Arnold Palmer: Tour Pros remember . . . “I first met Arnold Palmer in..”

Graeme McDowell:

"The first time I ever met him was back in the mid ’90s. The British Seniors Open came to Royal Portrush for two or three years in a row and it was just hanging over the back of the fence at the range and just kind of, I hadn’t really ever been exposed to professional golf very much growing up where I grew up. We didn’t really see many events around Northern Ireland. So the British Senior Open was a big deal. Having Palmer and Gary Player and all the legends of the game coming over to play. And I just remember talking to him and how engaging he was and just how just the charm and the personality of the man and how genuine he was and how he just touched people, just by looking at them and saying something kind and I think that was just the man that — I mean, obviously, we got to know him as a golfer, but the person was even more special. You only had to spend a few minutes in his company to understand why he touched so many people the way he did… I guess from a professional golf point of view, 2005 late in the Sunday afternoon walking up the hill and being greeted by a legend and calling you by your first name. Pretty special for a young kid, 25 years old or whatever I was at the time. Having my biggest PGA Tour finish ever and shaking hands with Arnold Palmer. That was amazing."

2010 US Open champion, McDowell has an even par on his first round Bay Hill card this year. Over his 14-year pro career McDowell has collected 14 worldwide wins, the most recent coming at the 2014 Alstom Open de France, but that US Open victory and The King’s congratulations remain a special set of memories for him.