Nicklaus believes Spieth’s Masters collapse could be good for him
Jack Nicklaus knows a little something about winning major championships. He won 18. And he knows something about winning majors at a young age. He had won three majors before he turned 24.
So, Nicklaus’ message to Jordan Spieth after his Masters collapse should be one he takes to heart.
“He’s got a long future in front of him. He’s a very talented young man, he’s a nice young man, he’s very focused,”Nicklaus said at last week’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf on PGA Tour Champions. “Winning it twice might take away some of that focus. It is exactly what I said to you about if I had won the U.S. Open when I was an amateur in 1960, I might not have continued to work because I felt like I’d be scratching my head out here.”
However, as Nicklaus previously said afterward, he feels for the 22-year-old and knows that the quadruple-bogey 7 on the par-3 12th in the final round will ultimately make him a better player.
“I think that there will be some good that comes out of all bad,” he said. “Although I know he would have liked to have won obviously and a lot of people would have liked to have seen him win, I don’t think in the long run that it’ll ever hurt him; it will only make his resolve stronger.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
LISTEN TO OUR WEEKLY GOLF PODCAST! This week: Why golf still obsesses over Tiger Woods
