When a Misunderstanding Caused a Massive Rift Between the Late Arnold Palmer and a Hall of Famer for Several Decades

Published 01/29/2023, 4:00 AM EST

Though the legacy of Arnold Palmer has helped him in creating many friends across the sport of golf, one player had a wedge with the Hall of Famer for many decades. The rift among the golfers began back during the 1958 Masters when the duo was striving to wear the Green Jacket for the first time. As history depicts, Palmer may have won the Major, but who was the golfer with whom the longstanding feud was created?

The King retired from golf with seven Majors to his name. However, the first win in Augusta National in 1958 will always remain close to his heart. To capture the Green Jacket, Palmer went against rainy weather, the officials, and even his paired golfer.

An argument with Arnold Palmer led to a long-standing rift between the duo

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The 1958 Masters was hijacked by heavy rain, because of which the final round was played in wet weather conditions. As Palmer made his swing at the 12th hole of Augusta, which is popularly known as ‘Amen Corner’, his tee shot got embedded in the mud.

The Hall of Famer argued with the official on the spot about whether he gets to drop it without penalty. Despite the official’s rejection, Palmer continued to pick up and drop the ball. After scoring a double bogey on the hole, the golfer continued following his wet weather condition rule on the latter hole. But this time, his pair Ken Venturi wasn’t very pleased.

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“We’ll let the rules committee sort it all out when we get in”, Palmer told Venturi after becoming down for three. Decades later, Ken Venturi shared in his book about the incident. He said, “That ball was absolutely embedded. But he didn’t declare he was playing a provisional until after he made the double bogey. To me, that was wrong. Dead wrong”.

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Though the 1964 US Open winner shared his distress with Arnold Palmer, the King believed everything was a misunderstanding. According to Palmer, he did respond to Venturi. “I did declare the second ball, to Lacey, before I played the first. Ken didn’t hear me”. As the event progressed, Palmer won the first Major of his then-soon-to-be illustrious career.

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Though Venturi never won the Masters, he did find glory in major at the 1964 US Open. But despite their triumphs and glories, both Hall of Famers maintained a distance from each other for the most of their careers after the 1958 incident. Nonetheless, Venturi passed away in 2013, three years before Arnold Palmer. Perhaps both legends must be enjoying a round of golf in heaven.

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Written by:

Abdul Bari is a Golf writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed his Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Abdul is currently pursuing his Master’s in the same. With great affection for the world of sports, this avid golf lover turned to the course at a young age.

Edited by:

Manaal Siddiqui

When a Misunderstanding Caused a Massive Rift Between the Late Arnold Palmer and a Hall of Famer for Several Decades

An argument with Arnold Palmer led to a long-standing rift between the duo

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