Bonk
Arnie's World
As Arnold Palmer approaches his 80th birthday, the golf world celebrates his legacy, and the man ponders his mortality
The impromptu receiving line starts forming at the back of a cart near the 10th tee, where the pros begin their tournament round at Bermuda Dunes (Calif.) Country Club. It isn't set up to be a receiving line exactly, but that's the way it turns out, because Arnold Palmer is sitting in the cart, legs crossed, and he's watching.
Every pro follows the same path after he hits his tee shot . . . a short detour to the right, a quick hello to Palmer, a handshake, perhaps a couple of words of encouragement, then a left turn before heading down the fairway. Mark Calcavecchia, Rich Beem, Brad Faxon, Corey Pavin, Charley Hoffman, Justin Leonard, Tommy Armour, Jason Gore, D. J. Trahan. One by one, they stop, visit, smile, chat and move on. After awhile, the scene evolves, the pace slows, the emotions surface, the view changes, almost as if it's become something else altogether, like an audience with a world dignitary or political leader.
. . . . In fact, that's exactly what it was. Palmer is such a package, and more, even at 79 -- especially at 79. He hasn't played a regular Champions Tour event in three years or a PGA Tour event in more than five, but judging by the number of players who want to say hello or the fans who ask him for his autograph, Palmer stands tall among golf's elite.
He's a people magnet. It's as if asking him to sign a program, a ticket stub, a cap, a shirt or a scrap of paper, or even being near him, whatever power or magnetism or charm that fills him is maybe going to rub off.
And who's to say they're wrong?
If there was a position as Ambassador to Golf, Palmer would fill it, but it's a job he's already held unofficially for years -- not that he's complaining.
"I do get tired, but it's not a burden," he told GolfDigest.com. "It's more of a pleasure than anything else. I think the fact that people have been so nice to me says a lot."
Palmer looks sharp, especially on this day, decked in razor-sharp gray slacks and a blue sweater. Once, when there was a break between groups, Palmer turned his head, looked down the fairway and said softly, to no one in particular:
"I know every blade of grass."
There are many courses where he could say the same thing, especially this week at Bay Hill Club and Lodge, where the Arnold Palmer Invitational is being played. It's a tournament that's been played at Palmer's Bay Hill since 1979, and a mainstay on the PGA Tour as one of the highlights of the Florida swing
For a man who turns 80 in September, Palmer's clout remains unshakable, his reputation more formidable than ever. That's what it means when you have four Masters titles, seven major championships in all, 62 victories on the PGA Tour, four Vardon Trophies, four earnings titles, a Hall of Fame membership, a Presidential Medal of Honor, the Patriot Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and a charity fund-raiser for the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women in Orlando.
Palmer is still near the top of his game. Last year, he made an estimated $30 million to rank No. 4 in the Golf Digest 50, a list of the top earners on and off the course. Tiger Woods is No. 1, with a total of about $117 million, but Palmer's estimated earnings in 2008 were still more than Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and, yes, even Jack Nicklaus.
And yet, however important money may be, it's not the real Palmer story. According to Gary Player, the Palmer story is the people's story.
"Arnold has always had sort of a partnership with his fans and signing autographs and such," Player said recently. "I've seen dozens of players, how they treat people is frightening. Arnold has always behaved impeccably.
"He is the most charismatic golfer I've ever seen. He was lucky. He fell out of bed with it."
