Nicklaus Drinks It All In on His Day

In 1959, still an amateur, Jack Nicklaus played in his first Masters--he won the first of his six titles in 1963--making this event his 40th consecutive at Augusta National.

The Masters folks honored Nicklaus by dedicating a plaque Tuesday--”Jack Nicklaus Day”--and putting it on a drinking fountain between the 16th and 17th holes.

The plaque read in part: “Jack Nicklaus elevated his game to meet golf’s challenges, including those at the Masters Tournament. The man and Augusta National Golf Club will be forever linked.”

Nicklaus choked back tears at the dedication ceremony.

“A lot of things have happened to me in 40 years,” Nicklaus said. “This place means a lot to me.”

Tiger Woods said he has trouble relating to Nicklaus’ longevity.

“I can’t even fathom, I guess, being that old,” he said. “I mean, it’s not a bad thing. It’s just so far away. He’s played here, what, 40 years now? I mean, that’s almost twice my life. That’s a long time.”

Nicklaus, 58, was the youngest Masters champion at 23 when he won for the first time, although Woods became the youngest at 21 last year. Nicklaus also was the oldest Masters champion when he won in 1986 at 46.

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Best shot: Fuzzy Zoeller aced the 180-yard sixth hole in his practice round Tuesday.

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Best brush-off: Hurrying past reporters afterward, Zoeller had no comment. He had told reporters last month at the Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando, Fla., that he was tired of talking about the controversy he started after last year’s Masters when he advised Woods not to order fried chicken or collard greens for the champions’ dinner.

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FYI: Justin Leonard’s 254.5-yard average driving distance at last year’s Masters was the sixth-poorest in the field. Woods’ average driving distance was 323.13 yards.

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Repeaters: For what it’s worth, only Nicklaus, in 1965 and ‘66, and Nick Faldo, in 1989 and ‘90, have won the Masters back to back.

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Going Boeing: There are nearly as many private jets as spectators around here, which is a lot like last year, when many had to be turned away at Augusta’s Bush Field.

Prison inmates helped airport workers install a special parking pad that will increase the capacity to more than 150 aircraft.

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Just a trim, please: The Augusta National fairways are mowed to a height of three-eighths of an inch, the tees at a quarter of an inch and the greens at an eighth of an inch.

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Colin Montgomerie is using a new caddie this week because his regular, Alistair McClain, has a back disk problem.