Golden Bear, King Heap Praise On Young Tiger

The man who has more green jackets than anyone, Jack Nicklaus, was doing some rather remarkable arithmetic during his practice round Wednesday at the Masters tournament.

Nicklaus was playing in a dream pairing with Arnold Palmer and Eldrick “Tiger” Woods, the 20-year-old Stanford University sophomore who is competing in his second Masters.

Nicklaus watched Woods kill the golf ball. Palmer watched Woods kill the golf ball. In the midst of galleries that lined Augusta National’s fairways and greens five and six deep, neither could believe the play by the young phenom.

“This was the first time I played with Tiger,” Nicklaus said afterward. “Arnold and I both agreed that you could probably take Arnold’s Masters and my Masters, add them together, and this kid should win more than that.”

If you know your golf history, that means at least 11.

Nicklaus won six Masters, in 1963, ‘65, ‘66, ‘72, ‘75 and ‘86.

Palmer, who is known in golf as The King, won four Masters - in 1958, ‘60, ‘62 and ‘64 - to make the tournament what it is today.

The scene at No. 13, a 485-yard par 5 with a severe dogleg left, was the clincher.

Nicklaus was in an ideal position, within reach of the green in 2, from a low spot on the fairway.

Palmer was typical Palmer. From a clump of trees off the tee, he had to punch out to reach Nicklaus’ ball in 2.

“Arnold and I were laughing at 13,” Nicklaus said. “I hit it around the corner. To get it back to the pin, I needed a 2-iron. Tiger was off to the right, at least 40 to 45 yards behind me.

“He whips out an iron, and Arnold says: ‘He’s laying up.’ I said: ‘No, he’s not.’ I was 185 to the front. He was at least 215, and he hit 3-iron. He hits the ball 9 million miles, and with the way he swings, it doesn’t look like he’s trying to do that.”

There was more.

“This kid is absolutely the finest, fundamentally sound golfer that I have ever seen, at almost any age,” Nicklaus said.

But can Woods win in only his second trip to Augusta?

“Whether he is ready to win yet or not, he will be your favorite for the next 20 years,” Nicklaus predicted. “If he’s not, then there’s something wrong.”