The Masters: Ranking the 25 most exceptional performances at Augusta
By Bill Felber
13: Jack Nicklaus, 1975 Masters, 276 (-12), Std. Deviation -2.47
In 1975, Jack Nicklaus was at the zenith of the most productive period of his golfing career. In his 18 most recent majors — a string dating to the 1970 British Open – he had won five times with four runners-up and no finish worse than a tie for 13th at the 1972 PGA.
Not surprisingly, he came to Augusta as a favorite to win for a record fifth time. His opening round 68, although a stroke behind Bobby Nichols, did nothing to alter that perception.
Nicklaus backed that 68 up with a 67 on Friday to zoom past Nichols into a five-stroke advantage over three of the era’s few plausible challengers, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Billy Casper. Paired with Palmer on Saturday, he played sluggishly, shooting an uncharacteristic 73. When fellow Ohio State grad Tom Weiskopf turned in a 66, Nicklaus found himself entering the final round a stroke out of the lead, although three in front of Johnny Miller, four up on Watson and seven ahead of Palmer.
Playing one group in front of Weiskopf on Sunday, Nicklaus birdied three of the first five holes to catch him, lost his share of the lead to Weiskopf’s birdie on six, but got it back with his own birdie on nine. Jack led by a stroke coming to the 14th, but bogeyed, and when Weiskopf birdied that same hole Nicklaus found himself again a stroke behind coming to the closing four holes.
He made up that stroke by birdieing the par 5 15, left his tee shot 40 feet below the hole on 16, then watched and listened as a few hundred feet away Weiskopf registered his own birdie at 15 to regain the lead.
Then as Weiskopf watched from the 16th tee, Nicklaus rolled home his 40-footer to re-establish his share of the lead. That share became a full one when Weiskopf three-putted the same hole moments later for a bogey. Nicklaus’s routine pars at 17 and 18 left Weiskopf – and Miller – a chance to tie for the lead by holing birdie putts. But Miller missed low from inside 20 feet and Weiskopf missed high from inside 10, giving Jack the title everybody expected him to secure all along.