The year 2016 will long be remembered for one event — the passing of the legendary Arnold Palmer.
Palmer died at the age of 87 on September 25 while awaiting a surgical procedure at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
It was the saddest and most remembered day in golf this past year.
The King was gone.
He left an incredible legacy. He played the game with a bravado that brought the game to the masses. Arnie was America’s Golfer when the game needed a hero.
He will be remembered most for the way he treated people and his philanthrophic deeds.
He put the Masters on the map. He was the blue collar guy who mingled with everyday people with the same style when he was surrounded by Presidents, Kings and Queens.
Losing “The King” dominated world headlines and was easily the news-making story of the year.
There were a few other moments to remember as well.
FOUR MAJORS, FOUR FIRST-TIME WINNERS:
The Masters will be remembered for the Great Jordan Spieth Meltdown at the par three 12th hole. A triple-bogey seven with two balls dunked into Rae’s Creek by Spieth, opened the door for England’s Danny Willett to don the Green Jacket. He was the first English winner since Nick Faldo.
The U.S. Open will be remembered for the way Dustin Johnson handled the bumbling U.S.G.A. Johnson went on to win despite being penalized for his ball allegedly moving on the fifth green of the final round. He played the rest of the round not knowing if he would be penalized or not. He won by three shots and the U.S.G.A. officials (clowns), hit him with a shot after the fact. D.J. showed incredible grit in winning his first major championship.
The Open Championship gave us the most incredible final round imaginable. Henrik Stenson put together the round of his life, shooting an eight-under par 63 at Royal Troon to out-duel Phil Mickelson, who threw a 65 at the 40-year-old Swede. Stenson’s 264 was the lowest score ever in a major championship and his 20-under par tied Jason Day for lowest under-par total in a major. This was simply amazing to watch, a once-in-a-generation duel.
The PGA Championship provided us with major championship golf’s longest day. Bad weather at Baltusrol forced a 36-hole final on Sunday. Jimmy Walker, who led all the way, shot 68-67 over the marathon final day to get to 14-under par and edge defending champion Jason Day by one shot. The Olympics forced the PGA to be staged just two weeks after the Open Championship.
Golf Returns At The Olympics:
The Rio Olympics witnessed the return of golf to the Summer Games. Justin Rose walked away with the Gold Medal after shooting rounds of 65-67 over the final 36-holes. He shot 16-under par to edge Open Champion Henrik Stenson by two shots. Matt Kuchar won the Bronze for the USA with a dazzling final round of 63.
USA Captures The Ryder Cup:
Finally, it happened. The United States won the Ryder Cup.
American golf waited 20 years for this one but the favored Ryder Cup team did not disappoint. With a final score of 17-11, the outcome was overwhelming. Best match of the competition was the final day’s singles battle between Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy that saw Reed earn a hard-fought 1-up victory.
Great stuff.
Tiger Returns:
The most anticipated comeback of the year came the first week of December.
Tiger Woods returned to golf at his Hero World Challenge at Albany Resort in the Bahamas.
Woods would shoot 73-65-70-76 and finished 15th in the 17-man field. He was 14 shots behind winner Hideki Matsuyama.
Woods turned 41 on Friday and the talk of 2017 will no doubt center around the 14-time major champion.
Will he, can he win again.
Now it’s time to turn the page on a new year with new championships to win and new stories to tell.
Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2017!
