by Jeff Skinner
If you thought you had to wait to next year’s Masters to get a look at The Big Three again you were wrong. They were up to their old tricks again yesterday in Virginia at a charity event. That’s right, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player spent the day playing golf with some amateurs and raised over $15 million for their charity, Mountain Mission School, a school for needy children.
All three of the golfers are members at The Olde Farm Country Club, an exclusive club, and friends with the owner. They agreed to spend the day there and played one hole with each group and then posed for pictures. The $15 million is the largest single donation to charity ever made by The PGA Tour.
The three were all miked up and the patrons could listen to their good natured banter on free radios each attendee was given. Palmer, 80, and Nicklaus, 70, used carts but Player, 74, had to show up his old foes as he walked the entire course. They were swarmed by fans in between each shot for autographs and turned no one away.
The three good friends were ribbing each other all afternoon and appreciated the fact that so many people donated so much money. “To be here today to set an all-time record is very, very special,” Nicklaus said. Player said,”Americans are such tremendous givers.”
The three of them have been playing golf together and setting records for over fifty years and they can still draw a crowd. It’s a shame to think that today’s tour has no group of three golfers that have a fraction of the charisma that these three men do. I may be biased but I could watch Jack, Arnie and Gary forever. I only hope they can get together more often so we can continue to watch three of the most important players in the history of the game.
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