Jack Nicklaus Wins Mickey Mouse Tournament, Captures Money Title
Jack Nicklaus pockets $30,000 in first Walt Disney World Golf Classic
The PGA TOUR is in Palm Harbor, Florida for the Valspar Championship this week. This tournament was founded in 2000 as an alternate event, so there’s not much history to mine here. So, we’ve found a story that has links to Florida and we’re travelling back to 1971 to tell it. Scroll down to see how Jack Nicklaus won a “Mickey Mouse” tournament and captured the leading money winner title in the process.
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Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Arnold Palmer Battle For Leading Money Winner Title
Jack Nicklaus got his final round at the 1971 Walt Disney World Golf Classic off to a fast start with a birdie on the first hole that extended his lead to two strokes. He started the day, a Monday finish due to a weather delay, one stroke in front of Deane Beaman. After almost a decade of playing the PGA TOUR, Nicklaus was looking for his first victory in the state of Florida. The Walt Disney World Golf Classic was the penultimate event on the 1971 schedule and the top spot on the leading money list was up for grabs.
Nicklaus was disgusted with a bogey on the fourth hole in that final round.
“That was just like giving two strokes to the field,” Nicklaus told reporters after his round.
He then watched as his approach shot at the next hole flew into a bunker. Was he about to give his lead, and possibly the money title, away? Let’s backspin to see how we got here.
Coming into the Disney World Golf Classic, Lee Trevino had already set a record for prize money collected with $229,777, leading Nicklaus by about $15,000, on the money list. Arnold Palmer was also in contention to nab the top spot, just $29,000 behind Trevino. All three players indicated that they wouldn’t be playing in the final event of the year, the Bahama Islands Open.
Trevino was tired at the end of a year that saw him win the U.S. Open, Open Championship and Canadian Open. He would be named “Sportsman of the Year” by Sports Illustrated in the week after the Disney event. But the tank was empty. This would be his 32nd event of the year.
“I’m tired and want to go home and get ready for next year,” Trevino told reporters.
Palmer had similar feelings as he said, “I’ve played enough this year.”
Nicklaus also saw no need to play in the Bahamas saying, “If I don’t win here, I don’t deserve to be the leading money winner.”
Nicklaus opened the first round with a 67, trailing Terry Dill, the leader, by two strokes. Palmer shot a 71 and Lee Trevino carded a 70. The second round was postponed due to heavy thunderstorms and was played on Saturday. Nicklaus shot a four-under-par 68 but was not happy with how he was striking the ball.
“It was kind of a sloppy round,” Nicklaus complained after finishing early in the day. “I really didn’t give myself much of a chance. I was 25 to 30 feet from the hole all day. I can’t expect to keep hitting my irons like that and keep scoring well.”
Nicklaus scored well enough, and Dill backtracked shooting a 70, for the two to share the lead. Palmer shot a blistering 66 matching the best round of the day and sat two shots off the lead. His round could have been even better, but he missed two four-foot putts on the last two holes. Trevino limped home with a 73, well down the leader board.
In Sunday’s third round, under a dismal drizzle, Nicklaus sloshed his way to a 70. Despite holding a one stroke lead over Bert Yancy, who also shot a 70, Nicklaus was still not pleased with his game.
“It was terrible,” Nicklaus said. “I couldn’t believe my wedge play. It was awful, absolutely terrible.”
Nicklaus’ good friend, Deane Beman, shot a blistering 66 and moved into a tie for third place with Lanny Wadkins who shot a 69. Palmer kept his hopes for a victory, and the money title, alive with a 70 and sat three strokes behind Nicklaus. Palmer led the tournament at one point during the third round. Trevino added a 70 and sat well down the leader board at 213, eight shots behind the Golden Bear.
Nicklaus started fast in Monday’s final round with a birdie on the first hole, only to bogey the fourth hole as depicted in this week’s opening paragraph. Then he bunkered his approach shot on the fifth hole. He gathered himself and managed to save par from the bunker with a putt that he viewed as important to his round.
“That was a real key putt,” he said after the round. “If I’d made bogey there, well, it could have been tough. Making that putt for par kind of turned me around.”
He then birdied the eighth hole from 20 feet, added a two-putt birdie at the 10th and began to pull away. He hit a fine approach shot to three feet at the 11th and put the tournament out of reach with a birdie two at the 15th hole. Nicklaus finished with a 68 for a 273 total. Beman finished second, three strokes behind Nicklaus, shooting a final round 69. Palmer finished with a 70, five strokes behind Nicklaus. Trevino finished well down the leader board, just glad that the year was over and looked forward to some time off.
The victory was the fifth title for Nicklaus for the year and this was the fourth time in his career that he won the money title. It was also the first time he had won in the state of Florida. Later in his career he would move his family to Florida, be inducted in the Florida Golf Hall of Fame and design many courses in the state, but it was a “Mickey Mouse” tournament that provided him his first victory as a professional in the state.
Jack Nicklaus receives the Walt Disney World Golf Classic trophy from Mickey Mouse. (photo from disneysportsnews.com)
Check out the bonus fact below for more on the PGA TOUR stop at Disney World.
The playlist this week is a rerun of the Best of 1971 songs. Listen HERE.
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Tour Backspin Quiz | 1971 PGA TOUR Trivia
How many tournaments, recognized by the PGA TOUR as official events, did Lee Trevino win in 1971? How many did Jack Nicklaus win? How many did Arnold Palmer win?
Answer below
Bonus Story
The penultimate event of the 1971 PGA TOUR was a Mickey Mouse affair. Literally. But in a good way. Mickey Mouse presented the winner’s trophy to Jack Nicklaus while Goofy, holding a golf club, looked on. Tee markers were in the shape of the iconic Mouseketeers hat, and volunteers were sporting the hats as well.
The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World opened in 1971 and a PGA TOUR event would provide just the right promotional event to the new theme park. Players were all-in on a weeklong stay at the new resort.
Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, along with their five children, made the most of their time during the week of the tournament.
“We took them into the Magic Kingdom every night and we did the things that parents do with the kids – and we enjoyed it. It was great fun,” Nicklaus recalled.
For the players and their families on the PGA TOUR the “Most Magical Place on Earth” became the “Happiest Place on Turf”. The $30,000 first prize check, among the largest on the tour, also contributed to the happy feelings at The Magic Kingdom.
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Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
Lee Trevino won six events including the Open Championship and the Canadian Open. Jack Nicklaus won five events and Arnold Palmer won four events, including the National Team Championship event in which he and Nicklaus were partners.
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