Jack Nicklaus, just two years removed from dominating amateur golf as a student at The Ohio State University, bested a star-studded field of the game’s greatest professionals to capture his first Masters Tournament title on this day in history, April 7, 1963.
The victory sparked an enduring love affair between the gallery at Augusta National in Georgia, America’s most celebrated golf course, and the sport’s most celebrated player.
The 23-year-old phenom was handed the green jacket for the first time at the 1963 Masters by defending champion Arnold Palmer after Nicklaus’ two-under performance and one-stroke win over Tony Lema.
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The field that day also included all-time sport luminaries Sam Snead and Gary Player.
The exchange of the trophy blazer between golf legends was part of a five-year streak in which only Nicklaus or Palmer donned the green jacket (1962-1966) at Augusta.
“In his prime, the Golden Bear was the one everyone chased,” Golf Digest declared in 2020, in a celebration of Nicklaus’s 80th birthday.
“Drop that golfer into today’s game, and it would be the case still.”
“The Golden Bear was the one everyone chased. Drop that golfer into today’s game, and it would be the case still.”
Nicklaus is widely regarded today as the greatest golfer of all time, routinely topping lists of the best players in history.
He dominated amateur golf by winning the U.S. Amateur Championship twice (1959, 1961) and the NCAA title once (1961) before turning pro in 1962.
He immediately proved himself among the sport’s elite, overcoming a two-shot deficit when entering the final round before edging Palmer by one shot in a playoff to capture the 1962 U.S. Open.
It was the first of his record 18 major titles. Nicklaus also holds records with 73 PGA Tour wins and an incredible 56 top-five finishes in majors, among many other best-ever achievements.
The Masters at…
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