The bizarre reason Jack Nicklaus received a two-shot penalty that cost him a first PGA Tour win at the Houston Open
Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images Caddie Billy Ford played an unfortunate role in ensuring that Jack Nicklaus had to wait until the US Open in 1962 for the first professional victory of his career. Nicklaus beat Arnold Palmer in a playoff at Oakmont to win his first major title. The victory had been coming for some time, with the Golden Bear finishing second three times in 1962 before his US Open triumph.
One of those runner-up finishes came at the event now known as the Texas Children’s Houston Open, with Nicklaus beaten in a playoff. How a penalty cost Jack Nicklaus his first professional win at the 1962 Houston Classic Bobby Nichols emerged victorious in sudden death at Memorial Park after an 18-hole playoff had failed to separate himself and Dan Sikes. Nicklaus finished five shots behind the pair and was eliminated before sudden death.
However, it could have been very different for both Nichols and Nicklaus, had the latter’s caddie not made a costly mistake during the third round. Photo by �� Tony Roberts/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images Nicklaus found himself with a 35-foot putt for birdie on the long par three seventh hole. He asked his caddie, Billy Ford, to tend the flag.
Unfortunately, as revealed by Golfweek , Nicklaus was denied a brilliant two through no fault of his own. “The putt rolled straight for the cup, but my caddie panicked,” Nicklaus said. “He couldn’t get the flagstick out of the hole, and jerked it upwards, pulling the cup liner above ground.
” The ball ricocheted off the liner. That led to Nicklaus being handed a two-shot penalty and walking away with a five. The mistake ended up denying Nicklaus a first professional victory – if you assume that he would have played the next 29 holes the same way.