Nicklaus 'very flattered' to triumph

Jack Nicklaus is “very flattered” to have beaten off competition from a host of golfing greats to win The Open For The Ages, in association with HSBC.

Nicklaus triumphed by a shot on Sunday in the exclusive edition of The Open that used real archive footage to create a celebratory Championship at St Andrews, featuring the greatest players of the last 50 years.

A fan vote played a significant role in determining the winner of The Open For The Ages, along with a data model developed in partnership with NTT DATA, an Official Patron of The Open.

Asked for his reaction to being crowned the Champion at St Andrews once again, 42 years after his second Open victory at the Old Course, Nicklaus said: "Well, it's very nice. I'm very flattered that enough people thought that I played decent golf, that they voted for me.”

The 18-time major champion ended The Open For The Ages with a score of 16 under, beating Tiger Woods by one stroke and Seve Ballesteros by two.

“You know, there are a lot of other good players," Nicklaus added. "If I'm gonna finish one ahead of Tiger, that's pretty good.”

Real footage from past Opens at St Andrews was expertly edited and woven together with modern graphics and new commentary to produce a compelling narrative in Sunday’s final-round broadcast.

If it was possible for players from different eras to compete together in reality, Nicklaus is sure all of the game’s finest names would rise to the challenge.

"I think it would have been fun. I think we all would like to do it,” added the three-time Champion Golfer, who triumphed at St Andrews in 1970 and 1978.

“I'd like to see how Bobby Jones played and I'm sure Bobby Jones would have liked to see how we played.

“But I think Champions in all eras would be Champions in other eras. If you're a good player, you're a good player. The equipment's different, the game's different, but I think they would adjust to it.”

For more on The Open For The Ages, including the full three-hour final-round broadcast and highlights of all four rounds, click here.

The Open For The Ages is in association with HSBC.