Jack Nicklaus, Shimon Peres Tapped for Congressional Gold Medal

The House passed a measure yesterday honoring Nicklaus, winner of 18 major tournaments, more than any other golfer, by a 371-10 vote. Lawmakers also approved the Peres honor by voice vote. Both measures now go to the Senate for approval.

Peres would be the first Israeli president to receive the honor. Nicklaus would be the third professional golfer to receive the award, following Byron Nelson in 2006 and Arnold Palmer in 2009.

Members of the House of Representatives House also voted to award a medal to the “Monuments Men,” a World War II platoon formed to protect, repair and repatriate valuable works of art damaged or stolen by the Nazis that Sony Pictures turned into a movie of the same name.

The House also passed bills to honor the “Doolittle Tokyo Raiders” who flew bombing raids over Japan in World War II, World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol, and the “Borinqueneers” 65th Infantry Regiment.

The first Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to George Washington by the Continental Congress in 1776, less than four months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.