Franklin, Ind. – Tonight, Hall of Fame Golfer, Architect, and Philanthropist
Jack Nicklaus served as the inaugural speaker in the Wilson Delta Gamma
Lectureship in Values & Ethics at Indiana University in support of The First
Tee of Indiana.
The Wilson Delta Gamma Lectureship was created last fall by four-time PGA
Tour champion Mark Wilson and his wife, Amy, an alumna and former president of
IU’s Delta Gamma chapter. The fully endowed series brings a speaker to campus
each year, and follows 20 other Delta Gamma chapters nationwide that have
developed such lectureship series.
“Mark and I partnered with the Delta
Gamma Foundation to create a Lectureship Series for Indiana University
because we loved the idea of providing an opportunity for students,
faculty, staff, alumni and the community to be inspired by today’s leaders,”
Amy Wilson said.
Prior to the lecture, a private
dinner with Nicklaus was held at the Student Union, followed by a Question
& Answer session with Nicklaus conducted by Mark Wilson. During the Q&A Nicklaus
talked about his life on Tour, the importance of his family, and he shared tips
on how best to prepare for tournaments.
Nicklaus’ list of achievements seems endless, and his genuine and inspiring
demeanor touched all in attendance.
After the dinner concluded Inga
Hammond, a former Golf Channel reporter, conducted the lectureship portion of
the evening. Her first question was one any
golf fan was dying to ask: “What did you think about the outcome of the Ryder
Cup?”
“Well, early Sunday I did an
interview with Sky Sport, a European Broadcaster,” Nicklaus said. “I saw the list of pairings and I saw
four-and-a-half points I thought the U.S. would win. I knew if they didn’t win those matches, then
things would be close. The U.S. played
good, but ultimately the Europeans deserved to win,” he added.
Nicklaus’ father taught him how
to lose gracefully at an early age.
Hammond, like most golf fans, was curious as to how he felt about Tiger
someday breaking his record of major wins, 18.
“Since Tiger was a little boy, he
had my record posted on his closet,” said Nicklaus. “It’s definitely possible Tiger could do
it. He’s a great player. But right now, no player on Tour has won five
majors, so he would have to win more majors to get to 19 than any player on
Tour has currently won. There are a lot
of good players out there, but if he does do it, I’ll be the first person to
shake his hand.”
The focus of the lecture was on
values and ethics, and since golf is a game where the player is his own referee,
Hammond asked Nicklaus if that is what first attracted him to golf.
Nicklaus claimed that the reason
he first liked golf was because it is an individual sport and a player’s hard
work directly relates to his success.
“Golf is the only game where a player
is his own official. There is something
really rewarding about finishing a round, winning, and knowing you did
everything properly and honestly,” Nicklaus said.
Nicklaus is also known to be a
family-oriented man. He has been married
to wife Barbara for 52 years, is the father of five children, and has 21
grandchildren. When Nicklaus began
touring, he and wife Barbara made a rule that they would never go more than 14
days without seeing one another.
“That usually meant taking the
kids Friday after school to my tournaments.
One thing I wanted to make sure of was that my kids knew their
father. Family is not a game, it’s your
life,” Nicklaus said.
Nicklaus went on to share some of
his most memorable occasions including: the 2003 President’s Cup in South Africa
which resulted in a tie, due to an agreement made by Gary Player and Nicklaus;
winning The Masters in 1986 at age 46; his loss to Watson at Pebble Beach while
vying for his 5th U.S. Open title; and his countless visits to countries
around the world designing and building golf courses.
“Like my wife says, ‘There is no
excuse for not being properly prepared.’
To the students at IU, everywhere you go in the world people are people
and people are pretty nice. I’d like to
see our country back together again.
There’s no excuse for not being properly prepared at IU, I just hope the
world is prepared for you.”
This great event helped raise
thousands of dollars for The First Tee of Indiana, and we are so very
grateful. Thanks to all who helped make
this such a special night.