King Among Us

For all he accomplished on the golf course, Arnold Palmer will also be remembered for his charishma and humanity-And by the countless lives he touched.

- Michael Bamberger

ARNOLD PALMER, WHO DIED ON SUNDAY AT AGE 87, led an American life that will never be duplicated, so rooted was it in a lost time and a place and the sui generis composition of the man. The golf legend won his last major championship in 1964 and his last PGA Tour event in ’73, but in the 43 years since, his status has only grown. He had a knack for making people feel better about themselves and about their prospects. As a player, he allowed his fans to join him in his unbridled assertiveness. He created a vicarious thrill unlike any player before him and none since. When his skills faded and his hair turned silver and then white, he exuded grandfatherly warmth that was also unmatched. For these and other reasons,he was not only the most beloved figure ever to play golf but also the rare golfer who was able to transcend a niche sport and become an international figure.

At the 2016 Masters, Palmer attended the festivities but did not hit a ceremonial opening tee shot alongside his friends Jack Nicklaus and GaryPlayer—the trio had been marketed as the BigThree— and Nicklaus spoke about Palmer with notable sadness, already perhaps anticipating last week’s news. In June, at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, 40 miles from Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe, Pa., players and commentators paid tribute to the man known as the King, a nickname he said in a memoir being published this month he was never comfortable with. All of golf has been preparing itself for Palmer’s death, which for millions of players around the world was almost like losing a parent. For decades,ChiChi Rodriguez preached this message: “Every touring pro should bow down and pray to Arnold Palmer, for what he did for golf.”