Monitoring Desk
On the day Arnold Palmer passed away, Rory McIlroy collected such riches in prize money that the knock-on effect was a “tsunami” of cash tumbling into the bank account of his caddie.
That’s how JP Fitzgerald described his feelings after checking his balance and finding financial rewards for helping his boss win the Tour Championship and with it the lucrative FedEx Cup last September.
Fitzgerald earned around $1.5m (£1.2m) that week. He performs an invaluable role – but remember he is a caddie not a player.
By contrast, back in the 1950s and ’60s it took the great Palmer around 15 years of swashbuckling, captivating competition to come anywhere close to amassing that figure.
Of course, we are talking vastly different eras and inflationary forces have abounded since Palmer’s heyday. But no-one did more to popularise professional golf than the man still referred to as ‘The King’.
Arnie’s Army, as his support base was known, was a global following attracted by this most charismatic of characters.
Palmer brought attention and money and became one of the world’s most famous people. He made golf sexy and laid the foundations for the riches enjoyed by today’s players, their caddies and the rest of their entourages.
This week, the PGA Tour stages the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill for the first time since golf lost one of its greatest figures. Palmer died awaiting heart surgery at the age of 87 on 25 September last year.
The great man will never be far from the minds of those competing in Orlando this week and, despite a ludicrously congested schedule, a fitting field has been assembled.
There were worries that the biggest names would be under-represented and last week former FedEx Cup winner Billy Horschel tweeted his concern.
“Disappointing. Totally understand schedule issues. But 1st year without AP. Honor an icon! Without him wouldn’t be in position we are today.”
And yes, world number one Dustin Johnson along with major winners Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott are absent, but 14 of the world’s top 25 will tee it up in Florida this week.
