan University’s Phelps Hall was a big golf fan and I have ever reason to believe that Joe Grezlik had the tournament on as we all were prepping for that month’s final exams (yeah, right;-).

That said, I cannot say with any degree of certainty if I was paying close attention to what occurred during the back nine on Sunday’s final.

It was, of course, the last great competitive charge on the PGA Tour by the man known as the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus. A World Golf Hall of Fame inductee in 1974, Nicklaus was six years removed from his most-recent Major championships (the 1980 U.S. Open and PGA Championship) and, at the age of 46, was considered by some of his contemporaries to be semi-retired. His previous Masters’ win was 11 years earlier for heaven’s sake.

And when he arrived at the ninth hole that Sunday afternoon, he was even par for the day and had seven players between him and the lead.

Then, there was a little magic in that old straw hat (sorry, the Frosty the Snowman song is currently earworming me), er, putter in his bag.

He birdied No. 9, then No. 10, and No. 11. A bogey at No. 12 threatened to derail him, but he rallied to birdie the Par 5 13th, parred No. 14, and then eagled No. 15 to move to 7-under par. He went on to birdie No. 16 and No. 17 before parring No. 18 and finished 9-under and then waited it out in the clubhouse where he witnessed Seve Ballesteros and Greg Norman both coming undone down the stretch.

Green Jacket ceremony, 1986
Bernhard Langer puts the green jacket on 1986 Masters’ champion Jack Nicklaus. (Photo/August National Golf Club)

As long as Nicklaus is doing the playing, I won’t worry about this walk being spoiled. The only thing that would make it better would be to have the occasional iconic TV call by Ben Wright and Verne Lundquist piping into my head while enjoying this lovely Sunday afternoon.

“Maybe … Yes sir!”

Verne Lundquist on the 17th hole at Augusta National, 1986
Enjoy the video highlights from the 1986 Masters and the memorable calls from Ben Wright, Verne Lundquist, and Ken Venturi.

Previous Installments

The Fan Teaser: Week 26 Solution

DouglasTHillLeave a comment
That time back in the 1980s an aged bear was
spotted prowling in the Southeast U.S.

It was 1986 and it was the year a then 46-year-old Jack Nicklaus turned back time and won The Masters for the first time in over a decade for his 18th and final Major Golf Championship. Nicklaus, in fact, had not won any majors since claiming both the U.S. Open and PGA Championship during 1980 and seemed have slipped comfortably into hibernation.

Nicknamed the Golden Bear, Nicklaus was most certainly on the prowl during his final round. He entered the round tied for ninth place and four strokes off the third-round lead, held by Greg Norman.

Nicklaus shot a final round 65 – to Norman’s 70 – and did so in magnificent fashion going eagle, birdie, birdie, and par on the final four holes. This, of couse, included the long birdie put on the 17th hole that’s the image below and was widely circulated in major publications across the world. Seventeen is also the hole where CBS legend Verne Lundquist was on the mike and his iconic call of “Maybe … YES SIR!” has echoed on for nearly 40 years.

And, as a no-so-hidden Easter Egg for my father, the first-round leader (and in second place after 36 holes) was none other than Fort Wayne, Indiana’s own Billy Kratzert. His final 36 holes were less-than-memorable, however, going 11-over par and finishing in a tie for 42nd place.

Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus follows his putt into the hole for birdie on the 17th hole at Augusta National on Sunday in 1986. (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

Just to review, The Fan Teaser comes courtesy of longtime buddy, Pat Schutte. The cropped photo below and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you by the early kickoff on Sunday.