Nick Price Respects the Game

In 1994, Nick Price was at the top of the golf world. A victory at the British Open at Turnberry followed by a PGA Championship in the same year had Price ranked as the top golfer in the world. Fifteen years later, Price was invited to play in the first British Open at Turnberry since his historic victory, but has said he might decline the offer to give a younger player a chance to start his own record book, like Price did by finishing second at the British in 1982.

"A lot of people have said, why don't I go back to the British Open or the PGA because I won?" he said. "I say, well, I can't win, I would rather give my spot to a guy who can win it. Maybe there's a 25-year-old who sneaks into the championship like I did [at Troon] in 1982, you have a chance to win, and that might change his whole life. I certainly don't want to go to a major championship trying to make the cut. Geez, I would rather go fishing for two weeks, you know."

Price has until the end of this month to submit his entry form, but it doesn't look like he will do it. Price, 52, might be playing his best golf since 2002, winning last week for the first time on the Champions Tour, but he knows that the major championship game has passed him by. Like Greg Norman showed last year, you can compete as a senior but winning is nearly impossible, and Price is doing the right thing in giving up his spot to someone who would be excited about it and embrace it.

Justin Rose had a British Open moment as a 17-year-old, finishing fourth in 1998. Andres Romero was 26 when he nearly stole the British in 2007 at Carnoustie. Price's thinking might just give another young gentleman the chance to find his name on the leaderboard at the most famous golf tournament in the world. They say golf is a gentleman's sport. Price is making that pretty darn close to the truth.