Jack Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940 in Columbus, Ohio), also known as "The Golden Bear", was a major force in professional golf, first on the PGA Tour from the 1960s to the mid to late 1980s, and then on the Champions Tour from the late 1980's to the 1990's, and is widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time.
Together with Arnold Palmer, he is credited with turning golf into the major spectator sport it has become. While Palmer brought golf into the television era, it was the developing Nicklaus-Palmer rivalry that drove subsequent interest.
