Peter Williams: The Golden Bear's mightiest roar at the Masters

The 2006 Masters, starting on Friday, celebrates two significant anniversaries in the history of golf's youngest major.

Although the first Augusta National Invitational Tournament was played in 1934, officially becoming the Masters in 1939, a three-year interruption caused by WWII means this year is the 70th Masters. It's also the 20th anniversary of what is regarded as the greatest of all Masters victories - Jack Nicklaus' sixth green jacket in 1986 when he was 46 years old.

By then it was widely assumed that Nicklaus had abdicated his role as the best player in golf. He hadn't won a major for six years, hadn't won any tournament for two. Going to Augusta, he was 160th on that year's money list.

What's more, his business was in trouble and he'd taken the helm of Golden Bear International himself to try and fix some golf course and real estate deals which had gone sour. So Jack Nicklaus was not a favoured name when the 50th Masters began in April, 1986

For 53 of the 72 holes he wasn't a contender, either. He opened with an anonymous 74, backed it up with 71 and even his 69 on Saturday paled into insignificance beside Nick Price's course record 63.

So he started the final round four shots behind Greg Norman with those tied for second - Seve Ballesteros, Tom Kite and Price - who were all regarded far more likely to be in the race than Nicklaus.

The first eight holes on Sunday did nothing to change that perception. He made eight pars and when he stood on the ninth tee he'd slipped to five behind Norman.

But then began one of golf's most famous and memorable sequences. Nicklaus birdied the ninth, 10th and 11th. A bogey at 12 stopped his momentum but fired him up for another birdie at 13.

Behind him, those at the top of the leaderboard were changing positions. Ballesteros eagled 13 to take the lead off Norman. Nicklaus, with only five holes to play, was still four shots out of the lead.

Then came two defining moments on the par-five 15th, the one with the pond in front. A hole reachable in two, but only if the second is a pure strike which lands softly.

Nicklaus hit a high, fading four iron which settled four metres away. He made eagle. He went to the 16th, a par three, and hit his tee shot a metre from the hole. The crowd was roaring, and running to follow Nicklaus.

Back on the 15th, Ballesteros hit his second in the water and made bogey. Nicklaus holed his birdie on 16 and was tied with Ballesteros and Kite, with two holes to play.

He rammed home another four-metre birdie putt on the 17th, parred the last, signed for 65 - just 30 on the back nine, seven under for the last 10 holes - and with his total at nine under, he waited.

Ballesteros stumbled for the final time with a three putt on 17, Kite's birdie on the last to tie missed, and Norman, needing a par on the 18th to tie, hit his second into the gallery.

Nicklaus' win, 23 years after his first Masters victory, was the crowning moment of the greatest career golf has known.

The Golden Bear will be back at Augusta this week, but not to play. Two decades back, he gave the 50th Masters a tournament worthy of a golden anniversary. Twenty years on, is it too much to hope for something equally as good for the Masters' 70th?

-HERALD ON SUNDAY