Image courtesy of golfchannel.com
Three-time Open winner Jack Nicklaus on Tuesday will become only the third American to be honored as an honorary citizen of St. Andrews, Scotland.
The other Americans who received the honor were inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin in 1759 and golfer Bobby Jones in 1958.
Nicklaus, an 18-time major champion, won two of his three Open titles at the Old Course in 1970 and 1978. He made his final start in a major, his 164th one, in the 2005 Open at St. Andrews.
“When I stepped on it in ’64, all of a sudden to step out of the clubhouse, step here, look at the first tee, look at what was there, see the town, see everything, I fell in love with it immediately,” Nicklaus said during a news conference on Monday. “And I’ve had a love affair with it ever since.”
The honor was bestowed on Nicklaus, 82, by the Royal Burgh of St. Andrews Community Council. The ceremony will take place during the 150th anniversary celebration of The Open.