Tribute to Arnold Palmer

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

GARY WOLSTENHOLME tells a story about playing with Arnold Palmer in the first round of The Masters in 1992. Wolstenholme qualified to play at Augusta after winning the Amateur Championship. Unsurprisingly, he wandered down to the first tee way before his starting time because he wanted to sample the atmosphere.

"Suddenly I became aware of a noise," says Wolstenholme. "It was applause, coming from about 100 yards away. The volume grew steadily and then this figure emerged - it was Arnold Palmer. By the time he had reached the first tee, the noise was deafening. I had never heard anything like it before and I haven't done since."

Palmer wandered over to the English amateur and told him to enjoy the experience. He then hitched up his trousers, addressed the ball and smashed it 300 yards down the middle of the fairway. The noise levels rose again. And so it continued on every hole.

Those of you who never saw Palmer play golf may wonder what all the fuss is about following the news of his death at the age of 87. Jack Nicklaus may be the best golfer who has ever lived, but Palmer was the greatest. Nicklaus won 18 majors, Palmer won seven. Nicklaus planned everything with meticulous, military precision, gearing everything around the four majors. Palmer was the most charismatic golfer of his or any other generation - only Seve Ballesteros came close.

Palmer hit the ball as hard as he could, went to find it and did the same thing again. At his best, he was brilliant, and fans all around the world loved to watch him play. "Arnie's Army", they were called. They loved Palmer and he loved them. He would stand for hours at the end of a round of golf and sign autographs, while engaging in conversation with his fans. And he had extraordinary recall - he would meet somebody and when they approached him years later he would stun them by recalling details of that first meeting, often remembering their names. When you consider how many people he met during his amazing lifetime, to be able to remember those conversations made those concerned feel like a million dollars. 

"I just spoke to Arnold and he remembered that we spoke 25 years ago. He really did!" What a gift.

His appeal was global and the sponsors wanted to get hitched to the wagon. Suddenly, prize funds at PGA Tour events began to increase. Big business wanted a piece of him, and were prepared to pay huge sums of money to do so. But Palmer was extremely picky about the companies he attached his name to. Image was everything. When it was suggested to him that smoking while playing golf gave out all the wrong signals, Palmer stopped smoking immediately.

When he died he was still one of the top five earners in golf, and that tells you everything you need to know about the man and what he meant to the sport. His lemonade and ice tea is one of the top-selling soft drinks in the USA and his name is attached to many great golf courses he helped design - a legacy that will live on.

He won 95 tournaments around the world, most of them in swashbuckling fashion, and I am happy and proud to be able to say that I watched him play and I watched him win. There were tears in my eyes when he played in The Open for the last time, there were tears in my eyes when he played in The Masters for the last time, and I was inconsolable when he broke down in tears at a press conference during his final US Open championship.

He loved golf with a passion - and that passion never left him. Sure, he didn't enjoy the decline in his game in later years, but most days he got out there and hit golf balls.

Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Nick Faldo, Tony Jacklin, Colin Montgomerie, Tom Watson - they all paid tribute to Palmer and they all acknowledged the debt that the sport owes him. Even President Obama issued a poignant tribute. He remembered Palmer for his swagger, for his fearlessness, and for his generosity. His generosity of spirit and his generosity to those less well-off than himself. Obama described Palmer as "the American dream come to life". He was that, and he was far more.

On Sunday, Rory McIlroy picked up $11.5m for winning the FedEx Cup and the Tour Championship - without Palmer and what he brought to the game, that would never have happened.

His shadow will loom over the Ryder Cup - and that is exactly as it should be. The King is dead. Long live the King!