Doug Sanders won 20 times on the PGA Tour, from as an amateur in 1956 to his final title in 1972. But most people remember Sanders for two things: the bold outfits he wore and the majors he lost.
Sanders, who died Sunday at age 86, was most infamous for a 30-inch putt that cost him the claret jug in 1970 at St. Andrews. Sanders lost that year to Jack Nicklaus in a playoff.
Nicklaus took to Twitter Monday night to pay tribute to his longtime friend and tell people that Sanders shouldn’t be defined by his close calls but rather, “deserves to be remembered for much more. For me, I will remember that Doug was a good friend to Barbara and me, and we will miss him.”
Rest in peace, Doug Sanders. Doug was a character, a showman, a flashy dresser, a bit of everything. Above all, he was a terrific golfer, competitor and friend. You never counted out Doug. If he got himself in contention, Doug rarely beat himself and was always tough to take down pic.twitter.com/aIitbHZoQw
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 14, 2020
Doug had a lot of victories. Unfortunately, people tend to focus on his four runner-up finishes in majors rather than his 20 PGA TOUR wins. But those runner-up finishes only meant that Doug was a quality player and played at a high level, certainly high enough to win a major.
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 14, 2020
He deserves to be remembered for much more. For me, I will remember that Doug was a good friend to Barbara and me, and we will miss him.
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) April 14, 2020