‘I Was Delighted to Oblige’: Reminiscing the ‘King’ Arnold Palmer’s Beautiful Friendship With 8-Time Bay Hill Invitational Winner Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has 15 Majors to his name, but if any win he looked forward to more than the Major was the Arnold Palmer Invitational. While his hunger for victory drove him to the top of the golfing world, Woods also idolized the late Palmer for his contribution to the sport. Let’s take a look at some of the past instances when both Hall of Famers displayed their respect for each other.

The 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational is currently underway. Though many rumors suggested Tiger to a be participant, the 47-year-old had no intention of competing at the Bay Hill golf course. Nonetheless, Woods already has a cabinet filled with eight trophies from Palmer’s PGA Tour event.

While Arnold Palmer is always reminisced by the golf world despite passing away in 2016, he is missed more during the Invitational week. Let’s take a look at some of the best words of respect being passed on between the King and Tiger.

Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer’s robust respect for each other

Woods and Palmer belonged to totally different generations of golf.  But that never outlined the respect they had for each other. Tiger’s eight wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational made him the golfer with the most victories at the PGA Tour event. When Palmer passed away in 2016, Woods disclosed his painful feelings by giving respect to the late golfer.

“Arnold meant everything to golf”, said the 15-time Major winner. He added, “Everyone got hooked on the game of golf via TV because of Arnold”. Both Tiger and Arnold are given credit for making the sport more popular overseas. Their aura and talent have made the sport more profitable and successful for future generations.

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While both legends met each other several times in recent years, their first interaction occurred back in 1991, when a 16-year-old Tiger Woods competed at U.S. Junior Amateur. The King was handing out the medals to the winners which included the future Hall of Famer too. Woods said in an interview, “(Arnold) was giving those guys medals and I said, ‘I’d like to one day play in as many Juniors as that’”.

Following their first encounter, the duo got closer through dinner while Tiger was still at Stanford College. “He wanted to pick my brain about a range of … topics, including the pros and cons of turning professional,” Arnold explained while speaking about the dinner years later. “I was delighted to oblige”, he added.

The friendship only got stronger as Woods continued winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational more frequently and eventually becoming the Bay Hill Golf Course’s favorite golfer. While some may compare both Hall of Famers, with 22 combined Majors, golf wouldn’t be as popular as it is if it wasn’t for the legendary golfers like Palmer and Woods.

What are your thoughts on Tiger Woods and the late Arnold Palmer’s friendship? Let us know in the comment section below.

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