TRAVELERS REST, S.C. - It turns out Jack Nicklaus might be finished with more than just the Masters.
He spoke Wednesday about giving up a game he once dominated, winning 73 PGA Tour events and 18 major titles.
"I'm about done playing golf," Nicklaus, 64, said at the Nationwide Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs. He's competing here with his four sons, Jackie, Gary, Steve and Michael.
"I haven't made up my mind whether I'm going to play anymore this year after the Memorial tournament" in June, Nicklaus said.
At the Masters this month, the six-time champion said he likely would not play at Augusta National in 2005. That was before he shot consecutive 75s to miss the cut.
Nicklaus has struggled with arthritis, injuries and a faltering game the past few seasons.
"I know I can't compete at the level I used to compete," Nicklaus said. "If I go out and finish in the top 10, and that's a great week, then I know it's time to hang up your spikes."
Gary Player, 68, empathized with Nicklaus.
"It's hard spending all your time playing golf, like you did when you were a young man," said Player, here with his son Marc.
A year ago, the Golden Bear was the only Nicklaus around for the Nationwide event's final two rounds. He won the pro-am competition with son Steve and briefly scared the younger pros when he got to within five shots of the lead after 36 holes. Nicklaus left with a smile, happy he was close to again playing successful golf.
Time and his high standards have made it hard to maintain that momentum, Nicklaus said.
People continually ask him not to quit. "But I tell them, "Well, you're not in my body,"' Nicklaus said.
PHIL ON FIRE: How much better can things get for Phil Mickelson?
He hasn't missed a cut this year, has finished in the top 10 in eight of the nine tournaments he has entered and added the Masters title to his lists of accomplishments two weeks ago.
"It's been fun," Mickelson said after preparing for the HP Classic with a hole-in-one at the 17th hole in the pro-am in New Orleans. "I'm really enjoying playing."
The $5.1-million tournament is his first since he won the Masters, his first major title.
"I don't feel any different as a player," he said. "I don't feel any different as a human being."
Still, the biggest victory of his career has been a blast.
In addition of celebrating with family and friends, Mickelson has relished getting calls from the likes of President Bush and boxing promoter Don King. He said ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange was great, as were appearances on Jay Leno and David Letterman.
"That's stuff you don't get a chance to do very often," Mickelson said.
STILL COMMITTED: Annika Sorenstam seems to be running out of goals.
She's in the Hall of Fame (twice, actually). She has 50 wins on the LPGA Tour, including a career Grand Slam. She proved she can play with the men.
Still, Sorenstam stays motivated. When her goal of winning a true Grand Slam fell by the wayside at the first major of the year, she simply adjusted her checklist.
"Now, I want to win the next three," said Sorenstam, returning from a three-week break to play in the Chick-fil-A Charity Championship that begins today in Stockbridge, Ga.
Sorenstam claimed the No.1 ranking in 1995, her second full season on the tour, and hasn't fallen lower than fourth since She has finished on top the past three years and is headed there again after winning three of her first four tournaments in 2004.
Her only setback was a 13th-place showing at the Kraft Nabisco Championship last month, which ruined her chances of claiming a Grand Slam.
So, in true Sorenstam fashion, there was a slight adjustment. She now seems more intent than ever on winning three majors in a year for the first time.
"I really want to win them all, but it didn't work out that way," Sorenstam said. "It doesn't make me upset, but it makes me practice harder and makes me really appreciate what it takes to win a major."
