The name of Bobby Jones was rammed down the throat of Jack Nicklaus from the moment the Golden Bear made a stunning impact on the golfing world by winning the US Open as a rookie professional nearly half a century ago.
Those who saw Nicklaus go to the home territory of then king of the game, Arnold Palmer, and silence the galleries known as "Arnie's Army" by triumphing in an 18-hole play-off at Oakmont, Pennsylvania, sensed a glittering career was about to unfold. Few could have envisaged the extent of that glitter.
Match and then surpass Jones - the illustrious amateur of the 1920s who amassed what was considered to be an unbeatable total of 13 major tournament victories before retiring at the tender age of 28 - was the message sent to the emerging Nicklaus.
Thirty-four years ago that mission was splendidly accomplished when the American ambassador roared to a record-equalling four-stroke victory in the US PGA championship at the Canterbury course in Cleveland Ohio.
In the Jones era the four main events on the fixture list were the British and US Opens and the British and US Amateur championships. Jones won all four in the same all-conquering year of 1930 to be acclaimed as the finest player his sport had produced.
Nicklaus, who never managed the modern day "calendar slam" of US Masters, US Open, British Open and PGA, completed a "career slam" on three occasions on the way to sporting immortality and took that "best of all time" honour from Jones with the third of his five PGA triumphs.
It was worth a modest US$45,000 (Dh165,599) to the man who went on to earn more than $33million on the golf course, but it was probably the defining moment of his professional life.
Adding four more major titles to set a record of 18 that only current world No 1 Tiger Woods looks capable of matching in the foreseeable future, put more gloss on Nicklaus's career but overtaking Jones was the objective that spurred him on more than most.
"All I did was hear Jones, all I did was hear major championships and from the time I was an amateur that's what I prepared for," Nicklaus once said in interview.
Jones who was still alive when Nicklaus set out on his quest to catch him, made a pertinent observation after watching how Nicklaus dealt with outrageous "Fatso" taunts from "Arnie's Army" before capturing that maiden major.
"Nicklaus played a game with which I am not familiar," said Jones, a lawyer by profession. Jones seemed to be resigned from that day his record would be broken.
Nicklaus, who had drawn level with Jones on 13 titles by winning the previous year's US Open, confessed to getting frustrated by his failure to go one better in the ensuing six majors.
"I've been bugged in majors this last year or so," he said after expressing his delight to remove the enormous millstone from his shoulders. "Every time I've fouled up a round when I had a chance to win. This time I played solid golf - nothing sensational, just solid."
Bruce Crampton, who finished runner-up to Nicklaus, was full of admiration for a fantastic champion, despite his own despair. "This borders on the unbelievable," said Crampton. "Playing alongside Jack was wonderful. It was an honour to be an eye witness to history. It's incredible for a man to accomplish so much and be so young [35]."
After holding aloft the trophy, Nicklaus was asked to compare himself with Jones but refused to go there. "You can't draw any comparisons until I retire and I'm not about to retire," he warned. "I plan to play a lot more golf."
Indeed he did and his incredible span as a major tournament winner was extended to 26 years when he donned the iconic green jacket for the sixth time at Augusta National in 1986. Even Tiger will be hard pushed to match that amazing staying power.
wjohnson@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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The Baghdad Clock
Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
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Company%C2%A0profile
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
(Coffee House Press)