Few people walk around with the label "the best to ever play the game." Jack Nicklaus is one of those people.

Before Nicklaus won 18 professional major championships, he built his reputation in the amateur ranks.

He played collegiate golf at Ohio State University, where he was the NCAA champion in 1961. During his time at Ohio State, he also won two prestigious U.S. Amateur championships. It helped form the basis for his legendary will to win.

His company, Nicklaus Design, has 246 golf courses open for play around the world. One course that has his signature is the Scarlet Course at his alma mater.

"My experience as a student at Ohio State was wonderful," Nicklaus said on Ohio State’s athletics Web site. "The opportunity to come back so many years later and to give back was a real pleasure and something I wanted to do."

During his amateur playing days, Nicklaus began his rivalry with Arnold Palmer. A 20-year-old Nicklaus finished second to Palmer at the 1960 U.S. Open.

Besides Palmer, Nicklaus had classic duels against other legends such as Tom Watson and Gary Player.

Nicklaus won most of the time, but he never let the competition stand in the way of sportsmanship and friendship.

"I’ve been blessed with winning a few tournaments against the best who ever played the game," Watson said on Nicklaus’ Web site. "That’s how I feel about my career. If you’ve beaten the best, you feel like you’ve done something."