Golf: No return to St Andrews for Nicklaus

JACK NICKLAUS has turned down the opportunity of an emotional return to St Andrews for this year's Open celebrations.

The 18-time major winner had been invited to the Champions Challenge, a four-hole event on the eve of the tournament for all the past winners. However, he has declined the offer.

Nicklaus bade an tear-stained farewell to golf on the famous Old Course – where he won two of his three Claret Jugs – five years ago and he wants the memory of those final two rounds to remain undiminished.

"I'm not coming over," the 70-year-old said. "I called Peter Dawson (chief executive of the R&A) last week and said 'I don't know whether you will understand but 2005 was so good, I said to goodbye to the game of golf at the place I wanted to say goodbye to it'.

"This is a personal thing on my part. The people were wonderful, the game was great, The Open was a very special event, especially at St Andrews where I won twice.

"For me to come again and go back out on the course, I just don't want to do that because it was so good before.

"He said 'Jack, I suspected that was why you had said you didn't think you were going to come'."