Jack Nicklaus went out on his own terms yesterday, his unmatched career put to rest on the most revered golfing turf in the world.
A hallowed resting place for golf's greatest body of work.
Ottawa, if nothing more than in a small way, was where a couple of the seeds of Nicklaus' mighty career were sown.
In 1960, as a brawny 20-year-old amateur, Nicklaus tied the course record at the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club with a 65, then 8-under par, on the Willie Park, Jr.-designed course.
U.S. amateur champ
Nicklaus, the reigning U.S. Amateur champ, was playing in the Americas Cup, a team competition which also featured Canada and Mexico.
It was a foreshadowing of what would come from Nicklaus.
"Two youngsters, Mr. Nicklaus of the United States and Gary Cowan of Canada, set very fast paces and gave indications of golf in the years ahead," said the report of the competition in the USGA Journal and Turf Management publication.
No kidding.
Cowan went on to become a Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member based on his outstanding amateur career.
Nicklaus' game was almost strong enough to help him and partner Deane Beman overcome a five-hole penalty when it was discovered Beman was playing with 15 clubs in his bag (an extra wedge got in there somehow and Beman called the penalty on himself).
Nicklaus and Beman ended up losing 4-and-3 to a Mexican team.
MOVIN' ON UP: Despite tendinitis in his wrist, Marc-Etienne Bussieres of Gatineau earned an exemption into the Canadian Junior championship by winning the BMO Financial Group Future Links Quebec championship. All it took was a final-round 68 in Asbestos to surge from behind. That was good for a 54-hole total of 6-under 210 and a three-shot win over Eric Cote-Jinchereau of Sainte-Foy, Que. Mark Coldham of Rideau View was in a four-way tie for third at 216. Emilien Dupont of Hawkesbury was T9 (219), Patrick Sears from Kanata was T25 (231), Thomas Westfall of Gatineau and Adam Henderson of Manotick were T40 (238). In the junior girls' division, Emily Milito of Ottawa was eighth (272).
HEAR AND THERE: Rideau View claimed the Ladies Intersectional title, helped by a six-point performance by Paula Smith. Rideau View had 28 points to beat out Kanata (24), Royal Ottawa (18) and Brockville (14). Rivermead won the B Section with 27 points, helped by six apiece by Margaret McLaren and Wanda Pilon. The Carleton Golf and Yacht Club was second with 25 points, Arnprior had 20 and Outaouais had 12. Complete results are available on the OVGA's website (ovga.org).
TOURNEY TALK: The draw in the CPGA Ottawa Zone's match play championship is down to its Sweet 16. Round 3 on the A side will see Graham Gunn-Joe Dubinski, Gord Percy-Dustin Doyon, Chris Barber-Scott Halliday and Bob Flaro-Barry Laphen. On the B side, it's Dale Pedersen-Brian Shultis, J.F. Lebrun-Gregg Foley, Dave Kalil-Peter Gallant and Matt MacMillan-Greg White ... The first round of the OVGA's City and District B Class championship goes Monday at the Oaks of Cobden. The second round is at Pakenham on Tuesday.
TAP-INS: Manotick's Brad Fritsch will be off to Kitchener on Monday to try and grab a qualifying spot for the CPGA Championship on July 18-24 at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge. The event is once again an official stop on the Nationwide Tour ... Belleville native Joey McIntyre won Monday's Eastern Links Golf Tour event at Loyalist Golf and Country Club in Bath and took over the lead on the money list. McIntyre's 69 was three better than Louis Lefebvre and Tim Sewter.
FROM THE FRINGE: France's Thomas Levet, the 57th-ranked player in the world and a member of the victorious European team at last year's Ryder Cup, has been given a sponsor's invitation for the Canadian Tour's Montreal Open, Aug. 1-7.
