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Jack Nicklaus begins his Major goodbye
Jack Nicklaus figured it was too early in the week to get sentimental. He just wanted to play 18 holes on a course that's like a second home, maybe tinker a bit with a swing change that seems to have helped a game long since past its prime.
Of course, everyone else had other ideas.
At the Swilcan Bridge -- the famous stone arch in the middle of the 18th fairway -- Nick Faldo asked Nicklaus to pause for a picture Monday. Faldo's 16-year-old son got in the frame, as well.
By the time the lovefest was over, the entire practice group was perched on the narrow bridge, getting their keepsake photo with the Golden Bear before his final British Open and the logical end to his competitive career.
``I got my picture on the bridge with Jack,'' said Faldo, a three-time Open champion himself. ``He was the inspiration for me starting this game, and I think it's fantastic he's come here to St. Andrews to play his last major round.''
The 65-year-old Nicklaus hasn't played the Open since 2000 -- the last time it was held at St. Andrews -- and hasn't been a serious contender in this tournament since the early 1980s.
Still, he was the star attraction on a warm, sunny day along the Scottish coast. The biggest crowd on the Old Course followed Nicklaus all the way around, along with a horde of photographers and reporters intent on documenting every historic step leading up to Thursday's opening round.
The tears? They'll come later, most likely when Nicklaus crosses that ol' bridge for the last time, all alone with his memories.
``The emotional response won't be from the galleries,'' he said. ``It'll be from me.''
Nicklaus will surely command the spotlight the first two days of the tournament, and he's hopeful of hanging around for the weekend. He recently made a change in his stance -- moving up slightly, allowing him to get more club under the ball -- and no one has more guile and experience on the Old Course, where the length of the shots won't be as important as the other majors.
``It's a course if I play well on, I know I can compete on,'' Nicklaus said. ``Someone who hits the ball a moderate length, like me, can still play.''
This will be his eighth Open at St. Andrews, where he won in 1970 and '78. Nicklaus shot around par during Monday's practice round, further bolstering his desire to tee up again.
``That's not going to win anything,'' he said, ``but it's kind of fun to be playing half-decent.''
While understanding the significance of his farewell -- no one played the game so well for so long -- Nicklaus would gladly cede the spotlight to those players who actually have a chance to win the claret jug.
Tiger Woods is at the top of the list. His only British Open title was a runaway victory at St. Andrews five years ago. At the first two majors of 2005, he finished first (beating Chris DiMarco in Masters playoff) and second (losing to Michael Campbell by two strokes at the U.S. Open).
``Tiger is the favorite, obviously,'' Faldo said. ``He's played, he's won and he comes here with a mission, as always.''
Don't forget the Nicklaus factor. At his farewell appearances in the other three majors, Woods was the winner each time. His sense of history is impeccable, his desire to break Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships undeniable.
``In every event where Nicklaus is basically handing over the torch, Tiger is the one who wins every time,'' Faldo pointed out.
Still a few months shy of his 30th birthday, Woods is already halfway to Nicklaus' mark in the majors and eager to get No. 10 at the birthplace of golf.
Woods was the first one off the tee Monday morning, made sure to avoid the treacherous bunkers during his practice round and gave every indication of being a contender come the weekend.
``He wants to be the greatest,'' Faldo said. ``If he maintains the desire and the intention and the work ethic to (break Nicklaus' record), you have to believe that he could get there.''
But keep this in mind: The British Open has become the place where the unlikeliest of major champions are most likely to emerge.
Two years ago, it was Ben Curtis. Last year, Todd Hamilton. And don't forget Paul Lawrie at Carnoustie in 1999, the beneficiary of Jean Van de Velde's infamous meltdown. Or John Daly, reviving his career a decade ago at St. Andrews.
Nicklaus would be the most unlikely winner of all, but he knows those days have long since passed him by.
Still, he didn't come to the Old Course to embarrass himself. He loves this hallowed piece of seaside too much to make a mockery of it.
``If I didn't think I could play on the weekend, I wouldn't have come over in the first place,'' Nicklaus said.
He paused for a second, a slight grin emerging on his weathered face before he finished the thought.
``I'll probably go and shoot an 85 now.''
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