‘In Jack’s Mind’: Jack Nicklaus’ Sister Marilyn Once Revealed How Their Mother’s Presence Helped the Golden Bear Win His Sixth Green Jacket

1986 saw Jack Nicklaus making history at the Masters Tournament. He became one of the only two golfers to win at the Augusta Nationals six times. Moreover, he became the oldest Masters champion by shooting an impressive 65 in the final round. The golf world knows all the records he made on that fine Sunday. However, what it doesn’t know is the woman that made that win possible for the PGA Tour legend! 

Golf Channel did a feature on the golfer’s parents titled, ‘Know Jack: Charlie and Helen Nicklaus,’ in 2017, which explains the effect they had on Jack and his golf. While the article says how the 18-time major champion won all the titles for his father after his death, his last Masters win was for his mother. 

Jack Nicklaus had his mother in mind while winning at the Augusta Nationals

As an athlete who marveled in multiple sports, Charlie Nicklaus, Jack’s father, was the first to introduce golf to his son. He has always been on the golfer’s side whenever he competed ever since. On the contrary, his mother, Helen, never preferred to watch him play because, according to her daughter Marilyn, she ‘just couldn’t stand to watch Jack if he was playing poorly.’ 

However, Helen Nicklaus made an exception in 1985. According to Marilyn’s statement in the Golf Channel article, their mother asked his son to bring her to Augusta National for the final time. And the Golden Bear promised he would bring her the next year, and he fulfilled that promise. 

“That week was special,” Marilyn explained. “I think my mom being there was in Jack’s mind. It was meant to be.” 

Has Helen witnessed her son winning another Masters title?

The 1986 Masters was the last time Jack Nicklaus won at the Augusta National. However, he had won the Green Jackets five times before, and Helen Nicklaus had seen him win the first time. 

Read more: Jack Nicklaus Once Emotionally Revealed the Monumental Contribution of His Father in Making the Golf Legend, a Good Athlete

According to the Golden Bear’s PGA Tour profile, he won his first Masters at the Augusta in 1963. He won his second major in the second year since he turned professional by shooting 2-under 286, a stroke better than the runner-up Tony Lema. Notably, Jack was only 23 when he won his first Masters title. 

According to Jack’s sister, their father always preferred family over anything. And the way the Tour veteran fulfilled his promise to his mother to bring her to Augusta National for a final time in 1986, it is inevitable that he indeed acquired the family-loving trait from his father. 

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