The best golfer from every U.S. state

Ohio: Jack Nicklaus

This one didn’t take much thought.

The Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus, is about as Ohio as they come. Born in Columbus in 1940, he took up the game of golf before he was even a teenager, though he was a terrific all-around athlete that excelled in numerous sports. He then attended Ohio State University for his collegiate career. Of course, that’s just talking about his ties to the state of Ohio. When it comes to what he accomplished as a golfer, the list goes on, and on, and on…

Nicklaus turned pro in 1961 and fully joined the PGA Tour in 1962. Shockingly enough when considering one of the greatest that the game has ever seen, it didn’t take long for him to establish himself. After only 17 starts on the PGA Tour, Nicklaus captured his first victory and first major championship at the 1962 U.S. Open, topping another great in Arnold Palmer in a playoff for the win. That would be the first of four U.S. Open wins for Nicklaus. Of course, it would also be the first of 18 major championship wins as well.

His 18 victories in majors is the record that everyone — especially Tiger Woods — is still chasing to this day. With the aforementioned four U.S. Open titles, Nicklaus also won The Open Championship three times, the PGA Championship five times and The Masters on six occasions. His final major win came at The Masters when, at 46 years old, he became the oldest winner at Augusta ever.

Nicklaus’ 73 wins on the PGA Tour rank third all time, but he has to rank No. 1 in the books of many. For longevity and level of play, few can even come close to Jack Nicklaus.