Golf is hard enough without having a famous father who set a standard hard to match even by the very best. Tiger Woods is certain to watch that unfold over the next several years.
Jack Nicklaus already has seen it.
A few hours before Scottie Scheffler set out to win the Memorial for the second straight year, Nicklaus was asked about another big win that week. Charlie Woods, the 16-year-old son of the biggest name in golf, won his first American Junior Golf Association title.
It’s a wonder which win — Scheffler or Woods — got more attention on social media.
“I think it’s tough on kids,” Nicklaus said, speaking from experience.
His oldest son, Jackie, won the prestigious North & South Amateur at Pinehurst and played his college golf at North Carolina. That was nothing compared with his third-oldest son. Long before Gary Nicklaus became the only one of the four golden cubs to earn a PGA Tour card, he made the cover of Sports Illustrated. He was 16.
“The Next Nicklaus,” said the headline. The father remembers it clearly.
“It ran him out of golf,” Nicklaus said.
Some context is required. Gary Nicklaus played four years at Ohio State (one title), earned a European tour card and got through Q-school in 1999 to earn a PGA Tour card. But Nicklaus felt the publicity was too much for his son at that age.
