Columbus native and golf legend Jack Nicklaus named honorary citizen of St. Andrews
What do Jack Nicklaus and Benjamin Franklin have in common?
Both are Americans who have been named honorary citizens of St. Andrews.
The Columbus native, Ohio State honorary graduate and golf legend is only one of three Americans to earn the honor, joining Franklin in 1759 and golfer Bobby Jones in 1958.
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Nicklaus, an 18-time major winner nicknamed "The Golden Bear," won two of his three Open Championships at St. Andrews in 1970 and 1978, and played his final competitive golf tournament at the Old Course in 2005.
“When I came here in 1964, I couldn’t believe that St Andrews was a golf course that would still test golfers of that time,” Nicklaus said at a ceremony at St. Andrews Monday. “It still tests the golfers at this time. It’s a magical golf course. ... And to believe the game of golf essentially started here, it just absolutely is mind-boggling to me that it still stands up to the golfers of today.”
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Nicklaus was honored at St. Andrews on Monday, watching Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Lee Trevino and Georgia Hall participate in the four-home Celebration of Champions to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Open Championship and the 30th held at the Old Course on the northeast coast of Fife, Scotland.
Nicklaus, who earned his honorary doctorate from Ohio State in 1972, has recorded three more major championships than any golfer in history, has competed in more tournaments than any golfer in history with 164 and has the third-most PGA Tour wins behind Sam Snead and Tiger Woods.
Nicklaus was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jack Nicklaus named honorary citizen of St. Andrews
