Why a Legendary Golfer Brought John Boehner to Tears

— -- John Boehner is notorious for letting his tears flow, publicly displaying his emotions from time to time during his four-plus years as House Speaker.

So, when Congress honored one of Ohio’s most-beloved sons -- golfing legend Jack Nicklaus, 75 -- it was a safe bet that Boehner, an avid and capable golfer himself, would become weepy. He did not disappoint with the water works.

At today's ceremony, the golfing legend's son, Jack Nicklaus II, 54, recounted one of golf’s most iconic moments when the "Golden Bear" won the 1986 Masters and the younger Nicklaus was his caddy. As he paid an emotional tribute to his father, Boehner and the elder Nicklaus listened, seated next to each other, both wiping away tears.

“Dad had made me a part of it,” Jack Nicklaus II said of his father’s legendary victory. “I knew I had dad’s full focus. I felt like I mattered, and I felt loved. That is what it’s like to be his son.”

Boehner has known Nicklaus for about 20 years, according to an aide. He testified before the Education and Workforce Committee when Boehner was chairman and the duo has golfed together on a handful of occasions, according to the aide.

When Boehner stood to deliver his own remarks, the Ohio Republican found a box of tissues at the podium and playfully tossed it to Nicklaus. But perhaps the speaker should have kept it for himself.

“That day we were a part of something special -- something bigger just as we now are today,” Boehner said through tears. “Because in golf, as in all other things, it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. And no one has played it better for longer than Jack."

“So in the immortal words of a CBS golf announcer Vern Lundquist: Yes sir! The Congressional Gold Medal goes to the gentleman from Ohio, the Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus!”