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Here’s a look at the life of retired professional golfer Jack Nicklaus.
Birthdate: January 21, 1940
Place of birth: Columbus, Ohio
Birth name: Jack William Nicklaus
Father: Louis Charles Nicklaus Jr., pharmacist
Mother: Helen (Schoener) Nicklaus
Marriage: Barbara Jean (Bash) Nicklaus (July 23, 1960-present)
Children: Michael, July 24, 1973; Gary, January 15, 1969; Nancy, May 5, 1965; Steve, April 11, 1963; Jack II, September 23, 1961
Education: attended He Ohio State University, 1957-1961
Nicknamed “Golden Bear.”
He started playing golf at the age of 10.
He has won 18 major professional championships: six Masters, five PGA Championships, four US Opens and three British Opens. Additionally, Nicklaus has won two United States Amateur Championships.
He founded and previously served as president and CEO of Nicklaus Companies, which includes a successful golf course design business.
1956 – Wins the Ohio State Open golf tournament at age 16.
1959 and 1961 – Wins the United States Amateur Championship.
January 1962 – First professional start at the Los Angeles Open.
June 1962 – First professional victory, defeating Arnold Palmer at the US Open.
1962, 1967, 1972 and 1980 – Win the US Open.
1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975 and 1986 – Win the Masters.
1963, 1971, 1973, 1975 and 1980 – Win the PGA Championship.
1966, 1970 and 1978 – Win the British Open.
1967, 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976 – Named PGA Player of the Year.
1974 – Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
1991 and 1993 – Wins the US Senior Open.
1997 – “Jack Nicklaus: My Story,” written with Ken Bowden, is published.
1999 – Named best individual male athlete of the 20th century by Sports Illustrated.
2001 – Receives the ESPY Lifetime Achievement Award.
2002 – The Jack Nicklaus Museum opens its doors on the campus of Ohio State University.
2004 – Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation formed.
2005 – Withdraws from tournament competition.
2005 – He is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
2006 – He is inducted into the PGA Professional Hall of Fame.
March 24, 2015 – Honored with the Congressional Gold Medal.
December 2015 – Nicklaus receives Sports Illustrated’s Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.
February 18, 2016 – He undergoes experimental stem cell therapy to help with debilitating back pain.
July 19, 2020 – Nicklaus reveals that he and his wife tested positive for the Covid-19 virus on March 13 and remained at their home in North Palm Beach, Florida, until they recovered on April 20.
May 13, 2022 – Nicklaus and GBI Investors Inc., of which he is a principal, are sued by Nicklaus Companies in New York Supreme Court. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract, tortious interference and breach of fiduciary duty.
April 21, 2023 – Nicklaus, in an attempt to regain control of his name, image and likeness, files a lawsuit against his former partner Howard Milstein. In August, a judge rules against Nicklaus and dismisses the case.
