Palmer turns 87 later this year, so this might be the end of the road for him in terms of hitting these ceremonial tee shots.
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One of the legends of golf will not take his place at the first tee at Augusta National in April.
“Am I disappointed by that?” he told a pool reporter at Bay Hill.
He is still The King, but Arnold Palmer is slowly and gracefully aging.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Arnold Palmer will be on the first tee to help start the Masters this year – but without his golf clubs.
Palmer will watch fellow veterans Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hit first-morning tee shots. He had surgery in late 2014 for a shoulder injury that hasn’t allowed him to swing a golf club, which makes this decision a no-brainer. “I would love to go on doing it forever, but I don’t have the physical capability to hit the shot the way I would want to hit it. So I’ll have to be content to watch”. Palmer, who has been an honorary starter for the season’s first major since 2007, is still expected to go to Augusta National, where he played in a record 50 consecutive Masters over his illustrious career, to attend the Champions’ Dinner.
The Masters, a tradition unlike any other, will be without one of its most recognizable moments this year.
Palmer, however, according to the Golf Channel, “is in good spirits, looks great and is excited about the tournament”.
The website also reports that just a few days ago, Palmer’s grandson Sam Saunders revealed that Palmer would have a reduced role at the tournament that bears his name, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which begins at Bay Hill this week.
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“We have a great field and I’m very happy about that”, Palmer said, referring to world No. 2-ranked Rory McIlroy, No. 3 Jason Day and No. 6 Adam Scott playing this week.
