"I watched Nicklaus play that whole round," David Toms recalled as he watched Tom Watson stun Jack Nicklaus to win the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 1982. He was only 15 then, but dreamed of one day playing with the icon.

That opportunity came 13 years after Toms joined the PGA Tour. And when Toms made a great shot, Nicklaus' response surprised him.

The 59-year-old had already won 11 Majors by the time he finally got to play two rounds with Jack Nicklaus at the Memorial Tournament. However, a part of him was still that 15-year-old kid who just wanted to impress Nicklaus

"I hit my first drive into a bunker, hit a good shot, and made birdie," Toms said as per a 2005 Associated Press report. "We’re walking off the green, and Jack says, 'It was all set up by the drive.' One hole and he was already taking his shots," the Louisiannan recalled.

While the playful jab came as a surprise, it became a fond memory for David Toms. However, Toms isn't the only one who has seen this side of Nicklaus

A U.S. Open-winning golfer has witnessed Jack Nicklaus' "chirping"

Just like Toms, the 2003 U.S. Open-winning golfer Jim Furyk also respects Nicklaus' incredible achievements in the sport.

During a February 2019 appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, the 55-year-old called the opportunity to play alongside Nicklaus, "a dream come true."

However, Furyk also got to witness how the golfing legend often played mind games with his opponents.

"I think it was me and Jack played Gary [Nicklaus' son] and Ernie [Els]. And Jack drove it by us on the first hole, so now he's throwing, and he starts chirping and yapping. He can talk smack. I was stunned," Furyk recalled.

Furyk may have refrained from disclosing Nicklaus' exact words. But the fact that they "stunned" a FedEx Cup winner indicates that the 85-year-old was pretty good at "chirping."

Written by

Souvik Roy

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi