Nicklaus Assesses Senior Tour: Oldies Not Necessarily Goodies

Jack Nicklaus says boredom will be the most dangerous hazard he will face when he joins the Senior PGA Tour.

“The problem for me is that the guys who are competing are the same guys that I have beaten for 30 years,” Nicklaus is quoted as saying in the January issue of Golf Digest. “Now, most of the guys who are playing well, with a few exceptions, are the guys who were marginal players when they played on the (regular PGA) tour.

“Because they were marginal players, they now have the desire to keep playing. The guys who are dominating, I suppose, are Bob Charles and Orville Moody. They were good players, but marginal. They weren’t exceptional.

“Senior golf doesn’t give me any goal. I think the Senior Tour has been great for the game. It is terrific for the guys, giving them an opportunity to play. I should compete some because of that.

“But to be honest, playing pro-ams on short courses with no rough doesn’t motivate me. If the courses were more challenging, I might take a different attitude. Right now, I just see it as a way to have some fun.”

Nicklaus, who has won 20 major championships, plans on playing in about 12 events in 1990, including the majors, some on both tours and perhaps an event overseas. He said he does not have any goals, which is a problem.

“The only reason that I am playing golf is sort of stupid, I suppose. I like to play and I think I need to play only because I like to keep myself visible to the public.”

Trivia time: On Dec. 12, 1965, the Chicago Bears’ Gale Sayers scored six touchdowns and amassed 336 yards in total offense against which team?

Dogged determination: Part of the problem of playing defense for the Pittsburgh Steelers is inevitable comparisons to the great Steel Curtain teams.

Steeler linebacker Greg Lloyd, who has had three sacks in his last two games for the so-called Pitt Bull defense, said: “I’m personally sick and tired of being compared to that. We don’t care to be compared to the teams of the ‘70s. They were great. We’re trying to make an image for ourselves.”

Opposite paths cross: Sunday’s program at Hollywood Park vividly illustrated the vagaries of horse racing. Havanaffair, scratched from the fifth race, competed in graded stakes last year--but was entered Sunday for a claiming price of only $25,000. Caltech, who was sixth in the $500,000, Grade I Hollywood Turf Cup, could have been claimed for $25,000 earlier this year.

Sights set too high: Former San Antonio Spur star George Gervin said he signed with the Continental Basketball Assn.’s Quad City Thunder last week because he wanted to “add an NBA championship to my list of accomplishments.”

Trivia answer: The San Francisco 49ers, who lost, 61-20.

Quotebook: Chicago quarterback Mike Tomczak, attempting to provide perspective on the Bears’ 6-8 season: “Every organization has down years, not just in football--corporations, too.”