Palmer’s legacy
To play or not to play: That was the dilemma facing Tour regulars as they surveyed the inclusive dates of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. To a man, they wanted to honor the sport’s first crossover star by being in the tournament’s first staging following his death last September. Unfortunately, the tight schedule in the run-up to the Masters gave them pause; they would have had to squeeze an appearance at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Florida between two World Golf Championships stops, not to mention follow it up with a trek to the Houston Open prior to teeing off at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia.
And so they decided on the basis of their comfort level. Such notables as Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Henrik Stenson, Danny Willett, Justin Rose, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, and Brandt Snedeker committed to suit up. Meanwhile, the likes of Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, and Adam Scott chose to send their regrets. All told, 29 of the Top 50 and 54 of the Top 100 in world rankings are slated to compete for the title, a development that has been as much understood as questioned depending on point of view.
To be sure, those who will be around this week figure to take in a spirited celebration of Palmer’s accomplishments. He won 62 titles, seven on the Grand Slam rota, and his aggressive style endeared him to the masses and made golf, by nature an elitist endeavor, more accessible and populist. As Graeme McDowell, designated host of the Invitational along with Curtis Strange, Peter Jacobsen, and Annika Sorenstam, noted, the legend “created the stage from which Tiger [ Woods] leapt off. Arnie really lay the foundation for the modern game. With how beloved he was, he opened up all the doors to the charities, the businesses, the superstardom, the jets, the commercials.”
Precisely because Palmer will be front and center, the Invitational won’t be anything but a success this year. A 13-foot bronze statue in his likeness, similar to that erected at alma mater Wake Forest University, is set to be unveiled, and other memorabilia will be on display throughout the grounds. At the same time, marquee names have promised to spend as much time interacting with fans as they can in tribute to the way The King accommodated all those who sought his audience during his prime and up until his death.
Significantly, honchos of the Invitational are already taking steps to ensure that the Invitational will stay relevant year after year. “We have been putting a number of elements in place as a long-term strategy, in order to plan for [Palmer’s] legacy well beyond his lifetime,” tournament director Marci Doyle disclosed in an interview with Golf Digest. Needless to say, the Tour itself should help; it won’t be where it is today without the strides he made, and the least it can do is give his tournament a better spot in the calendar.
Honchos of the Invitational are already taking steps to ensure that the Invitational will stay relevant year after year. “We have been putting a number of elements in place as a long-term strategy, in order to plan for [Palmer’s] legacy well beyond his lifetime,” tournament director Marci Doyle disclosed in an interview with Golf Digest.