This year it was Juli Inkster and Tom Weiskopf. Next, year, it will be Barbara Nicklaus! Yes, you read that right. The ‘First Lady of Golf’ has been selected as the 2025 Memorial Tournament honoree and will be presented with the annual Captains Club award the following year. As she was selected to be the first non-golfer among the previous 83 recipients, her husband, Jack Nicklaus couldn’t help but get emotional at the special moment.

He was spotted in an interview on the CBS Broadcast following the end of the event trying to fight back his tears but inevitably failing. “Barbara has been so much to this tournament,” said the Golden Bear before adding, “Everybody’s honored Jack Nicklaus but Barbara Nicklaus has been right there.” 

This wasn’t just an opinion shared by the 84-year-old who was honored at the 25th edition of the event but the whole of the Captains Club as well; “And the Captains felt like that the 50th running of the Memorial… that was fit that Barbara be the honoree. I broke down and cried the other night, I’m crying again now… It was a very emotional choice for me.” 

Meanwhile, this is not the first honor that the 18-time major champ’s wife has received, interestingly so. She has been able to accept the 2015 Bob Jones Award that was presented by the United States Golf Association, not to mention the PGA of America Distinguished Service Award in 2019, among others.

Even Barbara Nicklaus was extremely grateful for the recognition as she admitted, “This honor is so incredibly special to me, and I can’t thank the Captains Club enough for thinking of me. When… our longtime friend Charlie Mechem called in to relay the news, I was overcome with emotion and, honestly, speechless.” She also expressed her humility as well for the award when she said, ” Looking back at the list of those who have been honored since 1976, I can’t express how humbled I am to join this elite group that I have looked up to and respected for so long.”

The community, meanwhile, couldn’t help but express their happiness at the ex-pro’s wife receiving the honors. They went ahead to dish out many comments under the tweet on X that was shared by the official handle of the Jay Monahan-led circuit.

Netizens nod their head in approval to honor Jack Nicklaus’s wife

The legend of the game has a total of 73 PGA Tour wins, including a record-breaking 18 major championship victories, which not even Tiger Woods has had the luck of breaking till now. That’s not all. The athlete also went ahead to enjoy tremendous success as a golf course designer later on in his life. A fan alluded to this while commenting, “Even the great ones like Jack Nicklaus can break down and cry overcome by emotion—this is just a class guy who loves his wife and wants to honor her. Well done Golden Bear!” 

Meanwhile, his wife was present for these moments, all the while supporting her husband after marrying him on July 23, 1960. Another follower couldn’t help but point out, “He is such a great man, and she’s wonderful as well. What a couple. 60+ years of marriage and best friends. You want a role model to follow, follow their example.”

She has not just extended her hand to her husband. The golfer’s wife has also been a devoted help to many of those in need. Jack Nicklaus’ wife has served as the chair of the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation and started Play Yellow with her husband and the PGA Tour all the while raising more than $130 million. She was also integral in helping Memorial raise more than $52 million for charitable causes. Consequently, a couple of users on X came forward to highlight how well deserved the honor is; “Couldn’t be a better honoree at the 50th than Ms Barbara Nicklaus,” and “Absolutely wonderful! Well deserved! Can’t wait for next year’s tournament.”

The professional’s wife, back in 1990 was awarded the PGA Tour Ambassador of Golf Award and the African American Golfers Hall of Fame Humanitarian Award. However, her most popular honor still remains the inaugural PGA of America First Lady of Golf Award which was presented to her in 1998 seeing how she is still known by the same. A fan, thus, commented, “The First Lady of the PGA Tour will be rightfully honored in 2025! Congratulations Mrs. Nicklaus.”

As the fans said, it truly is a well-deserving honor that will be presented to the golfer’s wife in the following year at the 2025 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. Don’t you think so? Take a bow, Barbara Nicklaus!