Jack Nicklaus’ ‘surreal’ touch makes for a great winner

This was not a bill. Or a notebook. Or a book of coupons.

It was a book. Handwritten. It was brought to him, who has now won the big tournament.

Posted by someone who won 18 of those.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Aaron Rai said.

Then he put pen to paper himself.

On the Tuesday of the Open Championship, a group of joint writers heard about writing in Rai’s press conference. The reporter was curious about Rai’s note, which appeared last week in a story written by the DP World Tour on the Genesis Scottish Open. There, Rai said he ran into his old friend and fellow Pablo Larrazabal, who, after congratulating Rai on his May PGA Championship win, said he was struggling. The thought stuck with Rai. A short time later, with the help of his brother-in-law, he left the following message in Larrazabal’s locker, along with several photos of Larrazabal celebrating the previous victory:

Pablo,

The boy in these pictures is who he is and is closer to you now than you think. Keep fighting, keep working hard and most importantly keep believing – in each match, each round and each shot.

Best wishes,

Aaron Rai

Larrazabal told the DP World Tour that he was saddened by the move. “It’s not just about winning,” he said, “and Aaron knows that and his family taught him very well. [but because of how] he behaves not only on the golf course but also off the golf course. A true gentleman. On Tuesday, Rai said he wanted to support him.

He said: “It felt like the right thing to do. So that’s where it came from, really.”

But back in the letter Rai had been mailed.

From Jack Nicklaus. For more than 40 years, Golden Bear has written to the big winners, and Rai said he was surprised when his note arrived.

“After the PGA, I got a handwritten letter from Jack Nicklaus, which was surreal when we opened the email,” he said.

“Yeah, for someone like that to take the time to write to me after the PGA, it shows what class Jack is all about.”

Rai’s note furthered his reputation as one of golf’s greatest players, prompting a reporter to wonder: How can Rai be as gracious and “cruel,” as he was when he won the PGA?

“That’s a good question,” said Rai. “I think those two aspects are two very different things. I think for me personally it’s important that you try and behave the best you can and try and do as well as you can by yourself, and by others as well. I think that’s just the right thing to do as a person.

“In terms of golf, golf is a very challenging sport, there is a lot that goes into it every week in tournaments.

“So I think when you get those opportunities, when you find yourself in those positions, I think being true to your journey, being true to what the game requires, I think it brings out a different side of me, a different side, I think, of being competitive.

“For me it’s being true to the game, being true to the process, being true to the challenge, and the journey that gets you to this point, which I think is reflected in what you said there at the PGA.”

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