Nicklaus & Snead out of US Senior Open

Jack Nicklaus and J.C. Snead on Monday withdrew from the upcoming U.S. Senior Open Championship.

Nicklaus has been bothered by reoccurring back problems. He was forced to withdraw from the Senior PGA Championship on June 8 due to the same injury after barely making the cut.

"I am better but not good enough to play golf," Nicklaus said Monday from Florida. "I have had great improvement but not good enough to play in a four-day tournament."

Regarded as the best player in history, the 62-year-old Nicklaus has appeared in just three competitive tournaments this year. He has 10 Senior PGA Tour wins, but none since 1996. Of his 10 titles on the elder circuit, eight have come in majors.

A day after becoming only the 11th player to win a Senior PGA Tour event beyond the age of 60, Snead withdrew from the tournament because of exhaustion.

Snead captured the Greater Baltimore Classic on Sunday with a 12-foot par putt on the final hole. He carded a 2-under-par 70 for a 54-hole total of 13-under 203.

The nephew of golf legend Sam Snead, who died last month from complications following a stroke, J.C. Snead earned his fourth Senior title on Sunday and first since 1995. At 60 years, 8 months and 8 days, he became the sixth-oldest player to win on the elder circuit and the first 60-something since Jim Colbert at last year's SBC Senior Classic.

Snead's last win came at the 1995 Senior Players Championship. He won twice that season and was in position to claim the money title before breaking three ribs in a motorcycle accident. Snead earned eight titles on the PGA Tour between 1971-87.

The alternate who will take Nicklaus' place is Anthony Saraceno, who competed in sectional qualifying on June 11 in Bolton Landing, New York.

The alternate who will replace Snead is Rick Talt, who competed in sectional qualifying on June 17.

Alfred Cotton was added to the U.S. Senior Open field because a spot was being saved for the winner of the Greater Baltimore Classic if he was not already previously exempt. Snead was already exempt for being in the Top 50 on the money list of the Senior PGA Tour in 2002.

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