Talk about your first Ryder Cup experience.
I was 13 when the 1957 matches were at Lindrick Golf Club in Yorkshire, England, about 60 miles from our home in Scunthorpe. Sixty miles at 35 mph was long, smelly, difficult traveling. I vividly remember being at the Ryder Cup with my dad. I reached out and touched the grip of Dai Rees's driver as he walked past. I can see it loose in his hand, swinging back and forth.

Where did you work on your game?
It was narrow between our home and the one next door — just enough room to swing my hickory-shafted clubs. My balls were bits of thick industrial rubber hose I cut into small pieces. I hit shots at the seven-foot-high wooden gate separating our house and the neighbors'. I was becoming a good player — there were three big tournaments in my town that summer, and I won them all.

Have you ever wished that Jack Nicklaus had not given you the short final putt that halved both your match and the 1969 Ryder Cup at Royal Birkdale?
Never entered my mind. Never. I think I would have made it. I certainly don't feel the worse for not having made it. I was at the top of my game — I had won the British Open that year and I wasn't afraid to make it. I'd beaten Jack 4 and 3 in the morning and it was nip-and-tuck all afternoon.

I would not have wanted Jack to give me a three-footer, but this was 20 to 24 inches. I would have given him the same putt in a heartbeat if our positions had been reversed. In a heartbeat.

Have you and Lee Trevino ever talked about the '72 Open at Muirfield — how he beat you with four chip-ins over the last two rounds, and the devastating effect it had on you?
I don't think there's any need. He knows what happened and I know what happened. It should never have been a career terminator, but I was never a threat in the majors after that.

Tony's a tiger: Jacklin has harsh words for some of his old foes.David Eustace

Henry Longhurst said he had never seen so many diabolical flukes thrown at a man. I thought they were just great shots.

You were on the 1979 Ryder Cup team. Why was there so much dissension in the ranks?
Because Mark James and Ken Brown took it upon themselves to insult the rest of the ensemble. I have no clue why, but I haven't been able to forgive it. They meant it; they were grown-ups. For Mark James to write "son of a bitch" following his signature on the menu, when he knew we were all signing for a priest, was unforgivable. It's ironic that Brown is on the bloody [PGA European Tour] board now, and so is James if he hasn't resigned. They can't take that moment back, and I take that to the grave.

How do you think European Tour executive director Ken Schofield handled the incident?
Schofield has been a disaster for European golf. He's got a record of backing failure. After the disaster with Ken [Brown] and Mark in '79, Schofield had them rising through the administrative ranks. Ken Schofield surrounded himself with weak but grateful individuals, which is why he could drink too much at dinners and insult the sponsors.

The Cup spotlight shone brightly on Captain Jacklin.David Eustace

What changes did you make?
I arranged it so the team felt like professionals. The clothes they had been wearing were junk. I demanded the very best of everything. Then I came right here to PGA National to make sure the accommodations were suitable. Prior to '83 we held meetings in someone's hotel room. I dreamt up the idea of the team room — it was essential to camaraderie. Once I gave them the room, they didn't want to be anywhere else. There was every kind of food. No hangers-on, no caddies. Seve talked to the young players. It was in this environment that unity took hold.

Did you want to be captain forever?
I wanted to quit in 1987 after three campaigns — to do a Bobby Jones go-out-on-top thing. We had achieved what we wanted. Some players wanted me to stay, so I had one more successful outing in '89 and then said, "That's enough." My first wife, Vivien, had died in '88, and I took Astrid, who became my second wife, to The Belfry so she could see what it was all about...

You don't have to continue.
I apologize for crying, but that became a very special year. So bittersweet.

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