The Magnificent Masters: Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Tom Weiskopf, and the 1975 Cliffhanger at Augusta (23 page)

Johnny Miller’s run at Jack Nicklaus as the world’s best golfer began after being teammates at the 1973 World Cup.

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Utilizing a weak grip and early set of the wrists, Johnny Miller was able to hit his irons closer to the hole than anyone in the mid-1970s.

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Tom Weiskopf’s wide-arc and impeccable swing fundamentals were the envy of golfers at the time.

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In the third round, Weiskopf reacts after making a birdie on the 18th hole to take the 54-hole lead by one over Nicklaus.

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Beginning the final round with an out-of-sync swing, Nicklaus quickly corrected it.

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Miller watches as his birdie attempt on the 6th hole just misses on Sunday.

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Weiskopf and gallery react as he sinks a birdie putt on the 3rd hole in the final round.

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On the 16th hole, Jack Nicklaus and caddie Willie Peterson watch as his 40-foot birdie putt nears the hole...

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...and then improbably drops in to tie him for the lead with Weiskopf and Miller standing on the tee.

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After the conclusion, contrasting expressions show on the combatants’ faces during the trophy presentation.

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The previous year’s champion Gary Player presents Nicklaus with a green jacket for his unprecedented fifth Masters victory.

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And there was the success. Not only was Miller making golf look easy and receiving a lot of glory, but he was raking in the dough. In those days, $100,000 was a benchmark for off-the-course income. By now, Miller was making around $500,000 a year—only Nicklaus and Palmer earned significantly more. His first big endorsement came in the fall of 1973 when he signed a contract with Sears for the start of 1974. By 1975, he had other deals with
Golf Magazine
, MacGregor, Beautyrest, Ford Motor Company, Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head Island, Mizuno (when playing in Japan), and Slazenger (when playing in the United Kingdom and Europe). As for purchasing power, he bought a house for his father in Napa, California, for $20,000.

“There was definitely jealousy,” says Miller. “They would call me the Plastic Arm because I would compliment myself. They would make fun of me. They didn’t like that I was getting a lot of write ups.... It was a little disconcerting.”

Miller went out in the morning with Charles Coody, the 1971 champion, and shot a 71, a four-shot improvement from Thursday’s opening round. Once again he had hit it well. He didn’t feel like he was putting that poorly, but wondered as he sat at two over, “A lot of guys are hitting it like me and are one and two under.”

Miller had done exactly what he didn’t want to: he had fallen out of touch with the leaders. He badly wanted to win the tournament, to prove he could win multiple majors, but to do that, he needed to stay in contention. Presently, it looked like he’d blown up. His feast or famine style of golf was famished.

“It was about putting at Augusta,” says Miller, who noticed his stroke was a little jabby, something that wasn’t happening earlier in the year. “I was already hitting my putts and pulling my putter back. If you were off with your putting you’ve got no chance. Look at the guys who’ve won there.”

By the time Miller finished, two-thirds of the field was still to come home. He told the press early that afternoon, “I am just not
going to be around tomorrow.” Miller left the course to catch some solitude by a fishing hole, the one place he could find solace. “That was the time I wanted to be by myself,” he says. “It got me away from all the hullabaloo.”