Sure enough, there was Arnold Palmer standing on the first tee at Weston Golf and Country Club, the rolling parkland course on the outskirts of Toronto. He had it teed high and was poised to “let it fly” to the delight of a gallery excited to be so close to this handsome charmer from the humble hills of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, not a day’s drive from here.

Ah, but the light plays tricks, even if they’re ever so welcome. A mere 50 years had passed since Palmer had first hitched his pants at Weston. And Palmer was here not to compete in the Canadian Open, held here in 1955, but to celebrate his win, his first as a PGA Tour professional, and in many ways the launching pad for the Palmer phenomenon that makes him one of the most popular athletes in the world even after celebrating his 76th birthday.

A further 61 PGA Tour wins followed, including seven major championships, but Palmer’s win at Weston, barely a year after his triumph at the US Amateur in 954 and just before his 26th birthday, was where it all began.

“There’s no question that I remember a lot of the golf shots that I made, but I remember more about the shots I made 50 years ago at Weston than I do at most tournaments,” said Palmer, who trailed Charlie Sifford, ‘the U.S. National Negro Champion’ by one shot after the first round but ended up winning by three shots at 23-under-par, the lowest fourround total of his career. “It was an event when things started lighting up for me. My putting was pretty good; I was hitting the ball pretty crisply. Things came together pretty much for me in this Canadian Open and it got me started on the winning trail.”

The trail led back to Weston because Palmer was gracious enough to accept an invitation from the Greater Toronto Area Golf Association to commemmorate the anniversary. Over two days, Palmer’s presence helped raise funds for the GTAGA’s Greens & Dreams Foundation in support of the Sick Kids Foundation and junior golf - “two things that are very close to my heart” said Palmer.

Palmer was also sharing the first tee with Marlene Streit, the only Canadian member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Together they were hitting ceremonial drives to tee off the inaugural Kings and Queens Senior Amateur Championship which could not have chosen its celebrity starters any more wisely.

Palmer got a good laugh a moment later when he peered down toward the pin some 413 yards away and cracked wise: “This hole looks a helluva lot longer than it did 50 years ago.”

Having just turned 76 two days previously, Palmer looked a little creaky as he tried to encourage his body to remember what used to come so naturally, but then again Palmer had been up late the night before, being honored at a gala dinner. He’d managed some breakfast, but doubtless had no time for the stretching routine he said he’s been so dedicated to of late, and which he feels has kept him in reasonable form for the gentleman’s scrambles he still plays so regularly at Bay Hill.

He hit three drives, each with signed drivers later auctioned for charity, the outcome of each a little better than the one previous, and he deemed himself pleased.

“Well I had about four hours sleep last night, a lot less than I usually have, I had my dress shoes on, I couldn’t bend over, my arms were sore, my head was sore,’’ said Palmer. “Hell, I thought I did pretty good.’’

Moments earlier Palmer had been on hand for the unveiling of a bronze likeness of his former self, smiling and forever 25. The statue is Palmer in the afterglow of his big win, perched casually atop a marble block, his Canadian Open trophy getting a warm embrace.

The current edition got some laughs when he shook hands with his likeness, as if to say: “How do you do?” But in reality Palmer needs no introduction to the man who would be The King. A few moments with Palmer and it’s clear that though he may be a little stooped, the buttery, tanned face and the thick, strong hands suggest that he’s closer in spirit to the young man he was than the man he is. His memories of his 1955 win, in which he out-lasted a strong field, including the likes of Sam Snead, Sifford, and Jimmy Demeret, among others, are still fresh a half-century later.

“The pressures here that year were probably as much as anything I had experienced in my life up to that point,’’ said Palmer. “In the last round I shot 70 and I was a little bit nervous starting. I remember it very well. I developed confidence midway through the round when it was pretty obvious that unless I dropped dead I was going to win the tournament.”

Did he know then what that career would mean now? Palmer says in his own way he did. While the $2,400 pay day was welcome, given that he and his wife Winnie were getting ready to start a family, the young charger was hardly satisfied. It was an important step along the way, but Palmer was convinced, rightly as it has so famously turned out, that there were many other big steps to come.

My goals were very high,” he said. “And I feel very happy that I had the opportunity to do what I did and was fortunate enough to win as many golf tournaments as I have won. Whether it was the first one here at the Canadian Open or the last one at the Bob Hope Desert Classic or whatever it might have been. Being given the opportunity to do what I did is something I’m forever thankful for.” And more than 50 years later, his fans are thankful too.

One of the loudest ovations at the ‘Return of the King’ Gala Dinner on September 12, 2005 at the Bristol Place Hotel in Toronto came when event organizer Glenn Goodwin paid tribute to Doc Giffin, who for the past two years worked with and guided Glenn to bring about the historic 50th anniversary celebration of Arnold’s first PGA tour victory - the 1955 Canadian Open.

Glenn told the exclusive audience of 500 in attendance how Doc had been so supportive and instructive (in almost a parental way) in helping him with the tribute event - something Glenn discovered Doc had being doing for Arnold for almost 40 years as his assistant. So even though Doc doesn’t celebrate his 40th anniversary with Arnold until July, 2006, Glenn thought one way to say ‘thank you’ - and to bring attention to the unsung half of one of the greatest team partnerships in the history of sport - was for Arnold and he to surprise Doc at the gala dinner and present him with print No. 40 of the 50 signed prints that were produced to commemorate this special occasion.

Glenn was motivated to make this gesture for Doc by chapter 15 of James Dodson’s A Golfer’s Life - about Arnold’s life on and off the golf course - where Arnold talks about manners, and knowing the importance of when and how to say thank you. "I guess you could say that Arnold helped me a bit too," Goodwin said. "Just like the rest of his extended family in Latrobe."