“Palmer’s legacy will live here as long as this club is in existence”, Ogden said. The funeral, later this week, will be limited to family.
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With a final-round 65, Arnold Palmer erased a seven stroke deficit to win the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club.
Former champions Jack Nicklaus (left), Arnold Palmer (centre) and Gary Player on the first tee during the ceremonial start for the 2013 Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia April 11, 2013. I spent a lot of time with Arnold learning more about life and about golf. “I remember watching him play at Pleasant Valley (Sutton, Mass.) in a tournament he won”, said Arvanitis.
Larry Koberg recalls doing a school report on Arnold Palmer.
Nicklaus joined Golf Channel’s coverage of Palmer’s passing via phone Monday and offered insight on the loss he felt after the two shared fairways for more than 50 years.
Palmer even remembers how his name became affixed to the drink.
“I actually met Arnold Palmer twice”, Lehan said.
However, it was his working-class background – Palmer’s dad was a greenskeeper and golf pro – as well as his humble spirit that helped the now-iconic sports figure grow famous. Playing during the infancy of sports television, Palmer had the lead role in transforming the game itself from a limited-access pursuit of the affluent to a mass-market recreational sport.
Asked for his favourite memory of Palmer, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain tweeted: “Him just being him!” “The loudness of those roars; I mean you could hear them for miles”.
Johnston paid tribute to Palmer, who died on Sunday at the age of 87, as a “very warm and authentic personality” and said the memorial service was taking place next week so as not to interfere with the ‘whole golfing schedule’.
Slumbers says “his contribution to The Open Championship was, and remains, immeasurable”.
Besides becoming the game’s first million-dollar player, Mr. Palmer picked up big commercial endorsements and recognition for the once-sleepy sport.
At last year’s Open Championship at St Andrews, we were rival captains in the four-hole Past Champions event and, although our team scores were the same, Arnold’s team won the charity donation by being the older team of the two.
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