I DIDN'T KNOW THAT

Jack waited for his own green jacket after first Masters win By Joe Fleming and Jerry Potter, USA TODAY Jack Nicklaus finished at 2 under par, thanks to a second-round 66, to beat Tony Lema by a shot to claim the first of his record six Masters titles and the second of his record 18 major titles overall. Though Nicklaus was big, the jacket defending champion Arnold Palmer draped over him that day in 1963 was too big, way too big. "It was like an overcoat," Nicklaus recalled. "It just hung on me. It was huge." Jack's jacket, with his name stitched inside, didn't get made, so Nicklaus just borrowed one. First from another Augusta National member, former New York governor Thomas Dewey, then other members. Not until 1997 did Nicklaus ever tell the club. The chairman at the time, Jackson Stephens, immediately ordered Nicklaus to be measured. The green jacket, which has become perhaps the most coveted prize in golf, was first awarded to a Masters champion 60 years ago, in 1949, when Sam Snead won the first of his three Masters titles. Champions are allowed to take the jacket home for one year, then return it to the club, where it stays. Champions often sleep in it, as Phil Mickelson did after his first win (2004). One champion actually managed to keep his jacket for good: Gary Player, who won his first green jacket in 1961. "I got a call from (Masters co-founder) Cliff Roberts," Player recalls, "and he said, 'Gary, did you take the jacket with you?' " Roberts was the first chairman of the club and the tournament, and he ruled with compete authority. Player answered honestly. "You know, you weren't supposed to do that," Roberts said. "Why don't you come and fetch it?" said Player, who is from South Africa. Roberts laughed and offered a compromise. Player could keep the jacket as long as he didn't wear it in public and Roberts would have another made for him that he could wear when he visited the club. The tradition of club members wearing green jackets began in 1937, when jackets were bought from New York's Brooks Uniform Co. The idea was that spectators would easily spot members who would be able to deliver accurate information on the tournament