Jack Nicklaus is perhaps the greatest golfer of all time. Much of his recognition was generated by Nicklaus winning a record 18 major championships during his illustrious career.
That includes six Green Jackets, the last of whom was 46 years old.
Nicklaus joined the set Thursday in the opening round of the 88th Masters Tournament. Live from the Masters on Golf Channel.
He tackled a number of topics including his one criticism of Rory McIlroy, the golf ball rolling issue, and a bird’s eye view of what Scottie Scheffler is accomplishing.
Perhaps his most telling comment came when he talked about his preparation for a major championship.
A number of players, including current U.S. Open champion Windham Clark, have talked about how they plan to approach the Masters as just another tournament.
Niklaus vehemently disagrees with that opinion.
“If you treat the Masters like another event, you’re not going to want to win the Masters. U.S. Open, British Open, PGA, you treat these tournaments like special events, treat them like special events. Prepare,” Nicklaus said.
“There are only a limited number of times a year when you can prepare with this much concentration. When you go to the Masters, I think it’s a special event, so prepare like you really want to win.”
Photo by Andrew Reddington/Getty Images
Throughout the sports world, it is common among athletes to treat certain matches and tournaments similarly. You hear it all the time. “I’m going to treat this like any other game and continue with the same routine” type of thinking.
However, the majority of sports are team sports. Individual athletes have only a small influence on results.
On the other hand, golf is an individual sport with a mental aspect not found in other disciplines. There is more we can do. You can go the extra mile and change your approach to go even further and put yourself in a better position for success.
That’s what Niklaus meant.
“I arrived in advance and was fully prepared. Then I went home for the weekend to settle down, and all I had to do was come and play golf. I did that in every major. Did it.”
“I didn’t treat this like an isolated incident because this is not an isolated incident.”
Obviously everyone has their own routine and preparation. But it’s natural to think it’s wise to take Nicklaus’ advice.
Kendall Capps is the senior editor of SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social media platforms.
