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Golf community, sports world reacts to the death of Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer transcended golf. His death turned the golf world on its side, and was felt across all corners of the world.

The tweets remembering ‘The King’ poured in Sunday night.

First tournament I ever played in… He looked this young man in the eye and introduced himself. You could feel the GREATNESS surrounding him. I was in awe. A few months later, I ran into him on the driving range at Bay Hill with a pitching wedge in my hand and he sat and helped me with my swing(despite his best efforts, I still need all the help I can get…). He changed the game forever. He defined what the modern athlete is. He flew his own plane to his tournaments. He STARTED a network JUST for the sport. He won spectacularly. He lost graciously. He was bigger than the game. And, he was one of the nicest men I have ever met. I liked the game of golf when I met him. And, HE made me love it. Mr. Palmer, you will be missed by so many avid fans but you will forever be the remembered as THE KING. The definition of a LEGEND. R.I.P. Love, JT

A photo posted by Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake) on Sep 26, 2016 at 11:37am PDT

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Golfweek’s Kevin Casey caught up with Stacy Lewis, ranked No. 10 in the world, and even though Lewis never met ‘The King,’ he still left a lasting impact on her.

I never got to meet him. I remember my first win though, I got a letter in my email from him. And every win after, he would send an email saying congratulations. I remember getting the first one and being shocked, like is that really from Arnold Palmer? And then you open the letter and it’s signed by him and everything. And they weren’t just basic letters, they were letters where it looked like he actually watched. He knew it was in a hometown or a first win or something. He always took the time out.

It wasn’t just a basic congratulations. You can tell he did some research and maybe he was watching it as well.

The USGA released this statement as well:

We are deeply saddened by the death of Arnold Palmer, golf’s greatest ambassador, at age 87.

Arnold Palmer will always be a champion, in every sense of the word. He inspired generations to love golf by sharing his competitive spirit, displaying sportsmanship, caring for golfers and golf fans, and serving as a lifelong ambassador for the sport. Our stories of him not only fill the pages of golf’s history books and the walls of the museum, but also our own personal golf memories. The game is indeed better because of him, and in so many ways, will never be the same.

Golfweek’s Jeff Babineau, President of the Golf Writer’s Association of America, released a statement on behalf of the GWAA:

There’s not a golf writer on the planet who can type the words “Arnold Palmer” without a warm memory or timeless encounter coming to mind. He was generous and giving, and exhibited great patience to those of us holding pens and notepads who were seeking a story. He always delivered.

Those of us who were privileged to sit in on Mr. Palmer’s annual “state of the union” addresses to kick off the week at his beloved tournament at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Fla., never will forget them. They were filled with life lessons, incredible stories and many laughs. Our most sincere and caring thoughts go out to his family at this time. From Mr. Palmer’s many friends at the Golf Writers Association of America, we wish you peace and strength for the days and months ahead. It’s a sad day for our game. There never will be another like him. Godspeed, Mr. Palmer.

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