Bob Goalby 1968 Masters champion
I wrote Arnold a letter the other
day. Never wrote him one in my life.
I just told him that I was honored to
have played in the same era as he did.
I said, "All of us would have liked to
have been like you." That may not
have been adequate, but I wanted
him to know how we feel.
Peter Jacobsen Seven-time PGA Tour winner
I met him while playing a practice round
at the Bing Crosby Pro-Am at Pebble
Beach. I don't recall the year. I cut across
a hole and looked back, and I saw that it
was Arnold Palmer. I was so embarrassed.
He walked up on the next tee, stuck
his hand out and said, "Hey, do you
mind if we join you?" When it was clear
that I had cut in front of him! My heart
was pounding out of my chest, but
he treated me as an equal. That's the
kind of guy he is, and that's the kind of
image he projects — one of inclusion,
not exclusion.
Doc Giffin Palmer's business manager and right-hand man
Probably the most memorable moment
for me was the time President Eisenhower
surprised him on his birthday in 1966.
Winnie set it up, and I was one of the
few in on it. She sent Arnie's plane to
Gettysburg on a Saturday morning
to pick up the former President.
Eisenhower just comes up the walk
and knocks on the door. Winnie and
Arnie answer the door, and there's Ike
standing there with a little bag in his
hands. And Ike says, "Do you happen
to have a little room for an old man
to spend the night?"
David B. Fay USGA executive director
The first time I saw him was at the 1967
U.S. Open, a practice round. He comes
walking up the hill on the fifth hole,
wearing a light blue shirt, and I couldn't
believe the size of his forearms. It was a
lasting image, like the first time you walk
into a big league ballpark and you can't
believe how green it is.
Renton Laidlaw Longtime golf announcer
I remember when Palmer won the 1975
Spanish Open at La Manga. I went to
interview him in his bungalow. He was
on the phone to his wife, and he was
like a child: "I won again!" I was just so
impressed. He was that kind of competitor.
You'd have thought he'd won the Open.
Louise Suggs LPGA founder and Hall of Famer
I knew Arnold and Winnie before they
were married, back when they used to go
into a clubhouse and order food at a table
for two. Arnold always called me "Patty."
Charlie Mechem [the former LPGA
commissioner] was showing him around
one day, and Arnold came over to me and
said, "Patty, how are you?" And I said,
"Arnold, if you keep callin' me Patty, I'm
going to start callin' you Jack."
Bob Goalby
I saw him sign autographs in
hundred-degree heat after he'd shot
74 or 75. He'd stand there for an hour
by the ropes. I wouldn't stand there for
10 minutes; I'd be churning inside.
But he'd just stand there. I think
he loved the adulation.
Vinny Giles Winner of both the U.S. and British Amateurs
I played with him twice in the
Masters, as an amateur. Back then
they let the galleries get a lot closer to
the action, and there would be occasions
where you had to wait. I remember
my third shot to No. 8 — they had to
move 10,000 people out of the way
so I could hit an 80-yard pitch.
[Laughs.] They certainly weren't
there to watch me.
Dow Finsterwald
Arnold lost a Monday playoff in
Wilmington in 1958, so we didn't get to
Augusta until Monday night. On Tuesday
I put together a game with Ben Hogan
and Jack Burke. It wasn't one of Arnold's
better days, and afterward, Hogan said
something like, "How did this guy get in
the tournament with that swing?" Gosh
darn, Arnold had won seven tournaments
in two years, so I think Hogan must have
just been pulling Arnold's chain a little
bit. But it worked out well for Arnold
that week. [Palmer won the first of his four
Masters titles. Hogan finished seven strokes
back in a tie for 14th.]
Gary Player Longtime Palmer rival
Arnold fell out of bed with charisma. He
didn't need to speak. He just had it.
