Fitting finale as Bear hugs the limelight

TEARS surely stung his eyes but Jack Nicklaus wouldn’t let them come.

Instead, it was his playing partner and old adversary Tom Watson and the thousands who thronged the towering grandstands and pathways surrounding the 18th hole who broke down as the Golden Bear finally bade farewell to the Open Championship.

The fact that Tiger Woods was turning the tournament into a procession was hardly noticed as Nicklaus took centre stage, managing to play the kind of golf shots that put one in mind of his hey-day.

Inevitably, Jack milked the occasion, predictably stopping and turning as he crossed the Swilcan Bridge that leads to the 18th fairway. He waited there for a few seconds to absorb the adoration before calling his son and caddie Stevie to come forward and join him along with playing partners Tom Watson and Luke Donald.

And when Nicklaus rolled in a 15-footer for birdie with his last ever shot of a championship he had graced since 1962 and captured on three occasions twice at the Home of Golf there was no controlling his adoring fans.

He walked off the green arm-in-arm with Watson who failed to control his emotions to such an extent that he actually enveloped the great man in, well, a bear hug. It was sheer theatre and an occasion that left an indelible golfing memory.

The tributes from his peers poured in.

Said Nick Faldo: "Jack was my inspiration. I watched him on TV in 1971 and asked my parents if I could try golf and here I am now."

Added Watson: "You saw the greatest player who has ever played the game come up the 18th hole at the Old Course, his favourite course in golf. The game is better because of Jack Nicklaus, he has always been the consummate professional."

Phil Mickelson reckoned: "Jack's given a lot to the game of golf. The team effect of the rivalry between Jack and Arnold propelled golf. It made for great theatre."

Revealed Fred Couples: "You can ask him anything and he'll give you an answer. For me, it's how courteous he was."

John Daly told how he started golf at four when Nicklaus' Golf Digest cartoons were all the rage: "That how I learned to play, the grip, the cut and the draw. If it wasn't for Arnold and Jack and those guys, I wouldn't have played golf."

And then it was time for Jack to make his way to the interview tent. He always regarded this part of the day as a labour of love and certainly so on this occasion.

The so-called hard-bitten hacks raced for position, fawned on his every word and burst into applause on a few occasions. Through 25 minutes, Nicklaus remained composed and spoke in glowing terms of the Open Championship crowds.

"As I was coming down the last few holes, I'm thinking I don't want to go through this again and maybe it's just as well I miss the cut", he said.

"I think these people have been wonderful. They've given of themselves and gave me a lot more than I deserved. I'm delighted I was able to play with Tom. He's probably more of an old sentimental fool than I am. He came up 18 with more tears in his eyes than I did and I told him, you have to make a birdie and I would gladly have given him mine.

"But I shot 72 and it's the best round I shot this year. I played well and I'm missing the cut by three and then you know it's time to leave.

"1978 was the best occasion I've ever had in golf. It was here '78, '72 at Muirfield and '80 at Baltusrol where the people went absolutely bonkers. I was caught up in what was going on. And today was equally nice. The only difference was that I was then trying to figure out how to make a par and a birdie to win a golf tournament. Today, I wasn't too worried about making birdie on the last.

"I pretty much got my emotions over by the time I reached the Swilcan Bridge. I didn't want to interfere with Luke or Tom. But I said as I walked off the tee, 'I want a picture with you two guys' and I also wanted to get Steve in a couple of pictures. I hope my wife dressed me better today than she did in 1960 so the pictures will be better. My career has gone too fast but I don't want to do it again. I kind of enjoyed what I did."