‘Charisma To Put Bums on Seats’: Greg Norman Once Revealed Once Quality Which He ‘Loved’ About Late Arnold Palmer

No sport in the world is short of legends. And when it comes to golf, the fans are spoilt with some of the greatest athletes ever. But what makes it more beautiful is the humble approach that nearly every golfer adopts while talking about the other. We take a look back at when LIV Chief Greg Norman had some words of appreciation toward the legendary golfer Arnold Palmer.

Dubbed ‘The King’, Palmer is considered one of the leading forces in golf who helped in expanding the sport. And considering the entrepreneur that he is, Norman was fond of the 7 time Major winner.

Greg Norman wanted to be like Arnold Palmer

Years ago, Norman was interviewed by Fox Sports Australia. Though he himself is a legend of the sport, the Shark shared his thoughts on fellow greats such as Palmer as well as Jack Nicklaus. While speaking about The King, Norman addressed that he wanted to be like him.

“He was aggressive — and that’s what I loved about him”, said the Australian. The LIV CEO further talked about the charisma and aura Arnold Palmer carried which put everyone around him in awe of him. “He had the charisma to put bums on seats”.

“People wanted to come and watch him play and see him perform and hear him speak”, said Norman. He then recalled how Palmer’s influence even reached out to the White House, when the 34th president of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower wanted to play a round of golf with the legend.

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The Shark said, “Even the president of the United States wanted to play golf with him”. He then added about how the sport of golf became much more popular, thanks to The King. Nonetheless, the Aussie then revealed the details of his outing at an Arnold Palmer tournament.

Norman wanted to win Palmer’s event but failed

In the 1990 Nestle Invitational (now known as Arnold Palmer Invitational), Norman was closing on winning the event. However, Robert Gamez produced one of the most iconic shots to win the invitational. He recorded an eagle for the 18th hole from the fairway to defeat Greg Norman with only a stroke.

The Australian to this day recalls his defeat at the Palmer-organized event. Norman said, “I can tell you when I had the chance to win the Bay Hill Classic, which I never did, I wanted to win that tournament because it was Arnold Palmer’s tournament”.

Though the Shark did win a Jack Nicklaus event, it was an Arnold Palmer tournament win that the Aussie always wished for. He ended by saying, “Arnold’s was the one I really wanted to win because he was an inspiration to all of us young guys coming up”.

Undoubtedly, Palmer was an inspiration to a whole new generation of golfers. He provided a blueprint for the sport which eventually led to becoming one of the most loved sports in the world. If it wasn’t for the mind and talent of Palmer, perhaps golf wouldn’t be so popular.

What are your thoughts on Norman’s words of respect for Palmer? Let us know in the comments section below.

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