Jack Nicklaus thinks he underachieved in life
Jack Nicklaus thinks he underachieved in life.
Well, then there’s no hope for the rest of us.
The 73-time PGA Tour winner and 18-time major champion said Wednesday ahead of his Memorial Tournament that he never fully realized his potential.
However, that was a good thing as, Nicklaus said, “I think that’s why I got better.”
“I think that if you feel you’re overachieving, or getting more out of what you should get, then you stop working,” Nicklaus said. “I always feel like I’m never getting what I should be getting out of what I’m doing. So you’ve got to work harder to make sure you do that. I always wanted to climb a mountain. I always wanted to get better.”
With ubiquitous coverage of the sport, it’s almost impossible for players to avoid hearing about their potential — or lack thereof. For years, however, fans have wondered aloud if Tiger Woods would spur on someone to take him down a peg or two. That never was the case in Woods’ prime. Then again, Woods at least still has a target to chase in Nicklaus’ major tally. Nicklaus didn’t really have that, and he has wondered what a higher bar than Bobby Jones’ 13 combined professional and amateur majors might have meant for his career.
“I still don’t think I achieved what I could have achieved in my career,” he said Wednesday.
Nicklaus finished second 19 times in the professional majors. Over his lifetime, that’s about 40 strokes’ different from his incredible mark of 18 and an unbreakable mark somewhere in the 20s or 30s.
The Golden Bear didn’t make his comments with a sense of regret, however. Had he chosen golf over his family, he wouldn’t be the fulfilled man he is now.
“Could my record have been better? Yeah. But my family would not be what I think we enjoy today.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
