Jack Nicklaus is 82 years of age, and has not won a major since winning the 1986 Masters at the age of 46. However, as the 2022 PGA Championship begins on Thursday, Nicklaus is making the news.
First of all, according to Mark Schlabach of ESPN on Monday, Nicklaus was initially offered $100 million by Saudi Arabia organizers to be the head of the LIV Invitational Golf Series. He declined and the organizers came to an agreement with Australian golf icon Greg Norman instead. The reason for Nicklaus’s lack of interest was because he was instrumental in forming the PGA Tour in 1968. At the time, many of the world’s best split from the PGA of America.
So far, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the LIV Invitational Golf Series. The PGA Tour is not granting a release to players who want to play in the series. The first LIV Invitational Golf Series event which is scheduled for London, England in June conflicts with the Canadian Open.
The other reason why Nicklaus is making golf headlines is because he disagrees with the PGA Tour moving the second major of the year to Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma from the Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey according to Brad Hunter of the Toronto Sun. Nicklaus, who has always been a Trump supporter, stated the move was because of the rise of “cancel culture,” and wanted to emphasize that Trump is a strong supporter of the United States and golf in general.
