Jack Nicklaus cried watching his grandson hit a hole-in-one
With 20 victories in The Majors and six major titles at The Masters, Jack Nicklaus is probably the greatest golfer of all time. But his proudest moment on a golf course may have come this past week when he was a proud grandpa.
Nicklaus was participating in a Par 3 contest, which takes place the day before the actual Masters tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. It is a common tradition for participants in the Par 3 to invite their family members to accompany them on the nine-hole course, and some even have family members caddy and even shoot shots for them. (The game does not count towards the actual Masters tournament.)
So when Nicklaus got to the final hole of the round, he let his 15-year-old grandson, Gary, who was caddying for him, take a swing. As you can see, golfing ability seems to run in the family:
With all due respect to @themasters, allow me to put my 6 Green Jackets in the closet for a moment and say that I don’t know if I have had a more special day on a golf course. To have your grandson make his first hole-in-one on this stage…. WOW! #Family #memoryofalifetime pic.twitter.com/3TSLwlV0m9
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 4, 2018
Yep, that’s a hole-in-one. Nicklaus got a little emotional watching his grandson get his first ace on such a grand stage.
Oh yeah, and then someone rapped about it, so Gary had quite the week:
I am told they call it "freestyle rap." Whatever it is, thanks to @YourBoyKJ, grandson GT adds another memory, along with our @espn friends @notthefakeSVP & @ESPNCaddie at @WheelsUp event. #Masters pic.twitter.com/2aWhCR0COX
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 6, 2018
The Par 3 contest got a lot more attention this year than it normally does. In addition to the younger Nicklaus’ ace, first-time Masters participant Tony Finau got one as well. But, um, his celebration was quickly cut short by a medical emergency. Just a warning, this video features Finau’s ankle bending at an angle that ankles are not supposed to bend at:
https://twitter.com/12upSport/status/981630114244038656
Luckily, Finau just popped it back in and was able to play all four rounds of the Masters.
Who says golf isn’t exciting?
[H/t ESPN]