Nicklaus to play again at Augusta -- in Par 3 Tournament

If Jack Nicklaus truly believes in equal opportunity, he'll be playing in the Par 3 Tournament that preceeds the Masters for the next 19 or so years. The Golden Bear, you see, has 19 grandchildren with another on the way soon.

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Jack Nicklaus might be playing at the Masters for the next decade or two -- in the Par 3 Tournament.

"I got into that a couple of years ago, and my son, Jack, said, 'Oh, dad, you're going to play in the Par 3. How about having Charlie caddie for you? It would be a big thrill,'" Nicklaus said.

Charlie is his grandson, and the Golden Bear is a big believer in equal opportunity.

"Once I had one grandchild (as a caddie), I have 19 more, and I'll have 20 more in another month," Nicklaus said.

Nicklaus stopped playing the Masters in 2005, another reason he can play in the Par 3. The six-time champion conceded to being superstitious, well aware that no one ever won the Masters after winning the Par 3 Tournament.

He also said it cut into his preparations.

"You play a practice round on Wednesday, preparing yourself for a golf tournament," he said. "And you go out and play on another golf course, another set of greens, and you're spending energy when you should be resting for the start of the tournament.

"Do you spend a lot of energy? No, you don't. Is it too much to ask the players to play? No, it's not too much. But in the days when I was competitive and felt like I had a chance, I had so much energy focused on wanting to win that golf tournament that it was a distraction for me and not something I wanted to do."

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