Arnold Palmer was a true champion. He was a Master at golf and at understanding more important matters

It’s a shame the great Arnold Palmer didn’t hit one of the ceremonial tee shots at The Masters on Thursday morning.

Palmer died a decade ago with four green jackets to his name. Arnie, as fans and fellow players called him, was 87 and likely was the most beloved golfer of all time, and not just because of his tremendous success, with 99 career wins, 62 on the PGA Tour and seven majors.

Palmer wasn’t the greatest golfer of all time. Jack Nicklaus surpassed him in the late 1960s and Tiger Woods staked a claim as the best ever before his career and life went awry, a sad story that recently added another chapter.

Palmer was dubbed “The King” because of the excitement he brought to a sedate, country club sport 70 years ago. Legions of fans loved his swaggering style and quick smile and cheered him on as he dominated golf for a decade in the late 1950s into the mid-1960s.

Arnie’s Army continued to march behind their general for four decades, even as putts swirled out of the cup and drives landed in the tall grass.

People just flat adored him, win or lose.

When I was a sports editor in Beaverton, Ore., 35 years ago, Palmer played in the Fred Meyer Challenge, a two-day, best-ball event hosted by Oregon golfer Peter Jacobsen.

Palmer was the biggest draw in the tourney, which was held 1986-2002, and he played with a grin as he marched up the course, drawing loud cheers.

After their rounds were over, the pros stopped in the media tent to take some questions. Most did so hurriedly and bolted after offering a few bland answers.

Once again, Palmer outperformed the other golfers. He would get a beer, sit down and take as many questions as we asked. One year, when an unctuous official tried to hurry him out of the tent, Palmer shooed him away.

“Grab me another beer,” he told the guy. “I’m having fun.”

I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of stars over the years and most were gracious and willing to take questions from a no-name reporter like me. I always tried to be a professional and never asked for an autograph. But Palmer was different. A close friend asked for an Arnie autograph and one year, as the tourney was winding down, I asked Mr. Palmer if he would sign my program.

Sure, he said, grabbing the pen and inking his name. I soon regretted it, as others saw him signing and charged toward him. Palmer smiled and greeted his fans like friends.

Even late in his career, Palmer was an impressive specimen. When I watched him play, he was 60, 61 and 62 years old. But he looked like a high school running back, with broad shoulders and deep chest atop slim hips and powerful legs.

Most of the other golfers looked like the journalists who covered them.

Palmer’s honesty also was impressive. In 1990, racism in golf was exposed when the PGA Championship was scheduled to be played at the Shoal Creek Country Club near Birmingham, Ala. The club’s founder, Hall W. Thompson, admitted to discriminating against Black players. It sparked outrage and deservedly so.

A few weeks later, at the Fred Meyer Challenge, several of us wanted to discuss the issue with the pros. Some wanted nothing to do with it. Not Palmer.

While tourney officials looked on nervously, Palmer made his view clear: Racism had no place in golf.

That’s in keeping with his non-country club background. Palmer’s dad, Deacon Palmer, was the superintendent and pro at the Latrobe Country Club in Latrobe, Pa. As a gifted young golfer crazy for the game, Arnie could only play the course when the members weren’t using it.

Palmer could tee off whenever he wanted to — since he bought the club in 1971!

The Masters will go on for decades. It’s a Mecca for golfers and their fans, but without Arnie, it’s lost a lot of its legend.

Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.

Photo: Palmer, aged 77, at the 2013 Masters tourney, public domain, wikimedia commons

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