Nicklaus Accepts U.S. Open Invitation

March 17, 1998 / 9:21 PM EST / AP

Jack Nicklaus decided to push one of the most remarkable streaks in sports a little further by accepting on Tuesday a special exemption to play in the U.S. Open.

On Monday, the USGA extended invitations to Nicklaus to play in the next three Opens. Nicklaus has played in all four major professional championships each year since 1962 a total of 144.

"I am very flattered that the USGA thinks I can make a contribution to the Open through the year 2000," Nicklaus said Tuesday. "So I called Trey Holland (vice president) of the USGA and accepted their invitation to participate. I'm very much looking forward to playing the Open this year at the Olympic Club."

Nicklaus did not say if he would also play in the 1999 U.S. Open at Pinehurst or in 2000 at Pebble Beach. Also left hanging was whether he would play in the British Open and the PGA Championship this year.

Nicklaus did not decide until the Sunday before the British Open last year that his game was up to the challenge.

In the past, Nicklaus has said he would play in the majors as long as he felt he was competitive.

When Nicklaus was not among those given exemptions by the USGA in January it appeared his streak of consecutive major championships would end at 145 after this year's Masters.

Now Nicklaus can extend that streak through the 2001 Masters, if he chooses, pushing it to 157 consecutive major championships. He has lifetime invitations to the Masters and the PGA Championship and can play the British Open until he is 65.

Nicklaus, 58, has played in every Open since he was a 17-year-old amateur in 1957. He has won 18 major professional championships and two U.S. Amateur titles. He won his first U.S. Open at the age of 22 in 1962.

Only Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, Willie Anderson and Ben Hogan have won the U.S. Open four times.

Last year, Nicklaus played in the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club on his fifth special exemption since 1991 and finished 52nd.

Nicklaus has not finished in the top 20 in the U.S. Open since 1986 when he was eighth. That was also the year he won the last of his 18 professional major championships in the Masters.