Jack Nicklaus

Most golf pros, amateurs and just plain fans agree that Nicklaus, who has won 20 major golf tournaments, may be the best ever at the game. In this autobiography, which is Nicklaus's seventh collaboration (Golf My Way, etc.) with Bowden, the Golden Bear catalogues the highlights of his amazing career. Two elements of the book are striking: eschewing false modesty, Nicklaus several times refers to himself as a great golfer; and he displays a mind-boggling ability to recall his best and worst shots, even at a remove of more than 30 years. He begins with his first U.S. Amateur Championship in 1959, when he was 19, and his selection for the Walker Cup team that same year. Then come his first pro victory, the U.S. Open in 1962, and accounts of his three subsequent U.S. Open wins, his three British Open titles, his five PGA championships and his unparalleled six Masters victories. The last of these, the 1986 triumph, Nicklaus considers his most fulfilling win, because he had not taken a major championship in six years and because, battling for this last crown, he was cheered on by the fans, a far cry from his status 30 years before, when he was hated for dethroning the popular Arnold Palmer. Along the way, Nicklaus pays tribute to his father, his teachers, his fellow players, many of whom offered him valuable tips over the years, and above all his wife, in his view the perfect partner. There are valuable hints on the mental set necessary to play superior golf and on matters of technique. No links fan will want to miss this warm and personal memoir by the greatest of the great. Photos not seen by PW. 125,000 first printing; first serial to Golf Magazine. (Apr.)