No sentimental journey for Palmer at Oakmont
OAKMONT, Pa. — 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. On Wednesday, it was evident that Palmer — the honorary chairman for this U.S. Open — never plans to put Oakmont in his past.
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.
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.
Of course, there are the occasional forays to events such as the recent White House dinner with Queen Elizabeth. Asked what the two discussed, Palmer deadpanned, "Oh, her golf."
"Actually, we talked about a couple of golf courses in Scotland that I have played and I remarked about how I thought the links courses in England and Scotland were very fun to play," Palmer said. "And she liked that."
