It's good to be the King

Arnold Palmer hits a grand milestone on Sept. 10 when he turns 80 years old, but the King also is going to build up more air miles getting to the various celebrations scheduled in his honor. "I mostly have my wife to blame," Palmer joked. "I never gave much thought to approaching any particular birthday, but there's a lot of people making me think about this one. I kid about it, but, obviously, it's all very nice." The festivities begin on Friday, Sept. 4 in his winter home in Orlando, Fla. Palmer is attending a community leader breakfast, where the mayor of Orlando, Buddy Dyer, is to present Palmer with a key to the city. The following evening, in conjunction with a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children, Palmer is the guest of honor at a dinner at the Portofino Hotel at Universal Studios. After that Palmer heads to his hometown of Latrobe, Pa., and on Tuesday, Sept. 8 he travels to Pittsburgh for Arnold Palmer Bobblehead Night at PNC Park. The King will throw out the first pitch preceding the Major League Baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs. On Sept. 9, Palmer attends a golf outing at Laurel Valley Golf Club, an event that features friends and business acquaintances. Champions Tour player and friend Peter Jacobsen is expected to be among the attendees. Dinner at the club follows that evening. On the big day, Sept. 10, Palmer gets off the merry-go-round, so to speak. He plans to remain in Latrobe for a private celebration with his family and a few close friends.Â

What, no golf?

"Well, I don't know," Palmer said. "But if you know me, you shouldn't rule it out." -- Dave ShedloskiÂ