Every record starts with one. For Jack Nicklaus, major No. 1 occurred 50 years ago with his victory in the 1962 U.S. Open. His 18-hole playoff win over Arnold Palmer launched one of sports’ greatest rivalries.
NBC will revisit that Open with a new documentary, 1962 U.S. Open: Jack’s First Major (Sunday, 2 p.m. ET). The USGA film was produced in collaboration with the USGA Museum and Ross Greenburg Productions. If Greenburg was involved, you know it has to be good.
Here’s the trailer:
In the USGA release, Nicklaus talked of the documentary and winning the first of his 18 majors.
“I have never been one to reflect on past achievements, but this production allowed me the opportunity to look back on and relive a very significant part of my life and career,” Nicklaus said. “To the credit of the USGA Museum and Ross Greenburg Production, their combined research was evident in the interview process. They covered aspects of that U.S. Open that I haven’t thought of in close to 50 years. For example, they unearthed letters exchanged after that U.S. Open between my father and my childhood idol Bob Jones.”
“At that time in 1962, I was a 22-year-old kid with blinders on, focusing on the task at hand which was winning my first professional tournament and our national championship,” added Nicklaus. “Fifty years later, it was nice to take the blinders off and think about all the elements that made for such a meaningful week in my life.”