A Golden Masters For The King

Recalling that day, Palmer simply says, "I was just a little disappointed in that whole thing." A turning point in the prickly round seemed to come when both went for the green on the par-5 13th, Rodriguez reaching with a wood and then watching Palmer nearly hole his 1-iron shot.

Palmer in 1973 showing he knew how to drive on and off the course.
Photo: Historic Golf Photos

"I always maintained that if you're strong, Augusta is a natural, and Arnold was strong and confident in his strength," says Gene Littler, who was paired with Palmer the third day and watched him birdie the last three holes to extend his lead to five. "Hardly anybody went for those par 5s then, but he went for them with long irons and woods. Now it's a par-68 course."

Defending champion Nicklaus was putting poorly, and his third round was notable for perhaps the most embarrassing shot of his life. On the 12th hole, the watery par 3, he shanked his tee shot with an 8-iron, right over the heads of Augusta National co-founders Bobby Jones and Cliff Roberts, looking on from a golf cart in what they presumed was a safe spot.

Bruce Devlin, then a young Australian, was Palmer's closest pursuer after three rounds--if you can call the five-stroke gap close. "At that point the rest of us were playing for second place," says Devlin, who finished fourth. "The thing that struck me about Arnold in those days was that he always welcomed players from other parts of the world. His attitude was 'Let's tee it up and go.' Back then that wasn't always the case."

In the final round Palmer was thinking about Hogan's tournament record of 274, needing four birdies on the closing holes. (Hogan, who always offended Palmer because he never called him by name, had shot 67 Saturday at the age of 51.) A par at 12 and a three-putt par at 13 dimmed Palmer's chances for the record, but they revived with birdies at 14 and 15.

Marr would go down in history for quips to Palmer near the end. At 15, Palmer went for the par 5 in two rather than sit on his lead. Looking into the sun, he worried whether his approach was clearing the water, and asked Marr, who said, "Hell, Arnold, your divot got over."

On 18, with Marr fighting for second place, Palmer asked his friend if there was anything he could do to help him. "Yeah," said Marr. "Make a 12."

Palmer says of Marr, "He was a joy to play with and a great guy." The golf world has not replaced the late Marr's lively southwestern wit.

When Palmer missed a birdie putt at 16 and bogeyed 17, Hogan's record was safe. But Palmer's flair for the dramatic produced an enduring video highlight at 18, where he rolled in a birdie putt of 20 to 25 feet and set a record for the visor throw. He had shot 70 and led from first round to closing ceremony, where Nicklaus helped him into the green coat.

The 24-year-old Nicklaus shot the low round of 67 Sunday. The next year he would shoot 271 to shatter Hogan's record, nine shots better than runners-up Palmer and Player. The game would have a new sheriff, and, to the amazement of all, Palmer would not win another major. He would capture 20 tour tournaments after the '64 Masters--he has the tour record for most wins by a player in his 30s, with 42--but no more majors.

"I wouldn't have guessed it," he says. "I should have won three or four U.S. Opens after that, and I could have won a couple more Masters, but didn't. How do you explain it? Who knows? Maybe I was too satisfied."

And so it winds down, a half century of heroics and heartbreak and annual reunions at the Masters, the youngest of our major championships but the most deeply traditional. Palmer will take his leave on his terms, and his alone.

He hasn't made the cut at the Masters in 20 years. He has shot his age on the Champions Tour but hasn't come close at Augusta National. Still, his 83-83 showing last year was no small feat on a course lately being fed designer steroids. He needs two woods on most of the par 4s. In any case, his multitudes of fans care not at all what he shoots.

Does he have a goal going into his 50th and last Masters?

"To win!" he says.

We didn't want to hear anything else, did we?