ORLANDO – Bernhard Langer has won more than 100 tournaments worldwide the past 50 years or so, with 42 coming on the DP World Tour and 43 on the PGA Tour Champions – both totals bested only by Seve Ballesteros on the DP World Tour, by Hale Irwin on the PGA Tour Champions.
Langer, the former world No. 1, whose plaque was hung in the World Golf Hall of Fame 20 years ago, has won two Masters, 11 majors on the senior circuit and been victorious an astounding 10 times since turning 60 four years ago.
Each victory is memorable, but a few have come with some extra buzz. In addition to taking home the championship hardware and the winner’s paycheck, a personal letter congratulating Langer arrived shortly after many of his victory celebrations.
From Arnold Palmer.
“When I won a tournament, I was always wondering, do I get another letter from Arnie? And sure enough, it arrived,” Langer said. “I was surprised when I got the first one because not everybody did that. I was very, very surprised, and very grateful and thankful.
“And they kept coming.”
Sharp with a putter and pen
For 50 years, Arnie — the accessible common man who burst out of black-and-white TV sets and took the game to the masses, a folk hero who was there for one and all, from children to blue-collar workers to captains of industry to Presidents of the United States — was a prolific wordsmith.
Just as he did on courses the world over, where the bold player with thick forearms and a thin waist won 62 PGA Tour titles including seven majors, Arnie would hitch up his pants and take to the desk and author letters of congratulations to thousands of winners that were sent in envelopes featuring his umbrella logo.
From the late 1960s until a week before his passing in 2016, Palmer wrote or typed personal messages to winners on the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, LPGA Tour and the Korn Ferry Tour, as well as victors of overseas events and certain amateur and collegiate events.
Jack Nicklaus got letters, as did Tiger Woods. Gary Player and Tom Watson and Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson, too. And on and on and on.
“Anytime you see that umbrella on some padded notepaper is always special, especially because you know where it’s come from,” Lee Westwood said. “He was the King. That’s the kind of respect he commanded.
“I enjoyed chatting with him. Whenever I did, it was valuable time spent with him. He had time for everybody. It was like sitting and talking to your granddad. He made you feel like part of his family.”
Billy Andrade, who like Palmer played golf for Wake Forest, has many of the letters framed.
“I had a couple from Arnie when I won the Boeing Classic and then I won the Schwab Cup when I beat Bernhard in the playoff. And Arnie made a nice little comment, about the way I beat Bernhard in the playoff, that was awesome.
“He was so sweet to write those letters, and he did it for everybody. I think that every player up until his passing out here that’s won has got a letter from him.
“I miss those.”
‘Such a cool guy’
Daniel Berger won his first PGA Tour title at the 2016 FedEx St. Jude Classic three months before Palmer passed. He still got a letter.
“I framed it. It’s in my office. I look at it occasionally just to kind of bring back good memories,” Berger said. “I had some good experiences with Mr. Palmer. I played in the Palmer Cup when I was in college, so I got to know him a little bit better there.
“He was such a cool guy. If you had any questions you could ask him, and he would go on for hours talking about whatever you wanted to talk about.”
Paula Creamer, a winner of 10 LPGA Tour titles, has some of Arnie’s letters framed, including a special one she received after winning the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open at Palmer’s beloved Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania.
Whenever she sees his signature, she’s reminded of a meaningful conversation she had years ago with Palmer.
“As a junior golfer playing in the Champions Tour Pebble Beach event, I met Mr. Palmer at the golf course. He knew who I was and was the one who taught me early on that when signing an autograph, use penmanship where the fan would recognize the name,” said Creamer, whose daughter, Hilton Rose, was born a little more than seven weeks ago in the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, which is near the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. “No shortcuts, no scribbling. He also told me to look everyone in the eye and take the time to thank them. Ever since then, anytime I sign an autograph, his advice rings loudly in my ears.”
Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler reminisce
One of the many letters Rory McIlroy received arrived after he won the first of his four majors at the 2011 U.S. Open.
“You are now in a position where you have the opportunity to give back to the game that is making you famous, and I hope, and certainly feel sure, that you will live up to that obligation in the months and years ahead. Just continue to be yourself. Don’t change. Sincerely, Arnold Palmer.”
“Those were good words of wisdom and words to live by,” McIlroy said.
Rickie Fowler cherishes every letter from Palmer.
“I know everyone misses getting those letters,” Fowler said. “That was something that in a way you almost thought about when you did win something, not that it was expected, but you knew there was a good chance that Arnold was watching, and he was going to be sending a letter out.
“And you can’t beat that.”
Dottie Pepper saw Palmer’s logo on the envelope and letterhead for the first time after she set the tournament scoring record of 19 under that still stands in winning the 1999 Kraft Nabisco Championship, her second major triumph.
“It felt great because people were paying attention to A, women’s golf, and B, a record had been set,” Pepper said.
But another gesture Arnie delivered to Pepper meant so much more. One that was life-changing.
In 2003, Pepper was incorrectly diagnosed with Lyme disease and the medication made her feel worse. Former LPGA commissioner Charlie Mechem called Pepper one day and discovered she was not doing well.
“I was on the couch and I could barely move,” Pepper said. “Charlie said he was going to make a phone call.”
Within the hour, Mechem called back.
“Arnold is telling you to get on a plane, get yourself to Rochester, Minnesota, the rest of it will be taken care of because you’re going to the Mayo Clinic,” Pepper said. “So I flew to Minnesota. Head-to-toe testing. I was misdiagnosed, and they got things corrected and I was off and running.
“Arnold was way bigger than golf. Golf was the vehicle for Arnold to touch so many people. He was a people person. He loved people and loved helping people.
“He was the King.”
