PGA Ultimate Bracket Features Canterbury Golf Club, Jack Nicklaus

BEACHWOOD, OH — In 1973, Jack Nicklaus cemented himself as one of the greatest golfers of all time. His was an unparalleled streak of dominance. Toward the end of that 1973 season he was inching closer, and closer, to seizing a once-untouchable record: Bobby Jones' 13 Major championships. If Nicklaus could just win one more title at the PGA Championship, in his home state of Ohio no less, he would become an immortal, holding the record for most Major victories.

Now golf fans and Northeast Ohio natives can commemorate this part of history. The PGA and CBS Sports are hosting their "PGA Championship: Ultimate Bracket" show which will determine the best moment of golf's only all-professional tournament.

Nicklaus' legendary win in 1973, at the Canterbury Golf Club in Beachwood, re-shuffled the proverbial Hall of Immortals for golf. And it placed Nicklaus as the lead icon.

To vote for Nicklaus' win at the Canterbury, go to the PGA's website. Public voting opened July 8 and will continue until August 11. Winners of the bracket will be announced August 12, during the final round of the 100th PGA Championship on CBS.

Need reminding of how important Nicklaus' 1973 win was?

Remembering the Moment

Nicklaus, a Columbus native, was set to compete for his 14th Major victory in his home state, at a course in Beachwood called the Canterbury Golf Club. If he could win there, he would surpass Bobby Jones' record 13 Major victories.

Winning another title, though, would be no easy feat.

The Canterbury course was designed by an Englishman, Herbert Strong, who finished work on his design in 1922. The Canterbury opened to play on July 1 that year. The Club has consistently been ranked as one of America's 100 best courses and is one of only two Clubs in history to host all five of the men's Major Championships.

The course is not known for being particularly player-friendly, though. On the Club's website, it claims Sam Snead, a golfing legend in his own right, once quipped, that he'd "much rather face a rattlesnake than a downhill two-footer at Canterbury."

On top of that, the PGA Championship is the last Major tournament of the season, a final gasp for the sport in 1973. Lose that tournament, and Nicklaus' dream of surpassing the ghost of Jones would have to wait another year.

And 1973 had not been the kindest of years to the Golden Bear. He had narrowly lost the U.S. Open, the British Open, and the Masters to his peers throughout the season and the pressure of chasing Jones' ghost was starting to mount.

"Looking back on it, I have to say I think I was trying too hard," he said in a Sports Illustrated article at the time. "At Muirfield last year, and then at Augusta and Oakmont and Troon. There's no doubt, I was hung up on getting the 14th."

There were plenty of reasons Nicklaus could fail, but he didn't.

He seized a one stroke lead after 54 holes and never relinquished his iron grip. When the last putt was made, Nicklaus had claimed his 14th Major championship, beating his nearest competitor, the Australian Bruce Crampton, by four strokes.

In the end, he was an unstoppable force at Canterbury that year.

It was a performance worthy of one of golf's immortals.

And it happened at Canterbury.

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Photo: American golfer Jack Nicklaus surveys the line of his putt on the 12th green during The Open Championship at the Royal Troon Golf Club, Scotland, 11th July 1973. (Photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)