Barbara Nicklaus hailed as 'angel of Muirfield Village' at Memorial honoree ceremony
DUBLIN, Ohio — The First Lady of Golf got an earful from the Golden Bear, and the musical serenade brought the house down at the Barbara Nicklaus honoree ceremony at Muirfield Village.
After several members of the Memorial Tournament Captains Club, including Jack Nicklaus II, spoke glowingly of Barbara, and before the honoree addressed the adoring crowd, a video was shown of Jack Nicklaus singing the Johnny Mathis song 'I married an angel.'
'You didn't know I was a singer, did you?' Nicklaus joked as the crowd of about 1,000 in stands behind the practice range roared.
Barbara thanked her husband – 'You're the best thing to ever happen to me' – and pointed out that Jack allowed her to be her own person.
Jack then stepped to the lectern and waxed poetic about his wife of almost 64 years, saying that 'for 65 years she's been my conscience. … She's a special lady.'
Barbara and Jack, both 85, met their freshman year at Ohio State, married in 1960 and moved to Florida in 1966. She is from Clintonville. He is from Upper Arlington.
Jack shared several stories about his wife, including how she has always been quite the prankster. One of her favorite moves was dropping rubber insects into friends' drinks. She once put rubber ants into Tom Watson's glass of ice tea.
Barbara kept her 'Phantom' identity under close wraps, but could not hide her generosity and sweet spirit.
'She never met a stranger,' Jack said, wiping away tears.
Jack II called his mother 'a reluctant honoree' who is 'most comfortable when those around her shine.'
Charlie Mecham, a longtime friend of the Nicklauses, said, 'If Jack is the heart (of the Memorial Tournament), Barbara is the soul.'
Barbara Nicklaus is known for her charitable work, most notably Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Florida.
After former Dispatch golf writer Bob Baptist was honored with the Memorial Golf Journalism Award, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan mentioned how Barbara Nicklaus has been the driving force behind the Memorial Tournament having donated $41 million back to Nationwide Children's Hospital through the years.
'You know the water cooler talk about who is the greatest of all time, well I'm in the camp that says Barbara is in the conversation,' Monahan said.
Sports columnist Rob Oller can be reached at roller@dispatch.com and on X.com at@rollerCD. Read his columns from theBuckeyes' national championship season in "Scarlet Reign," a hardcover coffee-table collector's book from The Dispatch. Details at OhioState.Champs.com
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