Golf Books #169 (The Secret of Golf: The Story of Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus)

From Joe Posnanski, author of the #1 New York Times best-seller Paterno, The Secret of Golf is the story of the friendship, rivalry, and enduring relationship between golf legends Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, combined winners of twenty-six major championships, whose sparring matches defined the sport for more than a decade.

The first time they met, at an exhibition match in 1967, Tom Watson was a seventeen-year-old high school student and Jack Nicklaus, at twenty-seven, was already the greatest golfer in the world. Though they shared some similarities—they were both Midwestern boys who had learned to play at their fathers’ country clubs—they differed in most ways. Nicklaus was known for his skill and confidence; Watson’s game was wild and seemingly uncontrollable.

While Nicklaus lacked the charm and theatrics of crowd favourites like Arnold Palmer, Watson already possessed the zeal and energy that endeared him to fans. Tom revered Jack; Jack barely knew who was Tom was. Yet their seemingly divergent paths collided over the next twenty years, when they battled against each other again and again for championships, a place at the top of the sport, and the title of greatest living golfer.

Loosely focused on the period from the “Duel in the Sun” at Turnberry in 1977 to Watson’s near-miraculous victory at Turnberry as he approached sixty, and informed by extensive interviews with both players over many years, The Secret of Golf is #1 New York Times best-selling author Joe Posnanski’s intimate account of the most remarkable rivalry and (eventual) friendship in modern golf.

Publication date: June 9, 2015 (source)

About the Author:

Joe Posnanski is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Paterno. He is a national columnist for NBC Sports and was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated from 2009 to 2012. In 2012, he was named National Sportswriter of the Year by the Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame. Before joining SI, he was a columnist for the Kansas City Star for fifteen years, and was twice named the best sports columnist in America by the Associated Press Sports Editors. He is the author of four books and has been anthologized widely. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his family.