Chaska, Minnesota …
The late Arnold Palmer was remembered on day one of the 41st Ryder Cup with his golf bag from being USA captain in 1975 placed on the first tee at Hazeltine.
Palmer passed away last Sunday aged 87 and cremated on Thursday, and with his ashes scattered from a private jet over his beloved Latrobe golf course in Pennsylvania.
There were just two clubs in Palmer’s bag and with many on the first tee, including European Ryder Cup vice-captain Ian Poulter grabbing the chance to have his photo taken beside the bag.
Arnold Palmer’s 1975 Ryder Cup captain’s bag on the first tee at Hazeltine National Golf Club. (Photo -USA TODAY Sports)
Poulter later tweeted: #Respect Mr Arnold Palmer
USA Captain Davis Love 111 said Palmer’s memory had helped galvanized the team in their meeting last night.
“There were a lot of emotions,” said Love ahead of competition commencing at 7.30am local time.
‘The King’ made his presence felt in seven Ryder Cup’s from making his debut in 1961 at Royal Lytham and St. Annes with his USA side winning by five points.
Palmer was then a playing winning captain in 1963 thumping GB & I by 14 points at East Lake in Atlanta.
He was then on the winning 1965, 1967, 1971 and 1973 teams before Palmer’s final Ryder Cup appearance at a non-playing captain in 1975 where his USA team won by 10 points over a GB & I side at Laurel Valley in his home state of Pennsylvania.
And Palmer’s 1975 Ryder Cup bag would be seen often at Bay Hill where it was virtually a permanent fixture on Palmer’s motorised buggy.
Fans flocked to the course and with many dressed, as was observed two years ago at Gleneagles, in Minnesota NFL Vikings attire while there was one dressed as Abraham Lincoln.
But while the USA supporters easily out-weighed European supporters there was still plenty ‘trans-Atlantic’ cheers.
And also in the lead-up to the first match the crowd was being entertained by the sounds of ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ by Minneapolis-born Prince, who died in April this year.
It was Justin Rose who hit the first shot for Europe and with the crowd affording the Olympic Gold Medal winner quiet as he hit his tee shot.
Rose, with a cheeky wink to the television cameras, smashed a perfect drive down the middle and was his effort was matched by USA opponent Patrick Reed, although the loudest cheers were reserved for his partner and double Major winning Jordan Spieth.
Meantime –
The spirit of Palmer clearly lives on as the first session of the 41st Ryder Cup became only the third time in history Europe failed to score a point.
You have to go back to the 1947 and 1975 when the then GB & I teams were white-washed by the Americans.
And bizarrely, it was in 1975 when Palmer last took his place in a Ryder Cup as a non-playing Captain and with his team, led out first by Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf, humbled B J Hunt’s GB & I’s men in winning the opening four Foursomes to set-up a ninth straight USA Team success.
