Nicklaus makes rare appearance, plays a benefit

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Jack Nicklaus shifted his hips and cocked his head slightly, then swung and watched his opening drive sail perfectly down the first fairway.

"I'm done," he said.

He wasn't serious. But someday — perhaps soon — Nicklaus will hit his last shot before the eyes of still-adoring galleries. That's why hundreds of people showed up Monday morning for an event benefiting a South Florida hospital.

They called it the Delray Dunes-Bethedsa Hospital Pro-Am, the 40th and final time the event will be played. The field was a who's-who of golf: Among the pros taking part were Tom Watson, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Mark O'Meara and Raymond Floyd.

And Nicklaus, whose playing schedule typically includes only father-son tournaments and Skins games, was the top draw of all.

"I think it's fantastic," Trevino said. "I mean, when's the last time you saw Jack Nicklaus play? And you may never see him again, you understand? It's special."

Tournament host Bob Murphy — the Champions Tour player and television commentator — has used the event to raise millions for charity in Palm Beach County. Trevino has given so much money from his appearances back to the hospital that a room there now bears his name, and some pros even call Murphy to see if they're needed to play alongside 24-handicappers.

Some of those hackers, not surprisingly, started shanking everything when Nicklaus lined up with them on the driving range.

"To get a field assembled like this, well, I don't think you will ever see a Pro-Am like this put together ever again," Murphy said.

When Nicklaus took his first swings of the day to warm up, fans were lined up eight-deep behind him on the range. Never mind that at that very moment, Watson was on the first tee, Trevino was playing the fourth hole and O'Meara was on the putting green — people were there to see the 18-time major winner, still considered by many the greatest to ever play golf.

The 69-year-old Nicklaus found the waves of adoration a bit puzzling.

"I don't know what they're going to see," Nicklaus said before teeing off. "They're just going to see an old man walk around a golf course and shoot 75, or more."

Nicklaus decided years ago that when he couldn't play the game at the level he wants, he'd stop playing.

That time has essentially come.