The King turns 80: Our favorite memories of Palmer

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As Arnold Palmer celebrates his 80th birthday, our columnists share their favorite memories of the legendary golfer.

PALMER'S FAREWELL TO THE U.S. OPEN
Craig Dolch, PGATOUR.COM Contributor

Golfers don't ever retire. They just play less often -- or in front of less people.

PHOTO ESSAY: There may never be a golfer as photogenic as Arnold Palmer. Need proof? Check out these images of his career. Click here 80 THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT ARNIE: Is it his smile? His untucked shirt? Or the fact that he has a tea named after him? Columnist Melanie Hauser has her top 80. Click here PLAYERS REACT: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Gary Player, Ben Crenshaw and others discuss their memories of Arnie, and the impact he has made on their careers. Click here BEST MEMORIES: PGATOUR.COM's columnists share their best memories of dealing with the King. Click here FATHER AND SON: PGATOUR.COM's Brian Wacker reveals how Arnie reached out to his father, who was dying of cancer. Click here LETTER FROM ARNIE: Helen Ross shares a note from Arnie that inspired her father in his battle against prostate cancer. Click here INFLUENCE ON GOLF: He isn't just a golfer. He's an icon who transcended the game, created an Army and made golf cool to watch. Click here ARNIE'S NUMBERS: His wins, margins of victory and the rest of Arnie's numbers. Click here

So whenever Arnold Palmer announced one of his "retirements" during the 1990s, I always cast a suspicious eye. Especially the seventh or eighth time.

But when the United States Golf Association gave Arnold a special invitation to the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont, you knew this was different. You knew this would be the last time the USGA gave him a free pass (it was his fifth special exemption), and you knew this was a fitting place for Palmer to end his USGA career at a course so close to his heart and so close to where he grew up.

Watching Palmer walk up Oakmont's 18th hole was an emotional moment for everyone -- the fans, the TV viewers, his fellow players, the media and especially Palmer.

By the time Palmer made it to the interview room, he was spent. He came in and answered all of two questions before he could do no more. What else was he going to say? What else were we going to ask?

Then something happened that's rarer than a double eagle: The media stood up and applauded for the King. Not just polite applause, mind you, but an emphatic standing ovation for one of the most charismatic athletes in sports.

We as reporters know you root for the story, not the athlete. But this time, we happily made an exception.

PALMER SAYS GOODBYE
By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.COM Contributor

How do you pick just one?

Mention Arnie and the images fly through your mind. The laughs. The winks. The jokes -- some we can't repeat. The moments when you're just hanging out talking about...well, nothing much.

As I flip through the moments, my mind settles on one -- the day in 2006 he walked away from competitive golf.

His eyes were brimming with tears. And, yes, he needed a moment before he walked into the clubhouse.

He had played the final 14 holes of the first round of the Administaff Small Business Classic as a marker for John Mahaffey and Lee Trevino. He had signed autographs for both of them. He talked to friends and reporters. He did an interview for the GOLF CHANNEL.

It was time to head to the clubhouse, but he wasn't quite ready to put 60 years behind him. He needed to take a deep breath and put the enormity of his decision and the moment in perspective one more time.

His 77-year-old body and soul told him it was time to move on. He couldn't give us good shots anymore. It was time to say goodbye.

He looked at me and I smiled as if to reassure him that it was OK. That we understood. It was time for him to let go. And time for us to let him go.

He nodded, smiled and took the next step.

A NOTE FROM THE KING
By Stan Awtrey, PGATOUR.COM Contributor

A few years ago I was assigned a package of stories that asked top golfers to recall their favorite Masters memory. One of the subjects was Arnold Palmer.

He set aside time to meet me prior to the third round of his tournament at Bay Hill. I met him in his modest office on the second floor at the club and he gave interesting answers and anecdotes to my questions, even though he had no doubt answered them hundreds of time over the years.

I snagged a business card on the way out (not everyone has an Arnold Palmer business card) and the next day dropped a thank-you note in the mail.

When I arrived home a week later there was a letter from Bay Hill mixed in the pile of junk mail. It was a note from Arnold, thanking me for covering his golf tournament. And on the bottom of the note was the distinctive Arnold Palmer signature.

Wow. I looked at it over and over. I even took it to work to show my colleagues. I put it in a safe place and will one day have it framed and displayed.

I still look at the note from time to time. It reminds me to be kind to other people, even the ones you don't know.

If Arnold Palmer can do it, why can't I?