The Loop
Is Jack Nicklaus the GOAT? Watch the insane putt that doesn't hurt his case
Jack Nicklaus turned 76 on Thursday, ushering in the latest wave of (deserved) well wishes and tributes. Many of these include the acronym "GOAT," which, of course, means "Greatest of All Time." (Side note: Many of these same people were sending out GOAT-related messages just last month for Tiger Woods' 40th birthday.)
And there are so many accomplishments that support the Golden Bear for this loftiest of designations. But forget about the 73 PGA Tour victories, the eight money titles, the five player of the year awards, and even those 18 major championship wins. Instead, his greatness can be summed up in one crazy putt that didn't even count.
In 2010, Nicklaus played with Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and Johnny Miller to celebrate the opening of a new Nicklaus course, The Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Benton, Mich. The 10th hole has a particularly large green and Miller complained over facing a severely uphill and slopping putt from more than 100 feet. After whining about it and contemplating chipping the ball off the brand new putting surface, Nicklaus (Possibly the GOAT) decided to prove to Miller (Definitely not the GOAT) that putting was the proper play. Then Jack did THIS:
Absurd. Ridiculous. Impossible. In other words, that's the stuff of GOAT right there.