Nicklaus back after his greatest loss

"I said, 'Rose, I don't really know.' She says, 'Look, you've got to tell me. I've got all these people who are asking.'

"I replied, 'Okay, I'm going up to play.' My secretary made me do that. That's the truth."

Nicklaus offered that little chuckle of his and the ice was broken. Until that point it had been an uncomfortable audience with the Golden Bear, those of us in the presence of the 65-year-old legend not knowing quite how to connect with a man who had lost something far more precious than all his titles, trophies and wealth.

In one significant aspect of life as a golfer Nicklaus has always stood apart from most of his peers and the focused generations that followed. For while he may have reigned as the game's number one player for so long, he ensured the game always came second to his family.

In a professional career spanning 44 years it is said he never spent more than a fortnight away from Barbara, the college sweetheart who became his devoted wife, and their five children.

Nicklaus explained: "Golf has never been a very big anything in my life. Did I want to win? Absolutely. Did I want to work hard? Yes, I wanted to work hard. Did I want to be the best player that I could be? Sure, I always wanted to be those things.

"But I didn't want that to be at the expense of my family."

Now the family that had embraced 17 grandchildren is missing little Jake. And Nicklaus admitted it's hard coming to terms with the loss.

Poignantly, he started talking in the present tense. "Jake's just started to develop a personality. He's just running-around. They said he was the smartest one of the kids because as soon as he ran into a room and he saw me he went like this..."

Nicklaus held his arms open wide, smiled, and continued his story. "The mother and dad couldn't get him out of my arms. I'd try to give him back and he would go 'uh-uh'. They said he was the only kid that does that. I said 'well, that kid is set for life!'

"He was just starting to talk, just jabbering a few words. He was a cute little kid. And the parents, they had that child from birth and they grow with that. It's a whole different story for them and the hardest part is watching your children suffer.

"It's a double whammy for a grandparent. That's just not supposed to happen. Steve and Krista, they cry themselves to sleep every night which I think is understandable and we spend our time hugging and doing what we do.

"You know, you're never going to get over something like that, and you shouldn't. No matter what you say you always think it's the wrong thing because there's no right thing to say.

"You just move on, grieve as you would grieve, and say life will get better. But it's difficult."

It was, perhaps, inevitable that Nicklaus and his son should find some kind of sanctuary on the golf course. They shot a few holes at home and then, said Nicklaus, Steve asked "can we go to Augusta?"

They played the course last week and Steve urged his father to return for the Masters. Nicklaus recalled: "He says 'you want to play anyway'. I said I wanted to play but I didn't have much of a golf game. He said 'you'll have a golf game'."

Rose's prompting did the rest. Nicklaus's eldest son, Jackie, will carry the bag tomorrow. Steve will work as caddie when Nicklaus plays the Open Championship for the last time at St Andrews in July.

Father and sons together. Just like it's supposed to be.