No one would have faulted Jack Nicklaus for betting on himself quite often in his career. With 73 PGA Tour wins to his name, including 18 major titles, Nicklaus would have collected about a quarter of the time.
But Nicklaus on ever put a little coin on himself once: the 1960 U.S. Open. The Golden Bear revealed his one-time wager to ESPN reporter Darren Rovell during a live interview at Nicklaus' alma mater Ohio State University.
Curiously, Nicklaus was still an amateur for that epic Open at Cherry Hills featuring a showdown between the future great, standard-bearer Arnold Palmer and fading legend Ben Hogan. Nicklaus finished second to Palmer near Denver.
So how much would Nicklaus have been paid if he had won? $700, or about $5,500 today.
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