re: Week 31 of 52 Weekly Golf Thread; WGC Week

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For fans attending the PGA Championship, Tuesday is always a great day because it's the busiest day of preparation for the players. This year, Tuesday will be even more fun, thanks to the return of the PGA Championship Long Drive Competition.
The long drive contest was staged for several years in the 1950s and 1960s and then again in the 1970s and 1980s, and is best known for the fact that Jack Nicklaus won it both times he competed.
And if you think today's golfers are the undisputed kings of distance, check this out: The Bear won in 1963 in Dallas with a knock of 341 yards, and in 1964 in Columbus with a drive of 308 yards – in the rain! For both of those drives, Nicklaus swung a persimmon-headed driver with 11 degrees of loft and used a wound Titleist golf ball.
"I thought it was exciting. I thought it was fun to do," Nicklaus said. "You would go out, warm up, you played your last practice round. It was a great gallery favorite. The people came out and they watched it. You went out and saw big, long drives, things you probably wouldn't do in the tournament. I think it created some excitement."
For winning the 1963 competition, Nicklaus received a special money clip – which he has kept in his pocket for the last half-century as a constant reminder of a unique achievement.

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