Tales from the Ranks
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I Named My Child Palmer!
Not that I'm obsessed with golf, but I have 2 young boys and have named them Nicklaus and Palmer. I always thought it would be great for the kids to have an autograph of each of the players for when they get older. So a couple of years ago Arnie was playing in the Cincinnati area at a course he designed, the TPC at Riverbend. The Kroger Classic. So I watched and tried to figure out how to get his attention. I have never gotten an autograph from anyone before so I didn't really know how to go about it. I finally saw a spot where all the players carts parked on this particular hole (#9), and decided that I would sit there and wait until Arnie finished the hole and was getting in his cart and ask him to autograph a picture for my son Palmer. Well as luck would have it, it wasn't one of Arnie's better holes. He had put one in the water and had 3-putted to make things worse. I could see steam coming out of his ears as he walked toward me and the cart. He flopped down in the seat and looked right at me and said "I wonder if I can just quit right now?" I replied, "No sir, there are still 9 holes left!" He looked at his caddie and said "lets get on to number 10 then!" I didn't have the heart to ask him to sign the photo after the bad hole, but enjoyed the chance to talk to him personally, if only in passing. He showed his sense of humor even when he was having a bad day! I guess that's why he is the fan favorite! I am proud to have my 2 year old named after him, and maybe someday will figure out a way for them to meet or at least get that photo signed!
Posted by scurry at September 1, 2005 05:50 PM