Jack Nicklaus peered out from under his black and white umbrella and then groaned as he tried to stretch out his achy back before warming up for his opening round in the PGA Seniors' Championship. Jack Nicklaus has not had much of an opportunity to dwell on a Masters that began with promise and ended with disappointment. He teed off at an ill time in a chill air, but to the warmest of applause from the largest gallery. The golfing masses are intractably fixated on Jack Nicklaus, even if the magic in his game hasn't quite kept pace with the power of his name. If any man were ever to reach the moon without the assistance of an outside agency, but purely on will power alone, that man would have to be Jack William Nicklaus.
Golf is a game of numbers.
And some of those flying around with the dust and pollen in the swirling winds of Augusta National Thursday were mind-boggling. Warm greetings at every turn welcomed Jack Nicklaus back to Augusta National Golf Club for his 41st appearance in the Masters Tournament.