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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2004

Arnold Palmer

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA

BILLY PAYNE: Ladies and gentlemen, we are pleased to welcome a man who has brought countless joy to the lives of millions of people. Arnold, please.

ARNOLD PALMER: Thank you, Bill. I don't really have a lot to say. I've been here with you guys. I thank you for the support that you've given me over the years. A lot of people before you and, of course, through the years, the press and the media have been my friends. I'm not going to make a big, long speech today. I'm through. I've had it. I'm done. Cooked. Washed up. Finished, whatever you want to say (laughing).

Augusta and this golf tournament has been about a part of my life as anything other than my family, and most of you know that. I don't think that I could ever separate myself from this club and this golf tournament. I may not be present, I may not be here, but I'll still be a part of what happens here, only because I want to be. I've had such a great life and enjoyed it so much.

It's done. I won't say I'm happy it's done. It's time for it to be done, for me. I look forward to watching the Masters and seeing the winners come around as they do each year and see the struggles that they have and the controversy that you will create from time to time (Laughter), only to keep it interesting.

I thank you for all of that and I thank the fans who you have communicated with, either through me or directly through your own writing. But I can never tell you how important the fans and the media, you people, have been to me and this connection for 50 years. It's been fantastic.

I will take a few questions, and then I'm out of here, gentlemen. As I say, it's over.

Q. Can you just describe emotionally what you were feeling walking up the 18th fairway?

ARNOLD PALMER: Well, if you just use your imagination, you will understand that emotion. I've thought about how many times I've walked up that 18th fairway. I can think of the four times that I won the Masters. I can think of a couple of times that I didn't win that I felt like I should have won. I can think of the fans that have supported me and listened to them, and, of course, they all have something to say, or most of them have something to say about what I'm doing when I'm walking up that fairway.

I think of all the things from the beginning, 1955 and '56 and '57, and I think of the times when I've teed it off at 10 and before I won the Masters and all of those things. I could go on and on and tell you things that are of no interest to you other than the fact it had something to do with my life and my playing golf here.

Emotion? A lot. Sometimes I just get tired and the emotion overrules and runs away with me. I'm not upset about that. You know, if I can't handle it, that's my fault. But it's a part of me. That's pretty much it. That's what I think about, whether it be making a 6 at the last hole to lose the Masters, or whether it be hitting a 7 iron in about four feet to make a putt to win the Masters, all of those things go through my mind.

And, of course, my family. That's pretty much it.

Q. Again, an emotion question, was is similar or stronger than it was two years ago when you had a rather tearful farewell coming up the 18th?

ARNOLD PALMER: Of course, that farewell was more created by other people than me. I never really felt that that was the end. I was more obliging than I was giving up. And as far as I'm concerned, that was done, and it worked out very well for everyone, including me, even though my golf the last two years wasn't anything to talk about.

The fact is that one of the things I wanted to do was what I did today, and that was finish 50 years at Augusta.

Q. Your gallery the last couple of days was pretty much a who's who of people in golf and a lot of family and friends out there. Any anecdotes or anything or some of the exchanges that you'd like to share?

ARNOLD PALMER: Well, of course, I think some of you probably know it, and a lot of you do not know it, but my family were all here, all my grandchildren my children, my grandchildren were here, and that's never happened before at any golf tournament. So that was very special to me, to have them all here.

It was something I wanted. I just wanted them to see what happens. You know, Sam caddied for me. Sam, I had hoped that maybe he saw some things here, being part of it that close, that will have an effect on him and help him mature a little more into a man and a golfer. I'd love nothing better than to see him come up this 18th hole someday with the possibility of winning The Masters.

But to have my whole family was very special to me. That doesn't happen very often anymore. They are all growing up and they are going in separate directions, and, of course, I have kind of a new life, too, with Kit. She's very important to me now and helping me make my life a happier life.

All of those things were happening this week, and they were part of what is going on. You know, I'm not going to just roll over and die, unless I can't help it (Laughter). I'm going to do things, and that's about it.

Q. What was your first memory of Arnie's Army?

ARNOLD PALMER: First time I really took notice was when the guys were on the boards and they were holding up Arnie's Army signs right here. They were the guys from Fort Gordon.

Of course, you know, when I saw that, I found it interesting because I didn't think, really, about you know, I didn't know who those guys were, to be very honest and frank with you.

So I went and found out. In the process of finding out who they were, I found out that they were guys that had actually taken leave. They weren't just given permission to come out here and do that. They took leave from the Army for the week to do the scoreboard.

And then I talked to them, and they said, yeah, we are all in the Army. We're on the scoreboard and we thought it was pretty good. We're rooting for you.

And of course their enthusiasm was fantastic, and it expanded from there.

Q. Was that 1959 or 1960? That was 1960, wasn't it?

ARNOLD PALMER: Actually it was '58. That's the first time I ever saw it. And then in '60, it sort of spread interest there.

Then I talked to Cliff Roberts, oh, I think it was either '59 or '60, that Cliff said to me, and I think we were having breakfast up in the top. He said, "Arnold, we're going to ban signs. You caused us some problems here with those signs." (Laughter.) He said, "We're not going to allow signs to be carried in the gallery anymore."

I said, "Well, I don't have a problem with that. I think that's appropriate."

Q. I know that you said on TV that you got a little tired walking and so forth and you wish you had prepared better, but in some way, have your feet ever really gotten tired here, touching this ground?

ARNOLD PALMER: Not really. As a matter of fact, coming up 18 today, I marvelled, because for yesterday and most of the round today, my shins were just killing me.

We were putting some cream on my legs, and that was helping me. Then, about the 15th hole, the shin splints, which has happened before when I come here walking on flat courses in Florida, and then to come and walk these hills, my shins get shin splints. It went away. It went away, like 15 today, and all of a sudden there was no and now there's no pain at all.

My mistake was not coming and playing a couple of rounds last week is what I should have done. I had an opportunity to, and I didn't do it, and shame on me for not doing that. That's all.

It's not a big deal. It wouldn't have made any difference.

Q. Did you have a snake problem on 13?

ARNOLD PALMER: You saw it. (Laughing).

As I was walking up the road from the men's room on 13, I was just sort of deep in my own thoughts, and I came back around in back of the rules man, who was sitting very happily in his chair, and he said, "Oh, you scared the shit out of me." (Laughter.)

I didn't even think about it because I really just sort of walked up in back of him and startled him. Then I said hello and we had pleasantries. And then I started down through the ditch, and a snake about as long as that (indicating four feet), I almost stepped on him, and I don't know whether it was a moccasin or not I'm going to guess it was, wouldn't you, Billy?

BILLY PAYNE: No, sir. I think it was a rubber snake. (Laughter.) We don't have snakes here. (Laughter.)

ARNOLD PALMER: Well, if I had felt a little tired, I didn't then. I came out of there and I was flying.

But that was the situation.

BILLY PAYNE: Arnold Palmer, for 50 wonderful years, we salute you and we thank you.

ARNOLD PALMER: Thank you, Billy. Thank you, guys. (Applause.)

End of FastScripts.

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