Tom Watson essay on Jack Nicklaus the competitor

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In honor of Jack Nicklaus' 70th birthday, PGATOUR.COM recently asked some of the people close to the Golden Bear for their thoughts on various aspects of Nicklaus' extraordinary life. In this essay, Tom Watson -- who so famously beat Jack in the Duel in the Sun at Turnberry, one of the legendary battles the two Hall of Famers produced -- discusses Nicklaus the golfer.
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Tom Watson

Jack is my friend and competitor. I have learned a great deal from him in terms of both golf and life. Better than anyone else I've ever seen in golf, Jack had the amazing ability to hit the proper shot, at the proper time, under the proper conditions.

In our advancing years what strikes me most about Jack is how he has remained full of youth in everything he does. Most of the credit of course goes to his family and how they all keep him young, especially the rock, his wife Barbara.

Together they live a full life of kids and more kids, more than a regulation football game when all are counted. When all is said and done about Jack, his most lasting legacy will not be his 20 major championships, but the wonderful memories of being a loving father, grandfather, and husband.

That is the best legacy one can ever have.