As the story opens, borrowed from the pages of Ian O'Connor's book "Arnie & Jack," when Arnold Palmer arrived at his first Masters in 1955 it was in the driver's seat of a beat-up two-door Ford. The year was 1955. Riding shotgun was his pregnant wife, Winnie. They were hitched to a small trailer in which they would spend their tournament nights.
In the many months since their side lost another one, prospective U.S. Ryder Cup members dined at Jack Nicklaus' Florida home, lobbed wedge shots on the four-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots' turfed field and were fitted en masse for designer outfits 12 of them will proudly unveil this week at Hazeltine National Golf Club.
Palmer rose from a blue-collar background to become part of the sport’s royalty – he was colloquially known on the PGA tour as “The King” – and frequent playing partner of U.S. presidents. He left an indelible mark on the world of golf in the form of nearly 300 signature – designed courses, and Arnold Palmer Enterprises, which handled his endorsements and other ventures, helped make Palmer the first golfer to make his name a worldwide franchise.
For the last several decades of his life, Arnold Palmer had shown up at golf tournaments without much of a game and no chance to win. He would shoot his 80’s and 82’s, frown at the bogeys and smile at the crowds, and we would nod and say, “Good for you, Arnie.” The fact is, if he shot 90 or 100, he was still Arnie and that’s what we came to see. Him, not his birdies.
The life of Arnold Palmer will be celebrated at a public event at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., at 11 a.m. on Oct. 4, representatives for the late golfer announced Monday.
It's supposed to be a place where we retreat from the realities of life, a place where we can immerse ourselves for a few hours in another world. Sports have always seemed to do that for us, even if the refuge they offer is temporary at best.
Gary Player remembers the many traits of Arnold Palmer: A fiercely competitive golfer who had a "slashing, dashing" style and didn't know when he was beaten.
The son of a Pennsylvania golf-course greens keeper, Arnold Palmer slashed his way through what had been a rich man's sport with an ungainly, corkscrew swing once likened to wrestling a snake.
PGA Tour golfer Jason Kokrak hits a shot from the second floor of a Quail Hollow chalet on the 18th hole during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship.
Charlotte Observer
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PGA Tour golfer nails shot from second story of chalet
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Golfboards are newest rage on Myrtle Beach golf courses
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Luke DeCock previews the SAS Championship golf tournament
