Nicklaus To Beat In Masters Play-off

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31032, 12 April 1966, Page 17

Nicklaus To Beat In Masters Play-off

• X.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) AUGUSTA (Georgia). Jack Nicklaus was the man to beat as he faced Gay Brewer and Tommy Jacobs in an 18-hole play-off lor a 20.000 dollars first prize cheque and the honour of winning the Masters golf championship.

I he American trio went right down to the 18th hole in Sunday’s fourth round, each missing chances to grasp the title in the regulation 72 holes.

In the end they tied at 288—even par for the tournament and the second poorest score in the 32-year history of the Masters. Two strokes behind them in fourth place were Arnold Palmer, who made one bold rush before falling back, and Doug Sanders, whose 71 just missed making up for a weak 75 in the second round. Nicklaus, the defending champion, is now trying to become the first man to win two successive Masters. He was one of three pre-tourna-ment favourites, and was easily top choice in the playoff against the two outsiders. While Nieklaus’s play was a far cry from the pace he set last year, outclassing the field to win with a record 271 total, his extraordinary distance off the tees gave him a decided advantage over

[Brewer and Jacobs on the I spacious 6980-yard course. The saddest man was : Brewer who had victory slip off the edge of the cup on a i seemingly easy five-foot putt. Brewer three-putted the final i hole for his only bogey of the round. Until he missed the putt Brewer appeared to have his first major tournament victory firmly in grasp. Brewer said he was playing it safe when he left his first putt on that fatal final green shot. “All I needed was a routine two-putter to hold my lead,” he said. “But I read the break of the green wrong.” Jacobs tied with Nicklaus for the lead at the start of the day, had his trouble at the turn, going one over par on the eighth and the tenth. But the Californian rallied with birdies on the 13th and 15th for his otherwise steady

For Nicklaus. rated by some as the world’s foremost golfer, it was an unusual day. At one point three shots off the lead, he came back with strong birdies on the 14th and 15th, but then missed an apparently simple fourfoot birdie putt on the 17 th that would have put him into the lead. On the 18th, he sent a 30-foot putt right for the hole but it fell away an inch to the left at the last second and the Masters was sent into a play-off. Jacob, speaking for Nicklaus as well as himself, said: “I want to thank Gay for bogeying the 18th hole.” Australia’s two representatives—Bruce Crampton with 297 and Bruce Devlin with 299 —were well back in the field. Leading final scores were (Americans unless otherwise stated): 288 —Jack NtCklaus, 6S, 76, 72, 72: Tommy Jacobs, 75, 71, 70, 72: Gay Brewer, 74, 72, 72, 70. (Play off today.) 290 —Arnold 'Palmer, 74, 70, 74, 72; Doug Sanders, 74, 70, 75, 71. 292 George Knudson (Canada). 73. 76, 72. 71; Don January, 71. 73, 73. 75. 293 — Paul Harney, 75. 6S, 76. 74; Ray Floyd, 72, 73, 74, 74. 294 Jay Hebert. 72. 74. 73, 75: Br’dy Casper, 71, 75, 76, 72: Bob Rosburg, 73. 71, 76, 74. 294—Ben Hogan, 74, 71. 73, 77: Peter Butler (Britain), 72, 71, 79. 73; Tommy Aaron. 74, 73, 77, 71. 296 Ken Venturi, 75, 74, 73, 74. 297 Tommy Bo4t, 75, 72, 78, 72; Ph’jl Rodgers. 76. 73, 75, 73; Bobby N'icho's, 77, 73, 74, 73; Doug Ford, 75, 73, 73, 76; Terry Dill, 75, 72, 74, 76; Bruce Crampton (Australia), 74, 75, 71, 77.

298—Chen Ching-Po 'Taiwan). 75, 77, 76, 70; Frank Beard, 77. 71, 71, 73: Tony Lerna, 74. 74. 74. 76; Roberto de Vincenzo (Argentina). 74, 76, 74, 74; Harold Henn ng (South Africa), 77, 74. 70. 77.