India’s golf fraternity loved Arnold Palmer. His stories and secrets are legendary. Youngsters have grown revering The King. India’s hardly had its own icons and the game’s just finding its newest mascots but Palmer has been a favourite. His charisma, global outlook and love for growing the game and big hearted philanthropy are world famous.
Chiragh Kumar remembers Palmer as the person he stayed up late to watch at the ceremonial teeoff at The Masters. “It’s a Big Loss for the Game to lose ‘The King’. He was the first real superstar of Golf. He made a big impact on changing the perception of the game. With 7 Majors and 62 PGA Tour wins (please check) he was definitely one of the greatest. Will miss his inaugural tee off at the Masters which I use to stay up to watch!” Golf Photographer and Admirer of The King Patrick Lim never got to meet him but was inspired by his presence in the trinity of golf. “I never got to visit him but have been privileged to meet and interact with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player – the other two in the The Big Three of their time,” where Palmer completed the trio.
Playing and learning golf is unlikely to be complete without your coach mentioning some of the iconic quotes of the Palmer. “His quotes were part of our training schedule. Coaches would often pick Palmer as an example of hard work and practise,” shares Vani Kapoor, India’s top female golfer. “It’s extremely sad to hear about his death. He was an inspiration to many and personally he was someone whom I looked up too.” For many he was the reason they even took up the sport. “He is one of the reasons I play competitive golf,” says golfer CG Somiah.
Palmer took golf international not by travelling himself but putting it on television. Palmer’s credited not for being the greatest golfer of all times but for bringing the world of broadcast to it. He made golf a brand and got brands to golf. CEO Golfer Ronny Bindra says of Palmer “Icons make one followers, made me follow more golf than I might have otherwise.”
Harish Thawani of Nimbus Sport that organises the Hero Indian Open in India calls him a “King of Hearts.” Thawani insists a “more endearing champion may not grace the royal game ever. The greatest role model in sport.” Palmer’s contribution to golf was wholesome – it had talent, class, style and charisma. “His style, finesse and smile was something I would want to show with my game as well. The level at which he was able to play with the equipment they had really shows how great he was,” shares CG Somaih.
“A great loss to the game of golf. A true legend, will always be missed,” says Aadil Jehangir. And we couldn’t agree more.
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