By Bill Kwon
What a week it was in golf. The past, present and future of golf all converging to create an indelible image on television for those who love the game.
Jack Nicklaus, the past, taking an emotional and teary-eyed final walk over Swilcan Bridge at the 18th fairway at St. Andrews in his farewell to the British Open. He went out in style, birdieing his final hole.
Tiger Woods, the present, walking without pause over golf's most celebrated and photographed bridge en route to his second British Open championship — both at the Old Course — 48 hours later.
Michelle Wie, the future, making a run at history as the first female to qualify for the U.S. Men's Amateur Public Links Championship before losing in the quarterfinals the same day Nicklaus played his final round in a major championship.
We will hear a lot more from Woods and Wie before they're done.
Tiger, after all, is only 29, giving him plenty of time to break Nicklaus' record of 18 major championship victories. Woods won his 10th major to join Nicklaus as the only players to win each of the four grand-slam events twice.
Woods, though, will be hard-pressed to match the other remarkable achievement by Nicklaus in a major championship — 19 runner-up finishes.
Michelle doesn't need any literal bridge to know that she is golf's next cross-over super star. Wie has been playing golf at such a high level for the past three years that people seem to forget that she's still only 15 years old.
With three LPGA Tour events — the Evian Masters this week, the Weetabix Women's British Open next week and the Samsung World Championship in October — remaining on her 2005 schedule, she might not win this year.
But in 2006, when she's 16, don't bet against her not winning despite a limited number of opportunities. Considering Wie won't be 18 until Oct. 11, 2007, she has more than two years to still become the youngest player to win an LPGA event.
That distinction belongs to Marlene Hagge, who won the 1952 Sarasota Classic two weeks after her 18th birthday. Paula Creamer is the second youngest after posting her first LPGA victory in the Sybase Classic in May at the age of 18 years, nine months and 17 days.
Enough for now about the present and future.
This is all about the past, the "Golden Bear," the most golden of oldies in golf.
It seems only appropriate that Nicklaus, the past legend, finally passed the torch to Woods, the present legend, at St. Andrews. The Old Course, after all, is the home of golf. So where else to end playing serious golf but at the place where golf began?
"He's the greatest champion that ever lived," Woods said in paying his respects to Nicklaus. "He's the benchmark for every player that has ever played the game, at least in my generation."
Hawai'i fans have had more than their share of watching Nicklaus over the years.
His first local sighting came at the 1964 Canada Cup at the Royal Ka'anapali Golf Course on Maui where he and Arnold Palmer led the American team to victory. The two, along with Gary Player, also took part in a "The Big Three" golf event at Mauna Kea that year.
One of his 73 PGA Tour victories was the 1974 Hawaiian Open. Nicklaus shot a final-round 70 that tied the then-tournament record of 17-under-par 271 set by the late Ted Makalena.
Nicklaus said he was well aware of the record held by Makalena, who became the first golfer from Hawai'i to win a PGA tour event with his victory in the 1966 Hawaiian Open.
Admitting he likes breaking course records, Nicklaus said, "Deep down I was glad I didn't because he was a good friend."
Nicklaus made his seventh and final appearance at the Waialae Country Club in 1986, finishing tied for 39th with Greg Norman. But who would have thought that two months later, Nicklaus, at age 46, would become the oldest winner of the Masters, winning his sixth green jacket and 18th major championship.
Interestingly, his 1986 Masters victory resulted in his largest paycheck ($144,000) on the regular tour. He has pocketed $150,000 three times on the Champions Tour, but his all-time career-high is $340,000 when he won 11 straight skins in the Wendy's Champions Skins Game at the Wailea Golf Club's Gold Course on Maui in February.
Nicklaus, who also won the 1991 senior skins game at Mauna Lani, took on Norman in the "The Shark vs. The Bear" shootout at the latter's Experience at Ko'ele golf course on Lana'i that year.
Nicklaus, who had earlier redesigned the Kaua'i Lagoons' Kiele and Mokihana courses, returned to Lana'i to design the Challenge at Manele course, which opened in 1992. Since then he added two more courses on the Big Island — Hualalai, site of the Champions Tour's MasterCard Championship, and the Club at Hokuli'a.
