Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus believes that Tiger Woods’ situation might have been better if he had been married. He made the argument that success on the greens depends on choosing the correct partner.
The 64-year-old sports legend, who has been married to Barbara for 64 years, credits her with a large portion of his record-breaking career. After meeting her in college, Nicklaus went on to score 18 major victories, and he is adamant that the number of victories would not have been possible without her.
This week, prior of the 2024 Memorial Tournament, Nicklaus gave his yearly news conference and discussed his marriage. That, he said, “set the tone for my career.” “Not everyone finds the ideal mate.
And that was incredibly important—I had someone who supported, loved, and looked out for me. That’s why it was significant to me. Nothing, as far as I can tell, was more significant to me than that.
“I give her a lot of credit for what I’ve won because, you know, a golfer goes out on Tour and if you’re not married, if you got your family, you get support, your caddie or whoever, whoever it might be, that’s very important to you.”
When he married Elin Nordegren in 2004, Woods was at the top of his game. With 15 major victories, he is only surpassed by Nicklaus. But according to the Mirror, his personal problems and the divorce that followed in 2010 signaled a downturn in his profession.
Nicklaus reflected on Woods’ path and expressed his insights from the time about how important a solid personal life is for professional players.
“I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I remember when Tiger was single and then he got married, and they asked me, ‘Well, how do you think that will effect Tiger’s career?'” he continued. “Well, I think it will only be a plus,” I replied.
“I predict that he will become weary of telling Butch Harmon, ‘Hey, Butch, I won another one,’ every time he gets home. He may share it with someone. You wish to enjoy the results of your labor and share your career with others.”
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