Royal Troon revisited 1962

Every Champion Golfer is special. Every Open is significant. But few, if any, can match Arnold Palmer and 1962 for a legacy left behind.

It may be 62 years since ‘The King’ ruled Royal Troon but, for the dominance of his performance and the magnitude of his victory, it will remain timeless.

The man from Pennsylvania took a Championship that struggled to appeal to American players and helped transform it into the global event we see today - all through passion, personality and, so often, perfect golf.

Even before he arrived at Troon, Palmer’s Open career was the stuff of envy. He first landed on British shores in 1960 and, though he did not win, his runner-up finish at St Andrews caught the attention of players from across the pond. It also caught the attention of British fans.

Palmer’s swashbuckling style and knack for the dramatic had spectators swooning. He hit the ball harder and further than almost anyone else, but had the deft touch needed to succeed around the greens.

In 1961, just a year after his debut, he won The 90th Open by one stroke from Wales’ Dai Rees thanks to a consistent week that brought rounds of 70-73-69-72.

But Troon was different. Palmer’s Royal Birkdale success caught the attention of America’s media – indeed before playing at the Old Course in 1960, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette briefly mentioned his appearance towards the bottom of a piece about a local amateur competition.

But in 1962, his victory was heard around the world.

As a three-time Masters champion and 1960 US Open winner, Palmer was golf’s biggest star and it was his firm belief that, despite the expensive travel costs and relatively small prize fund, true champions had to prove themselves on The Open’s fabled links.

And after claiming the Claret Jug in 1961, his love for The Open only deepened.

He encouraged some of his countrymen to make the trip over, including Gene Littler, Phil Rodgers and a certain 22-year-old called Jack Nicklaus in 1962.

On his Open debut, Nicklaus had a 10 at the 11th and rounds of 80 and 79 in finishing 34th. But, like his great mentor and friend, he caught The Open bug and was barely out of the top-three for the next couple of decades.

Palmer, by contrast, was in the form of his life.

Ayrshire’s hot summer had baked the fairways, and controlling the ball proved difficult. But Palmer did not hold back – he never held back – and trusted his all-out attack style to pay dividends.

That included the dangerous par-5 11th, which runs parallel to the railway line. In the second round, Palmer went all in on his tee shot, cracking a 1-iron down the centre of the fairway. He then launched a 2-iron to within 14 feet of the hole and putted for eagle.

Rounds of 71 and 69 put Palmer two ahead of Kel Nagle, the 1960 Champion Golfer. A 67 in the third round put Palmer five clear and he birdied the last for a closing 69 to win by six.

Most sports fans watch for the excitement, the drama, the intensity of a close battle. But seeing the very best at their dominant best is just as satisfying, and the spectators revelled in Palmer’s genius.

More than 30,000 people lined the final fairway, seeing the Champion home. The Daily Telegraph even reported that one woman fainted, 10 people were pushed into a bunker and one man fell through a window, as they scrambled for a glimpse.

All of this was being beamed around the world – including to America. In 1961, ABC started to broadcast The Open as part of its Wide World of Sports programme, no doubt compelled to do so by Palmer.

“The Scottish galleries were marvellous at Troon, cheering me all the way in and virtually inundating me as I played to the clubhouse at the 18th,” he once said.

“If the Scots fell in love with me there that week, I certainly had the same affection for them and do to this day. I am a member of more than 100 golf and country clubs around the world, but am particularly proud of the Honorary Membership tendered to me – in 1982 – by Royal Troon Golf Club.”

Palmer became only the second player after Ben Hogan in 1953 to win the Masters and The Open in the same year.

He did not win the Claret Jug again but had helped re-establish the game’s original major as also the most important – creating the path that Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Tiger Woods have since followed.

He did so in style at Royal Troon.

“I have never, I mean never, played better golf,” he said.

Some claim. Some player.