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Sunday, April 6, 2008
Arnold Palmer defined the Masters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was 50 years ago that Arnold Palmer first won the Masters, and as he sets aloft the traditional opening shot on Thursday at Augusta National Golf Club, what better time to dwell upon his pioneering of this most treasured of championships. That is said, by the way, with full confidence — bolstered by a poll in which it was voted (1) the event more would most like to attend, and (2) the tournament more golfers would choose just to play.
In its long duration, ever played on the same course, one could say there have been three eras of champions, beginning with Palmer, followed by the Jack Nicklaus era and presently the Tiger Woods era. Between 1958 and 1964, Palmer won four Masters. Nicklaus’ was more a spread than an era, running from 1962 to 1975, during which he won five times, then after an 11-year lag, to 1986 when he burst forth with the most magic of them all, at the age of 46. Woods’ era began in 1997, when he shot the lights out, and is still in motion after four championships.
It is the Palmer era upon which we concentrate here, because more than any one champion, he engraved the Masters on the national consciousness. It is true that it wasn’t without controversy that he won in 1958, though he considers it the most treasured of them all. An uncertain official at the 12th hole dawdled over a ruling, upon which Palmer took matters in his own hands, and was upheld by the rules chairman, John Winters.
It was in 1960 that both Palmer and the Masters splashed upon the American scene with enduring impact. First, though, a flashback: Arnie might have made it three in a row but for a surging finish by Art Wall in 1959, “such as the Masters has never seen, roaring out of nowhere to win,” in the words of Herbert Warren Wind. Wall, paired with Julius Boros 21 minutes behind Palmer, birdied five of the last six holes and nailed Arnie by a stroke. Wall, incidentally, is the only Masters champion who never defended his title. A knee infection had him sidelined in 1960, when he watched and recorded Palmer in the year of “Arnie’s Army” as a correspondent for this newspaper. Palmer was rewarded with a check for $11,250. Wall’s check was for $250.
It was almost as if by some mystical force that Palmer and national television coincided. He had arrived at Augusta on a tear, four times a winner and leading the money list by a whopping margin. Previously, the Masters had been a nice little golfing social, come one, come all, step right up, buy a ticket and come right in. We shall never know those days again.
Palmer had his chance again in 1961, and it was the greenside bunker at 18 where the championship was won and lost. Gary Player blasted out of the sand and got his par. Palmer blasted out and double-bogeyed; for the first time the Masters had an international champion and since has multiplied that number and added a few continents. Palmer rebounded in 1964, and this time it was no contest. He led from start to finish and won by six strokes over Nicklaus and Dave Marr.
Nicklaus, meanwhile, was moving in, and winning in 1963 was just the beginning, though it was no wafting along on a breeze of popularity. Just the opposite, for Jack at that stage was still rather plump and burr-headed. Sad to say, but his retreat in 1964 was greeted with cheers. Augusta National belonged to Arnold Palmer, and some galleryites cruelly let there be no doubt about it. The stage was Arnie’s, and Nicklaus was viewed as an intruder.
Well, all that was changed by 1986, when the grand old champion was cheered home on Sunday, not a dry eye in the gallery. Now, the spotlight has switched to Woods. The stage is his. No Masters has been played this century in which he has not been the projected champion. He has not taken the course in hand and crushed it, as seemed the prospect. He has been taken to a playoff by the improbable Chris DiMarco. He has successfully defended only once, in 2002. Upset of them all, though, was when Zach Johnson, a sort of an Iowa Walter Mitty, slipped in through conservative game-planning last year, and here we are again. This time it’s more than the Woods era at Augusta, but the goal now is the Grand Slam, and the Masters must be won for that to stay alive.
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