Nicholas is a right-leg amputee who was born with deformity due to Thalidomide - a drug used to combat morning sickness in expectant mothers.

A keen sports fan in a youth that saw him bullied in the early years of his education, he started playing golf with his brother and a friend, joining The Lakes Golf Course in Sydney and dropping his handicap from nine to scratch in five years.

He earned his Australian Tour card in 1992 and in 1996 shot lower than Tiger Woods in the first round of the Australian Open. He did all this while dominating the amputee game, winning both the British and US Open every year from 1990 to 2002.

Nicholas played in the 2019 Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Royal Lytham & St Annes after earning his place in Monday Qualifying.