About Jack
Jack Nicklaus is, simply put, the greatest champion in golf history. His record of achievement and sustained excellence within the game are unmatched.
Jack was recognized as golfer of the 20th Century or Golfer of the Millennium by almost every major golf publication and media outlet in the world. He was named Individual Male Athlete of the Century by Sports Illustrated and one of the 10 Greatest Athletes of the Century by ESPN. Jack has 120 professional tournament victories worldwide, and his major championship record remains unequalled: 18 professional major championship titles (six Masters, five PGA Championships, four U.S. Opens, three Open Championships).
As a global ambassador, businessman, acclaimed course designer, and tireless philanthropist, Jack has used his success as a platform and vehicle for the greater good of others. This includes a 50-year commitment to the health and welfare of children. In 2004, he co-founded with his wife Barbara the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. The Foundation has raised over $100 million in less than 15 years, and its impact has led to the rebranding of the renowned Miami Children’s Hospital and Miami Children’s Health System to Nicklaus Children’s. The hospital has cared for children from 119 countries and all 50 states in the union, and the Nicklaus Children’s Health System includes 16 outpatient and urgent care centers.
Because of his transcendental career and life, Jack Nicklaus is the first sportsman and only the fourth person in history to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005), Congressional Gold Medal (2015), and the Lincoln Medal (2018).
A Fathers’ Support, A Father’s Legacy
Jack and his father Charlie shared a wonderfully close relationship — one that has led Jack to often say that his father was his best friend and mentor. Louis Charles Nicklaus, the son of a hardworking boilermaker, owned several pharmacies in and around the family’s hometown of Columbus, Ohio. A talented athlete who played semi-pro football, Charlie introduced his only son to a variety of sports, including golf when Jack was 10 years old, and tirelessly supported his son’s amateur and then professional career, until he passed away in February 1970. As a teenager, Jack spent a great deal of time working behind the pharmacy counter with his father. Jack went on to The Ohio State University, where he studied pre-pharmacy — and successfully sold insurance — before deciding in November 1961 at the age of 21 to embark on a professional golf career. In 2003, it was announced that a lecture hall in Palm Beach Atlantic University’s new School of Pharmacy would be named in honor of Jack’s father.