THE MASTERS IS UNDERWAY. ARNOLD PALMER, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hit the ceremonial tee shots early this morning. Nicklaus spoke about Tiger Woods afterward.
“I never really had a conversation with Tiger that lasted more than a minute or two — ever,” Nicklaus said Thursday morning after hitting the ceremonial tee shot. “He stayed away from me from a conversation standpoint. Never had a conversation on the Masters in general. I’ve said, ‘Hello, how are you doing? Nice playing this year. You’ve played very well.’ End of conversation. People ask me, ‘Has Tiger ever talk to you about his record?’ Never one word.”
It hasn’t bothered Jack, though.
“He’s got his own focus and what he does, and I respect that,” Nicklaus added. “I respect when somebody is involved in their deal. They concentrate on what they do and not what you did. That’s OK. It’s not my position to go talk to him about it. I respect that. I wouldn’t intrude on that.”
The Golden Bear has counseled other players on Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters, including Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Nicolas Colsaerts.
Woods is currently 2 under through 14 holes. Marc Leishman is the clubhouse leader after a 6-under 66.