'The Only... I've Ever Had': When His Father's Request Forced Jack Nicklaus To Take A Step He Had Never Taken Before

Despite winning a total of 18 major championships in his stellar career, Jack Nicklaus never won a bet on himself. However, it is due to his limited chances of betting, as the legendary golfer has only ever made a wager on his performance. That incident occurred in 1960, in the U.S. Amateur Championship, which Nicklaus recalled as the “only wager I’ve ever had on golf ever.”

Jack Nicklaus details his only ever wager

Back in those days, Nicklaus was a rising junior who showed a lot of promise. Ahead of the 1960 U.S. Amateur Championship, the future golf great hadn’t turned professional but was due to be wed in the following months.

“I never had a wager on the golf course,” he revealed, but that was going to change soon. He was the defending champion for the event, with confidence brimming. Nicklaus’ father walked up to him to inform him about his stakes to defend his crown. “My dad came to me and said, ‘Hey, they’ve got you at 35-to-1. You want some of that?’ And I said, ‘I’ll have $20’” Nicklaus revealed.

Did Nicklaus win his wager?

Despite his best efforts, Nicklaus wasn’t able to repay his faith. By his own admission, the golfer’s mind deviated from the sole focus on winning the tournament. “I think I was more worried about winning $700 and getting married a month later as much as I was worried about winning the U.S. Open,” he said.

“That’s the only wager I’ve ever had on golf ever.”

But Nicklaus revealed that he indeed made bets during practice rounds when the stakes were considerably lower. “Oh, we’d play for 10 or 20 bucks. Oh yeah, we’ve always done that. But not in a tournament, just practice rounds. I never had a wager with another golfer in a tournament,” he said.