Where you play is there a hole that you can never conquer? How about a golf course that for what ever reason you do not perform as well as you should? How would you feel if your name was Jack Nicklaus, winner of more professional major tournaments than anyone else in the world, and there was one tournament that no matter how hard you tried you could never win that event. The Canadian Open was that tournament for Jack Nicklaus. In the 27 times he played the event he never won but he was runner up 7 times.

First he was runner up to Gene Littler in 1965 at Mississauga Golf and Country club. In 1968 at St. George’s Golf and Country Club Jack was runner up to Bob Charles. At Royal Montreal, in 1975, he lost to Tom Weiskopf in a playoff. In 1976 he lost to Jerry Pate at Essex Golf & Country Club.

So he had a few close calls. Then he began to dabble in golf course design and his frist solo effort was the Glen Abbey Golf Club. Glen Abbey has hosted the Canadian Opens from 1977 - 2000 and also in 2004 and 2008.

Even designing the host course did not help Jack in trying to win the Canadian Open. Peter Oosterhuis won he first and only PGA Tour event at Glen Abbey in 1981 beating Nicklaus and Bruce Leitzke by one shot. Two years later he was almost a runner up again but he missed a play off against John Cook and Johnny Miller.

In 1984 Greg Norman, in his second year on tour, beat Nicklaus by two shots. Then in 1985 Nicklaus tied Greg Norman however Curtis Strange beat them both out by two strokes.

Jack Nicklaus has finished runner up 7 time at The Open Championship also however he did win The Open Championship. Behind The Open Championship and the US Open the Canadian Open is the third oldest national Championship. Imagine his record if he had won 30% of his total runner up finishes because he would have surpassed Sam Snead for most wins on the PGA Tour.