Former Golf Pro Remembers Arnold Palmer

Whether your enduring images of him were the everyman who battled against the more regal Gary Player and more gifted Jack Nicklaus during the 1960s, or the aged ambassador who embraced the role like no other, Palmer created a unique legacy.

Palmer’s death resonated throughout the sports world, but especially so in the golfing community.

Palmer, the global golf icon who died of heart problems Sunday at age 87, was featured on the practice day’s pairing sheets for spectators even as U.S. flags remained at half staff around Hazeltine in tribute to “The King”.

But instead of a day of celebration, it became a day of mourning, not only for golf fans in this country, but sports fans all across the planet, as Arnold Palmer, 87 years old, proved himself mortal by dying. His first major win was the 1958 Masters Tournament.

Palmer’s family will hold a private funeral service this week. “He was a different breed of cat”. But even that sentence, which so effectively describes the impact that Arnold Palmer had on the game of golf, feels hollow now. In his hand is the golf ball he won it with. “That’s not easy to do”. Love was at Hazeltine preparing to tape a segment to be played at halftime of the National Football League game announcing his final captain’s pick (Moore). He did so with a cigarette dangling from his lips, a hitch of his pants, a signature follow through, and a winning smile for Arnie’s Army, who were treated to improbable wins and agonizing defeats. They followed his every step, and rightfully so. He would stay for hours and hours and talk to people until they didn’t want to talk to him. “He genuinely felt the affection and support”, Stuart said.

“He had that ability, which was just part of his personality, to look you in the eye, listen to what you said, and really understand what you were talking about”.

“Lynne Whitehouse was running the Jack Newton Junior Golf Foundation at the time and obviously I was playing a lot of their events and doing quite well”, he recalls.

He’s as good a guy that was ever put on the planet.

Arnie didn’t disappoint, shooting a 1-over-par 73 while routinely carrying on conversations with the gallery as only he could do. That feat landed him the Donald Ross Award for lifetime achievement, given by the American Society of Golf Course Architects.

When he did get a chance to practice and play with his father, Palmer developed on unorthodox swing that later caused sweet-swinging Ben Hogan to say with disdain: “How the hell did Palmer get into the Masters?” He told me he was just trying to “keep his head above the flood of memories”.

Their scores were too high to recover from. Even at age 70, he was still playing 260 rounds of golf per year.

Obama praised the late golfer’s rise from a humble start in Pennsylvania to “superstardom” around the world.

“He is what everybody’s been saying”, Stuart said Tuesday. He made professional golf matter in a way it hadn’t before he arrived on the scene. Palmer was in declining health, that much was no secret.

“He didn’t get cheated at life”.

Many dignitaries, fans and golfers paid their respects on social media over the past few days.

The now 29-year-old had taken a keen interest in “The King” for the past 12 years after being chosen to caddy for the golf legend at an exhibition match at the 2004 Australian Open as a teenager.