The Secret of Golf: The Story of Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus

(Paperback)

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From one of the best sportswriters in America (The Washington Times)the New York Times bestselling story of the friendship and rivalry between golf legends Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, whose sparring matches defined the sport for more than a decade.

The first time they met, at an exhibition match in 1967, Tom Watson was a seventeen-year-old high school student and Jack Nicklaus, at twenty-seven, was already the greatest golfer in the world. Though they shared some similaritiesthey were both Midwestern boys who had learned how to play golf at their fathers country clubsthey differed in many ways. Nicklaus played a game of consummate control and precision. Watson hit the ball all over the place. Nicklaus lacked charm and theatrics, and he was thoroughly despised by most golf fans because he had displaced Arnold Palmer as king of the golf world. Watson was one of those Arnold Palmer fans. Yet over the next twenty years their seemingly divergent paths collided as they battled against each other again and again for a place at the top of the sport and drove each other to ever-soaring heights of accomplishment.

Spanning from that first match through the Duel in the Sun at Turnberry in 1977 to Watsons miraculous near-victory at Turnberry as he approached sixty, and informed by interviews with both players over many years, The Secret of Golf is Joe Posnanskis intimate account of the most remarkable rivalry and (eventual) friendship in modern golf.

Reviews

Praise for The Secret of Golf and Joe Posnanski

Posnanski demonstrates the ups and down of life and sport to create a work that will resonate with avid golfers and sports fans alike.
Publishers Weekly
Joe Posnanski is a hall of fame writer and this is a must for anyone who cares about either one of these guys or just golf.
Gary Williams of Golf Channel
An honest look at how two legends came to golf, rose to dominate it and, at the same time, didn't lose their dignity or soul to the game and ultimately elevated friendship to the highest level.
Golf Digest
Posnanski is an outstanding journalist, arguably the best pure long-form sportswriter in the land.
Chicago Sun-Times
Joe Posnanski is a terrific writer.
Entertainment Weekly
One of the best sportswriters in America.
Washington Times

Author Bio

JoePosnanski is the #1New York Timesbestselling author of seven books, including The Baseball 100,Paterno,andThe Secret of Golf.He has written forThe Athletic,Sports Illustrated,NBC Sports,andThe Kansas City Starand currently writes at JoePosnanski.com.He has been named National Sportswriter of the Year by five different organizations and is the winner of two Emmy Awards. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his family.