"Arnold can't be Arnold this week at Oakmont."
Ian O'Connor at ESPN.com looks back at all of Arnold Palmer's great moments at Oakmont and visits with The King who has been struggling with not being able to be Arnold Palmer.
He writes this, which starts with a quote from longtime sidekick Doc Giffin:
"It's tough on him, very tough," Giffin said. "He wants to be the man, and enjoy life, and he loves being in the public eye. I'm afraid he won't be in the public eye very much with these infirmities that he has. We saw it happen to the greatest of his predecessors -- Hogan, Snead, Nelson. They kind of disappeared."
It's hard to imagine Palmer fading to black. Britt and others still hear him on the phone telling people of plans to play a round of golf. "We'll be talking at lunch," Newingham said, "and he'll say, 'OK, what day are we playing this week?' He still longs to rip it down the middle of the fairway 285 yards, and hear the cheers."
Recent dental and toe surgeries appear to have helped Palmer feel better, eat better and show a little more energy, all good news for the fellow pros who saw him at the Masters and grew terribly concerned. "I can't picture anyone making a greater effort than he has," said Dow Finsterwald, Palmer's old running mate on tour. "I would never bet against him."
Tim Rosaforte offered this update on Morning Drive.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016 at 08:33 AM
Reader Comments (7)
Sometime in my twenties I started to clue in, and in his long and lustrous twilight I have gained the appropriate appreciation of the man.
The Jenkins quote "I don't suppose anybody's ever enjoyed being who they are more than Arnold's enjoyed being Arnold Palmer" sums it up.
Have an aunt who was full of vigor at 84 and 2 years later is a lot like Arnie...it's a shame but time and tide waits for no man.
Hope he can at least be able to show up once in awhile with these reports of some improvement..