30-Some Years After '67 U.S. Open Win,
'White Fang' And Nicklaus Reunite

By Dave Shedloski

The Jack Nicklaus Museum on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus houses a mesmerizing array of memorabilia from the outstanding career of golf’s Golden Bear.

Among the artifacts kept in the 54,000 square-foot structure are scorecards, bags, trophies, medallions and photos, as well as many non-golf items, including Nicklaus’ school report cards, his birth certificate, baby bracelet and many handwritten notes.

Opened in May 2002, the museum also features nearly all of the clubs he used to win his 20 major championships, a record that includes four U.S. Opens and two U.S. Amateur titles.

That special collection of clubs grew by one last month when a putter that was feared to be lost found its way back to Nicklaus. It was promptly placed in his museum.

"White Fang," as the putter became known, was returned to Nicklaus in April. Given to him by a friend of former U.S. Amateur champion and ex-PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman, the Bull’s Eye putter played an integral role in Nicklaus winning the 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.

The club reappeared at a birthday party for Nicklaus’ son Steve, but it was the Golden Bear who received the most memorable gift. "I got the best present," said Jack.

After missing the cut in this year’s Masters, Nicklaus flew home to attend Steve’s 40th birthday

	Former U.S. Amateur champion Deane Beman, left, indirectly helped Jack Nicklaus capture the 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. (USGA Photo Archives)

party in North Palm Beach, Fla. Joe Wessel, a former roommate and teammate of Steve’s on the Florida State University football team, brought with him a mysterious club that had been in his garage.

He showed the club to the elder Nicklaus and asked if he recognized it. Was it worth anything? And did he want it back?

Nicklaus said he could hardly believe it when he looked at the putter. Though worn down, the putter still had white flecks of paint on it and even the same pencil that had been broken off and shoved in the putter’s handle.

"Immediately I knew it was ‘White Fang,’ " said Nicklaus, 63, who also has won two U.S. Senior Open titles. "I probably hadn’t seen it for 15 years."

Steve had let his college buddy borrow the club some years ago, not realizing its significance. As a note, Nicklaus’ kids often let friends borrow clubs that were stored in a bin at the family’s home. 

Nicklaus told the story of how he came to first acquire the putter in a retrospective he wrote on his four U.S. Open victories prior to the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, which was the last of his record 44 straight in which he competed.

"I knew putting would be critical in ’67," wrote Nicklaus, "and I went into the Open putting very poorly. In fact, I didn’t feel I was playing particularly well as a whole. I had been using a Ping putter at the time – one of some half-dozen putters I brought along with me that year. But after one of my practice rounds at Baltusrol, I was putting with long-time friend Deane Beman. I borrowed one of his Bull’s Eye putters, and immediately felt like I had found the answer to my problems.

"Deane wasn’t about to hand over one of his putters, and I don’t blame him. But a friend of his, Fred Mueller, had a Bull’s Eye putter Deane had fixed up for him, and he gladly offered to let me try it. It was a duplicate of Deane’s putter, except he had painted the blade white to reduce the glare of the sun. The putter became known as ‘White Fang,’ and it certainly put some bite back into my game."

Indeed it did.

Coming off his first missed cut in the Masters as a professional, Nicklaus defeated his longtime rival Arnold Palmer by four strokes on Baltusrol’s Lower Course. His scores of 71-67-72-65 produced a 275 total, which eclipsed Ben Hogan’s 1948 Open scoring record by one shot.

Nicklaus won four other PGA Tour titles with the putter before replacing it.

With "White Fang," displayed in the U.S. Open gallery of the Nicklaus Museum, the only club of significance missing from the Bear’s stable is the MacGregor ZT Response putter that he used to win his final major championship, the 1986 Masters. The oversized putter was believed found two years ago, but Nicklaus said it was a replica and not the genuine club.

Museum director Gerald Goodson said enlarged photographs revealed deviations between the club found and the original.

"It will turn up eventually," said Nicklaus. "It’s hiding in someone’s garage or attic. It’s the last big club I’m looking for. It’s the biggest club I ever owned. I can’t lose that."

Dave Shedloski is a free-lance writer whose work has appeared previously on www.ussenioropen.com.