The Tournament’s Odd Couple : Nicklaus and Randolph Will Remember ’85 Masters

Although he finished four strokes behind Bernhard Langer, the new champion, Jack Nicklaus came much closer than that to winning a record sixth Masters. It was just a matter of inches.

Nicklaus shot a three-under par 69 Sunday at Augusta National Golf Course to finish at 286, but at least half a dozen birdie attempts missed by the smallest of margins. In his final round, Nicklaus hit every green in regulation or under (he reached each of the two par-5s on the back nine, 13 and 15, in two shots).

Many of the 50,000 fans followed Nicklaus and cheered him on. They were hoping that Nicklaus, at 45, would become the oldest ever to win the tournament. He didn’t because the putts just wouldn’t drop.

“I had a very good opportunity to win this golf tournament, up until I missed a short birdie putt on the 15th.,” said Nicklaus, who last won the Masters 10 years ago.

“My first three rounds were as bad a ball-striking Masters as I’ve ever had. My putter was keeping me in it. Each day I went to the practice range after the round, and I felt after leaving the range I had the problems solved. I didn’t feel that way yesterday.

“I wasn’t comfortable when I left the range. I thought I was going into the final round, trailing by five shots and my problems unsolved.

“Lanny Wadkins came to the rescue. He came over as I was leaving and told me he thought my hands were too high in the swing. Sure enough, I adjusted and hit nothing but good shots today.”

It wasn’t really a case of his putter going sour, either. He stroked just about every putt well. There were at least six of his birdie putts he seemed sure he had made, only to have them break right or left at the very last instant. Although he made three birdies, they were from three feet, five feet and six feet.

Nicklaus’ putting troubles began on the first hole. He had a 17-footer that broke left at the lip of the hole. After his birdie on No. 2, he had a 12-footer on three. The crowd let out a roar when it seemed certain to go in.

But this one caught the lip and rolled out. Nicklaus grabbed his head in despair and his followers groaned.

It was the beginning of a frustrating pattern. On the front nine, he also missed birdie tries of 6-feet, 8-feet and 15-feet. He made the turn in 34 and finally made another birdie on 13, when he reached the Par 5 in two and was down in two from 40 feet. At this time, he was two under, while Curtis Strange, the leader, was five under. The fans sensed a winning rally in the making.

It was just not to be. On 14, Nicklaus had a 13-foot birdie try and left it two inches short. Then, on 15, his second shot was near the back of the green.

He left his approach putt five feet short and when the birdie try rimmed out, the rally was over. He ended by missing a 10-footer on 18.

When Gary Player won in 1978, he became the oldest winner at 42. Nicklaus does not consider his problems have anything to do with age.

“I feel that age becomes a factor when you’re out of condition, when you let complacency and memory become a way of life,” he said. “I’ve never taken golf for granted. As long as I’m willing to work my tail off, there’s no reason why I can’t stay competitive.”

Nicklaus did manage to add to several of the many Masters records he holds. His 286 total gave him 19 Masters in which he has been under 290. The 69 was the 30th time he has shot under 70. His two rounds under par increased his lifetime total in the tournament to 52 sub-par rounds.

For the second consecutive round, Nicklaus was paired with Sam W. Randolph, the 20-year-old USC junior, who is likely to remember his first Masters for a long, long time.

Although he had double bogeys on the first hole and the last hole Sunday, Randolph concluded a dream week with a 73 and a 72-hole total of 290. He won the trophy that goes to the best finisher among the amateurs and, by finishing in a tie for 18th place, earned an invitation to play again next year.

He also received some advice from Nicklaus. “I told him to go back to school, to get his degree, then get his Masters degree and his Ph.D.,” Nicklaus said. “By that time he can join the tour, because I’ll be all through. Seriously, he is a fine young golfer. He hits a long ball.”

Although he finished on a sour note with the double bogey, Randolph said he couldn’t have written a better script himself.

“My first goal was to make the cut and I start out with a 70,” he said.

“Then, I’m paired with Watson for the second round and Nicklaus the last two. Will I have something to tell them at USC?”

Randolph, who trailed Jerry Haas, younger brother of Jay Haas, the fifth-place finisher, after his double bogey on No. 1, finished three strokes ahead of Haas. John Inman, another brother of a tour player, also shot a first-round 70. He thought he had a chance to win, but finished at 303, beating only one player.

Randolph, who will return to earth this week by playing in a college tournament at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, came back resolutely from his near-disastrous start Sunday. He birdied seven and eight to get back to par on the front nine, then, after some near misses on the back nine, reached even par for the tournament when he hit a wedge within four feet of the pin on the 17th and sank his putt.

“But the 18th has been my downfall all week,” Randolph said. “I lost five shots on this one hole, three bogeys and the double today. There was a pine cone just in back of the ball and I was afraid of moving the ball if I grounded my club on my second shot. I pulled the shot off the green and had an impossible third shot. The ball rolled all the way down that hill off the green. I feel bad right now, but when I look back on the tournament as a whole, I will realize what a wonderful experience it was.”

Randolph, who said he was shaking so badly when he teed off for the first time in the Masters Thursday, also had butterflies when he had Watson as a partner Friday and Nicklaus for the first time Saturday.

“Just being in the same tournament with them was something, but imagine, being paired with them,” he said.

“Today, I started out the calmest I’ve been. But, I hit my drive on one way left into the rough on the other side of No. 9. I hit my second shot over the green, chipped up short and three-putted. I had already put the pressure back on myself. Next year, I’m going to learn to play 18. I promise.”