Jack Nicklaus revealed Sunday during a weather delay at the Memorial Tournament that he and his wife Barbara both contracted the coronavirus in March. The two have since recovered after suffering only mild effects.
“We were very lucky,” Nicklaus told Jim Nantz of CBS Sports. The Golden Bear, the founder and host of the Memorial in Dublin, Ohio, said Barbara was asymptomatic and that he had a sore throat and a cough for a few days. The couple, who celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary July 23, each celebrated their 80th birthdays earlier this year.
The Nicklauses sheltered at their home in Florida from March 13 to April 20, Jack said. They both have tested positive for the antibodies, Jack as recently as last Sunday.
“It didn’t last very long and we were very very fortunate,” Jack said. “Barbara and I are both 80, and it’s an at-risk age. Our hearts go out to the people who lost their lives, and the families who have been affected.”
In addition to the many charitable initiatives the Nicklauses have championed in recent years, Jack and Barbara are now raising money for first responders at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami, Florida.
