Capelle On Golf

In honor of the 101st edition of the Canadian Open, I present the record of Jack Nicklaus in this 107 year old championship (6 years it was not held since 1904), the best player to have never won it!

Seven times over a span of 21 years from 1965-1985 Nicklaus finished second in this event, but never first. And it wasn’t because he didn’t want to add this title to his resume - three of those seconds came in his post prime years (41+) when he had trimmed several events from his schedule.

It is also hard to say that he threw away several chances (though that’s possible), at least not when you look at his closing rounds when he averaged 68.42 strokes.

No, the real reason for this frustrating run of runner-up finishes in the Canadian Open was probably bad luck and some incredibly tough competition. Four times he finished second to players who became members of the Hall of Fame (HOF). Two of the other three winners each won a major and are borderline candidates for the HOF including Tom Weiskopf and Jerry Pate. Peter Oosterhuis (who was a commentator at the British Open), the other Nicklaus beater, scored two seconds and a third in the majors in the Nicklaus Era.

The table of Nicklaus’ conquerors reveals that there is not a weak name in the lot. Indeed, it was this level of competition (and even tougher from Palmer, Trevino, and Watson) that kept his major’s record from ascending into the 20s.

Nicklaus’ 7 Seconds in the Canadian Open
1965–2–Gene Littler (HOF)–1 back
1968–2–Bob Charles (HOF)–2 back
1975–2–Tom Weiskopf–Playoff–British Open winner
1976–2–Jerry Pate - 4 back–U.S. Open and PLAYERS winner
1981–2t –Peter Oosterhuis–1 back–two seconds and a third in the majors
1984–2–Greg Norman (HOF)–2 back
1985–2t–Curtis Strange (HOF)–2 back

Vital Stats
4 of 7 winners are now in the HOF
6 of 7 winners won one or two majors
1.71 shots  - average margin of defeat
6 of 7 seconds were by 2 shots or less
3 of the seconds were in his post prime (1981 on)
5 of 7 were solo seconds
68.42 - Nicklaus average final round
67.71 - Winner’s average final round
67 - 67 - 68 - 65 - 71 - 69 - 72  Nicklaus’ final rounds
66 - 66 - 67 - 63 - 70 - 69 - 73  Winner’s final rounds