Palmer won’t turn away from Oakmont
He won’t be playing, but he is the honorary chairman of this U.S. Open.
OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — This is no sentimental journey for Arnold Palmer, not like that 1994 U.S Open at Oakmont. There will be no teary-eyed farewells, no difficult walks up the 18th fairway with thousands chanting his name and reveling in his lifetime of accomplishment.
Then, a 64-year-old Palmer said goodbye to the U.S. Open and big-time golf as a player. Wednesday, it was evident that Palmer — the honorary chairman for this U.S. Open — never plans to put Oakmont in his past.
Played there 66 years
Palmer has played the course for 66 years, or since he was a 12-year-old in 1941, and he has too much emotional attachment to and too many great memories of Oakmont to not be part of the course’s special moments. Even if he never won an Open there, despite coming close in 1962 and 1973, even if he won’t play this time.
“One of the proudest days of my life is when I came here at 12 years old and played golf. I enjoyed it then, and I’ve enjoyed it through the years,” Palmer said.
From the late 1950s until today, the 77-year-old Palmer has been Mr. Golf in Pittsburgh. No major championship there would be the same without the man whose come-from-behind charges and winning personality were greatly responsible for popularizing golf on television a half-century ago and building a legion of fans called Arnie’s Army.
His popularity was so vast that it is believed the hundreds of millions of dollars he has made in commercial endorsements are the most of any sports figure in history.
At Oakmont, though, he enjoys being one of the guys, albeit one who has won 62 tournaments, including four Masters, two British Opens and the 1960 U.S. Open.
Plays, but not competitively
Palmer now splits his time between Florida and his Latrobe, Pa., hometown, spending three or four months a year up north. He plays golf a few times a week, not competitively and usually with friends, and can shoot his age only on a good day, even at home course Latrobe Country Club.
Palmer keeps tabs on the game, engaging this week in long talks with several in the U.S. Open field, including Phil Mickelson. Palmer doesn’t know if Mickelson’s wrist injury will hurt his chances but thinks that will be a bigger barrier to a fourth major than Mickelson’s 18th-hole collapse at Winged Foot a year ago.
“I think he’ll brush last year away and go into this tournament with the thought of winning,” Palmer said.
Tiger the favorite
Palmer also doesn’t dispute that Tiger Woods, who has looked confident and composed all week, should be the favorite, if not a prohibitive one.
“He still has to play the golf course,” Palmer said. “He has to do the same as Joe Porridge who has never been here — he has the same opportunity as Tiger Woods. And all he has to do is hit that ball in the right place, put it in the right place and then putt it in the hole. And they don’t care what his name is.”