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December 09, 2005
Westchester Golf Tournament
I was 19 and in the gallery early on the Friday round at the Westchester Golf Tournament. We were standing just off the fairway at the 11th hole waiting to catch a glimpse of Arnie who was on the tee 275 yards away. His tee shot just nicked a tree and landed right near us. I could not believe that in a few moments we were going to see Arnie up close.
When he got to his ball he looked at the crowd and looked direcly at me. He asked, "Did it hit the tree?" I could not speak. Someone else finally answered and the crowd started to cheer as he got ready to hit his next shot. He hit a great iron just off the green.
It has never happened before or since then that I was so in awe of someone that I could not get the words out. I guess Arnie has that effect on people. I've always imagined that I would one day get a second chance to speak with Arnie... but so far it has not happened.
Posted by scurry at 12:56 PM
December 03, 2005
Meeting Arnie at age 7
I attended a Senior Tour Event at Sewickley Heights with my dad when I was 7 years old. I was fascinated with Arnie, and walked with him for probably 16 holes. On one of the holes, Arnie looked out to me, and brought me under the ropes. I walked down the fairway with Arnold Palmer! After the round was over, my dad and I talked with Winnie Palmer and waited for Arnie to sign autographs. Arnie graciously signed my Arnold Palmer visor, and gave me a wink. I recently had the chance to see Arnie at the Senior Open this past year, at Laurel Valley. It was the first time since that day at Sewickley Heights that I got to see Arnie again. Again we followed Arnie most of the round, on the practice tee and green, and most of his 9 holes. He again signed my pass, and even my brother's arm cast! Having an interest in Arnie, and a love for the game, I am now 15 years old, a sophomore in high school, and the first girl in the history of my school district to be on the golf team. Since we don't have a girls team, I play with the boys, from their tees, and this year I made varsity. I keep a Latrobe Country Club bag tag on my bag, with Arnie's greatest round ever, hoping to match that score one day!
Posted by scurry at 11:16 AM