In one breath, Gary Nicklaus notes that he hasn’t played a tournament of this magnitude in almost a decade. In the next, he shows that he has that same streak of competitiveness that helped make his dad great.
Gary Nicklaus, the fourth of Jack and Barbara Nicklaus’ five kids, is in Colorado to play in his first U.S. Amateur since 1991. And he’s quick to point out he’s looking to stick around a while this coming week.
Asked what his expectations are for 112th U.S. Amateur, given his lack of big-time tournament exposure in the last nine years, Nicklaus said Saturday, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could win. It’s like riding a bike; you don’t forget how to do it. You just get a little rusty. You just put a little grease on there and get it moving again.”
Nicklaus actually arrived in Colorado several days ago to prepare for the Amateur, which will be held at Cherry Hills Country Club starting Monday (Aug. 13), with CommonGround Golf Course being the second site for the stroke-play portion of the event Monday and Tuesday.
Jack Nicklaus won the first and last of his eight USGA championships in Colorado — the 1959 U.S. Amateur at the Broadmoor and the 1993 U.S. Senior Open at Cherry Hills. And Jack and Barbara will be back in the state to watch Gary compete this week. But Gary didn’t play Cherry Hills for the first time until Thursday, and his first trip around CommonGround was Saturday (when he was pictured above).
At one time, Gary Nicklaus hoped to make a major impact on the PGA Tour, where his dad won 73 times, including 18 major championships. Gary played 122 events on the PGA Tour and made almost $700,000. His best finish came at the 2000 BellSouth Classic, where Phil Mickelson beat him in a playoff.
Nicklaus last played on the PGA Tour in 2003, and eventually was reinstated as an amateur in 2007. And on July 16 of this year, the 43-year-old recaptured some of the old magic by earning the second and final U.S. Amateur qualifying spot at a tournament in Wellington, Fla.
“This is the first time I’ve played anything nationally in 10 years,” Nicklaus said on Saturday at CommonGround. “I haven’t played anything. I haven’t worked at my game, practiced on my game for anything for a long time.
“Since I qualified for this, I’ve been working hard trying to get ready. This is not a professional major but it’s definitely a fantastic championship and one I’d love to perform well in.”
Nicklaus said he played in about a half-dozen U.S. Amateurs from 1985 to ’91, with his best showing being a first-round loss in match play in ’91, shortly before he turned pro. He missed the 1990 Amateur at Cherry Hills after being hospitalized in the Denver area with heart-related problems.
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U.S. Amateur: All the Essentials
What: The 112th U.S. Amateur, the oldest USGA championship.
When: Aug. 13-19. For Aug. 13 tee times, CLICK HERE.
Where: Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village (7,409 yards, par-71), and CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora (7,378 yards, par-70). Cherry Hills will be hosting its ninth USGA championship (3 U.S. Opens, 1 U.S. Women’s Open, 2 U.S. Amateurs, 1 U.S. Senior Open, 1 USGA Senior Amateur, 1 U.S. Mid-Amateur).
Format: 36 holes of stroke play Aug. 13 and 14, with each golfer playing 18 holes each at Cherry Hills and CommonGround. The top 64 players will advance to match play, which will be held exclusively at Cherry Hills. The first round of matches is Aug. 15, the second and third rounds are Aug. 16, the quarterfinals Aug. 17, the semifinals Aug. 18 and the 36-hole final is Aug. 19.
Starting Field: 312 players. (6,403 golfers originally sent in entries.)
Top Name Players Expected in Field: Jordan Spieth (2-time U.S. Junior Amateur champion, low amateur in 2012 U.S. Open), Beau Hossler (17-year-old led U.S. Open during second round), Gary Nicklaus (son of the legendary Jack Nicklaus), college player of the year Justin Thomas, 2011 Masters low amateur Hideki Matsuyama, 2012 NCAA Div. I champion Thomas Pieters.
Players in Field with Strong Colorado Ties: Ryan Axlund of Denver, Jeff Chapman of Denver, Parker Edens of Greeley, Eric Hallberg of Castle Rock, Bryan Kruse of Wesminster, Michael Schoolcraft of Englewood, Matt Schovee of Englewood, former Colorado Springs resident Justin Spray, DU golfer Andy Yang.
Winner Receives Exemptions In: 2013 Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, along with the next 10 U.S. Amateurs, providing he remains an amateur.
Tickets: Available at King Soopers stores and at TicketsWest.com. A daily ticket is $17.50. A weekly pass is $85. Kids 17 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Television: Aug. 15 2-4 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 16 4:30-6:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 17 6:30-8:30 p.m., Golf Channel; Aug. 18 2-4 p.m., NBC; Aug. 19 2-4 p.m., NBC.
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Other U.S. Amateur-Related Stories on COgolf.org:
Yang Joins Sister as USGA Qualifier. DU golfer advances to U.S. Amateur along with Axlund, Chapman.
Kids and Pros Alike Have a Blast. U.S. Amateur Alumni Day at CommonGround draws a few hundred fans.
CGA, CWGA Gear Up for U.S. Amateur. With CommonGround as Companion Course, associations expand role.
CommonGround Impresses USGA Executive Director. Five tees were added for U.S. Amateur.
