Jack Nicklaus refuses to talk 'politics' at Masters after Donald Trump support

Six-time winner Jack Nicklaus declined the opportunity to talk about “politics” in a press conference today after performing his duty as honorary starter at the Masters.

Honorary starter and six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus on the first tee with wife Barbara Nicklaus before playing the opening tee shot at Augusta National. Picture: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Nicklaus had delivered a ringing endorsement of Donald Trump in the build up to last week’s US Presidential election in a post on social media.

In it, the 18-time major champion said he had seen “a resolve and a determination to do the right thing for our country”.Referring to Trump, he added: “He has delivered on his promises. He’s worked for the average person.“In my opinion, he has been more diverse than any President I have seen and has tried to help people from all walks of live – equally.”Despite having the support of Nicklaus, Trump lost to Joe Biden but has shown no signs of conceding defeat to his Democratic opponent.In a traditional press conference involving Nicklaus and fellow honorary starter Gary Player, the game’s greatest player was asked what advice he might have for Trump.“I’ve said enough about that,” replied Nicklaus, who was widely criticised for his public show of support for Trump. “This is not a place for politics.”Nicklaus had been asked to throw his weight behind Trump by Vice President Mike Pence, admitting he knew the reaction it would generate.“He’s been very supportive to everything we’ve ever done,” said Nicklaus in the build up to the election of his controversial post.“He’s asked for nothing. If I can just on my own do that, I would be happy to do it. And I know it was going to cause me some grief. So, that’s what I did.”Nicklaus and Player will be joined as honorary starters at next year’s Masters in April by Lee Elder, who was the first African American to play in the Masters in 1975. His “special” invitation was announced by Augusta National earlier in the week.A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.