Back in 1986, just before the Augusta Masters, Tom McCollister of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution passed a verdict on Jack Nicklaus. In an article he wrote, Jack was “gone, done,” and his “clubs were too rusty.” Yes, Jack was far from his prime, but gone? One of Jack’s friends did something to make sure that it hit him hard- he pinned the article to Jack’s refrigerator at the rented house they were staying during the Augusta Masters.

That indeed served Jack well as sealing his win at Augusta, he became the second oldest major champion behind 48-year-old PGA champion Julius Boros. The iconic picture of Jack’s birdie on the 17th hole to take the lead, captured by David Cannon, must be shining bright in your mind if you are a golf enthusiast. If anything also became a part of history with that picture, that is probably Jack’s yellow shirt. And there were at least two people who surely knew that donning it was not a coincidence.

Rev. Dr. William E. Smith, a senior pastor at North Broadway United Methodist Church in the Ohio capital back then, and his wife Mary Lou switched on their television on that day to find Jack in yellow. “We knew that was no casual decision. We knew he was doing it in memory of Craig.” Dr. Smith had told Golf World. Craig was their son who had passed away on June 7, 1971, at the age of 13, after battling Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. There is a deeply emotional and personal story behind this memory. In a heartfelt moment shared during the Under the Umbrella YouTube series, Jack and his wife, Barbara, shared what made it much more than just a piece of clothing. 

The story goes back to the late ’60s or early ’70s when Barbara got a call from Mary. The call was about Craig, who had just been diagnosed with the disease. In 1968, the boy was going home when he fell down, and the medical visits began. His sister Janet shared a cute moment, saying, “The Nicklauses would stop by our house and sit and drink a Coke and visit.”

So, Craig was a huge fan of Jack Nicklaus. Barbara, being the compassionate person she is, immediately reassured Mary that Nicklaus would call Craig. And just like that, Nicklaus picked up the phone. As Barbara shared, “Mary called, and she said, Barbara, Craig’s just been diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma. He’s a big fan of Jack’s. Do you think Jack would ever call him? And I said, well, of course he would, Mary Lou. We’ll get that done immediately. “

This was just the beginning of a special bond between Jack and Craig. The two spoke frequently over the next few months, offering each other friendship and support during such a tough time. Then, one Sunday evening, during one of their conversations, Craig shared something that would resonate deeply with Jack.

It was on a call after one of Jack’s victories that Craig revealed something unexpected. “Craig said, Jack, you know why you won today? And Jack said, ‘Well, no, why Craig?’ And he said, ‘Because I had on my lucky yellow shirt.'” Barbara shared, “And Jack said, well, Craig, if you can wear yellow for me, I can wear yellow for you.”

From that moment on, Nicklaus made it a point to wear a yellow shirt every Sunday in honor of his young friend. The tradition became his quiet tribute to Craig. It came to a full circle at Augusta. But the sixth green jacket win was made even more special by a moment that happened behind the scenes. As Barbara recalled, “Sunday morning in the 86th Mass, Jack’s kind of rumbling around in his suitcase looking for something to wear, and he pulls out this yellow shirt and says, Barbara, what do you think? I said, you’ve got to wear it. In his honor and in his memory, you have to wear it.” There is more to it.

As Jack shared, “My mother and my sister both, that was the first time they’d been there since 1959. So that was a long time in between, but they wanted to come back, and they did. It was special.” This quiet moment, the win, and of course, the yellow shirt, made the 1986 Masters one of the most meaningful chapters in Jack’s legendary career. But aren’t you curious to know what happened to that iconic shirt?

The piece of history that remained ‘untouchable’ forever

The Jack Niclaus Museum at Ohio State has a yellow shirt and a green jacket on display. But the Stephen Auch, curator of the museum, revealed that though the jacket was original, the shirt was a replica! But isn’t that supposed to be a collector’s delight? Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions, could not agree more.

“It’s an iconic yellow. People remember where they were when they saw him raising the putter. I’d say well into the six figures — I wouldn’t be surprised to see it go for $200,000, $800,000, or anywhere in between,” Ivy said. To put that to perspective, Heritage Auctions sold a Jack Nicklaus-worn shirt from 1980 for $6,300, an Arnold Palmer 1980 PGA Championship shirt for $5,400, and a Tiger Woods red shirt from 2011 for $36,000. But take a guess about its fate.

As shocking as it might sound, neither Jack nor Barbara has any idea exactly where it is now. In fact, that might well have been thrown away while cleaning the house! “Jack’s mom, when she was alive, and Barbara kept a lot of things,” Auch had said. “But Jack wasn’t as much into that as they were. He was a little more forward-looking in that regard, like a lot of athletes.” Augusta 1986 win was invaluable for Jack’s winding career. And as a golf fan, you might be happy that no one could ultimately put a price tag on that yellow shirt, which was also a part of that invaluable history.