WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Mitt Romney today got a much needed boost from the Golden Bear.
Golf legend and Ohio native Jack Nicklaus enthusiastically endorsed Romney, saying he was the man to “lead the charge” to strengthen the economy and again make America a world leader.
“When I won, I certainly didn’t apologize for my success,” Nicklaus said, echoing Romney’s defense of his business success.
He joined Romney for a rally with in a high school gym near his hometown of Columbus.
“I once said that the worst thing you can do in golf is dwell on a bad shot, because it will affect your next swing,” he said. “We are too late to change recent history, but we can write a better future for ourselves, for our children and for their children, beginning by putting Mitt Romney in the white House.”
Romney said that he was humbled to have Nicklaus’ support.
“What you heard from the Golden Bear, what you heard from the greatest athlete of the 20th Century touched my heart,” said Romney.
The endorsement carries a lot of weight in the state, especially in central Ohio, where Nicklaus is adored for his integrity as well as his greatness on the links.
Romney can use the help. He’s trailing President Obama by as much as 10 points in Ohio polls.
“He’s god in central Ohio,” Columbus resident Tim Strawn, 62, said of Nicklaus. “It’s good to have god on your side.”
smiller@nypost.com