This Club Puttered Around for Years

The putter Jack Nicklaus used when he set a scoring record in the 1967 U.S. Open was lost for more than 20 years until it turned up recently at, of all places, a birthday party for his son Steve.

Nicklaus borrowed the putter from a friend during a practice round at Baltusrol in 1967 and made eight birdies in the final round to finish at 275, the Open record at the time, for a four-stroke victory over Arnold Palmer.

Nicklaus won four other tournaments with the putter, called “White Fang” because the face was painted white to reduce glare from the sun.

The putter disappeared over time, and somehow fell into the possession of Joe Wessel, the former college roommate of Nicklaus’ son. Wessel brought the putter to the party in case it held some historical significance.

“It was Steve’s birthday,” Nicklaus said, “but I got the best present.”

The putter was turned over to the Jack Nicklaus Museum at Ohio State.

Trivia time: What do Bobby Rahal, Eddie Cheever and Rodger Ward have in common, other than being Indianapolis 500 winners?

All in the family: Boston Bruin star Joe Thornton was charged with assault after getting into a bar fight while celebrating his older brother’s graduation from law school.

Responded Steve Rosenbloom of the Chicago Tribune: “Tight family, those Thorntons, making sure the graduate got an immediate client base.”

Casting their lot: With the Devils and Nets playing in the NHL and NBA finals, respectively, New Jersey could wind up staging two championship celebrations.

But fans know better than to expect ticker-tape parades. Any celebrations would be held in the parking lot of the Meadowlands, the East Rutherford sports complex where Jimmy Hoffa’s remains are said to be buried in concrete.

Soccer blues: A study found that most English soccer fans suffer severe withdrawal symptoms and feel depressed when the season ends.

Three-quarters of the 2,000 fans polled said soccer was more important than anything else in their lives, as well as being their main topic of conversation. Hence the onset of “end-of-season affective disorder.”

Web of laughs: Greg Cote of the Miami Herald says Don Shula’s Web site is a real hoot:

“There is ample ‘winningest coach’ stuff, but mostly it’s an unabashed ad for his steak restaurants. Also there is an array of available Don-related merchandise, including (for a mere $89) something called Shula’s Frette Bath Robe.”

Looking back: Sunday marked the 78th anniversary of the day Lou Gehrig batted for Pee Wee Wanninger in the eighth inning and replaced Wally Pipp at first base, starting his streak of 2,130 consecutive games for the New York Yankees.

Trivia answer: All share the same birthday, Jan. 10.

And finally: From Jay Leno: “According to the National Enquirer, actress Tara Reid flies to Mexico every so often for $200 facials where they pour beer on her face ... If you can’t afford to fly to Mexico [and] you don’t have $200, just sit in the cheap seats at an Oakland Raiders game.”