Player Diary: Jack Nicklaus

Two-time Senior Open champion Jack Nicklaus shot 2-under 69 in the final round of the championship to finish 9-over 293. He shared his thoughts with www.ussenioropen.com:

I‘d like to have another couple of days at it, but I’ve been playing for nine days straight and my body is ready for a day off.

It only took me 63 holes to figure out this golf course, a golf course I normally don’t play particularly well, even though 15 of the holes are just like what I played as a boy at old Scioto.

I have had enough cracks at this golf course. This is the last time I'm going to play this place. That's fine. I never played well here. I said that at the beginning of the week. I always had trouble with it.

It's not my style of golf course from the way I play golf. It's a golf course that you really have to grind it out, not hit it long, hit it very straight, chip and putt very well for four days. I might do one day or two days of that, but I have never been able to do four days of it. I always struggled here. Not that I don't like it. I like it. It's just always been very difficult for me.

Today, however, it was kind to me, especially over the last 10 holes. I was 5-under par and felt like the work I had done over the last two days was helping, but I still lost it a little at the end.

After Friday’s round I knew I needed to shallow out my swing, and I just had been stubborn about doing it. I had to play bad enough long enough to make myself do it. I just went ahead and changed it in the middle of the [championship] after Friday’s round, working on the range to get it right.

Unfortunately, every time I see results I got to go take a week off, which is what I am doing next week. I’m going to Colorado and might play golf out there over the next couple of days. One of my grandsons is out there at a golf academy, so I am sure we will play one day.

I thought my last competitive round here might be Friday the way I was playing. I said I started out missing the cut and ended up missing the cut 46 years later.

This week has been great. They have always done a great job here at Inverness. The people have always been great; they have been very enthusiastic. They have a wonderful golf course. It's tough, but it's a great golf course. They’ve got a great history and they love it.