TRADITION seems to dominate our thoughts at this time of year, through the very nature of the Christmas festivities. But for the golfing community in the US, the notion would appear to hold good for the remainder of the year, judging by their undiminished affection for 67 year old Arnold Palmer.
If anything, Palmer's popularity is increasing. The latest figures issued by Forbes Magazine, make him the biggest earner in golf, worldwide, for 1996. During a period when the cost of living increased only three fold, there has been a 10 fold boost in prize money since Palmer was approaching the end of his competitive prowess, 20 years ago. Yet he has still managed to accumulate an estimated $175 million in personal wealth.
More significantly, he made $15 million in endorsements, this past year, making tournament earnings of $100,000 appear little more than loose change. As it happens, his most productive year on the US regular tour, from a financial standpoint, was 1971, when he made $209,603 for third place in the money list.
In that year, he had wins in the Bob Hope Classic, the Citrus Tournament and the Westchester and partnered Jack Nicklaus to victory in the National Team event. Now, 25 years on, he has taken over from Nicklaus at eighth in the Forbes list while his erstwhile rival has slumped down to 33rd place.
It will come as no surprise that ol' Arnie won't do any deal worth less than $1 million. And there would appear to be no shortage of companies anxious to have him on board at those terms, companies like Cadillac, Rolex, Pennzoil, Rayovac and Office Depot.
Like Nicklaus, he is moving towards licensing deals which involve much less work but more money long term. For instance, Lexington Furniture produce the "Palmer Home Collection," with 200 mahogany pieces including the "Arnold Palmer Pineapple Tester Bed."
Palmer has amassed a total of 83 tournament victories throughout a sparkling career 60 on the US Regular Tour, 10 on the US Seniors' Tour and 13 elsewhere in the world. But his enduring appeal is all the more remarkable for the fact that he hasn't had a win of any description since 1988, when he captured the Crestar Seniors' Classic. His last "regular" win was in the 1975 British PGA Championship.
Meanwhile, the other golfers on the Forbes list of the 40 highest paid sportsmen in the world, are: 26th Tiger Woods, who will earn an estimated $60 million from Titleist and Nike endorsements over the next five years; 33rd - Nicklaus, who had $400,000 in tournament earnings in 1996, but $7.8 million in endorsements; 38th - Greg Norman, whose $900,000 tournament winnings and $7.9 million endorsement earnings dropped him from 17th in 1995.
THROUGH his dramatic victory in the US Masters at Augusta last April, Nick Faldo has ended the year with a remarkable distinction. He has become the most consistently strong competitor in the major championships since 1980.
During that period, Faldo has played in 54 majors. He has had six wins and 22 top 10 finishes, while a stroke average of 71.19 has given him an average finish of 22nd. By comparison, Tom Kite, a player much admired for his consistency, has achieved a disappointing average of 39th in 66 majors.
Ironically, the closest challenger to Faldo is the player who crumbled while attempting to protect a six stroke lead over the Englishman in the final round at Augusta eight months ago. In 62 majors, Greg Norman has had an average finish of 26th, winning on two occasions and with 26 top 10 finishes.
As might be expected, Tom Watson is the leading American, though he gained three of his major victories - the 1975 British Open and the 1977 Masters and British Open - before 1980. In 67 majors since then, Watson has won five and been in the top 10 on 28 occasions while achieving an average finish of 28th. The remainder of the top 10 are: 4 Calvin Peete (30th); 5 Fred Couples (32nd); 6 Raymond Floyd (34th); 7 Peter Jacobsen (36th); 8 Ernie Els (37th); 9 Frank Nobilo and Hale Irwin (both 38th).
JOHNNY MILLER, winner of the 1973 US Open and the 1976 British Open, has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame. As it happens, the 49 year old television pundit is this year's only inductee - which means no place for another US Open and British Open winner, Tony Jacklin, nor for Ireland's Christy' O'Connor Snr from this, the game's most prestigious ballot.
Apart from being aged over 40, successful candidates must be named on at least 75 per cent of the returned ballots. Of the 33 players who qualified for the first International Ballot, on which I was one of the voters, Jacklin, with 73.75 per cent, came closest to being elected.
Isao Aoki, the gifted Japanese now enjoying success on the US Seniors' Tour, was second with 65.6 per cent, followed by Kel Nagle, winner of the Centenary Open at St Andrews in 1960 (53.3). Then, in fourth place, comes O'Connor, with 43.9 per cent of the votes. This represents quite an achievement, giving the strength of partisan voting panels from elsewhere in the world, particularly Japan.
Other leading players were: 5 Ayako Okamoto, Japan (40.2); 6 Jumbo Ozaki, Japan (39.3); 7 Neil Coles, England (31.6); 8 Chako Higuchi, Japan and Graham Marsh, Australia (both 21.2); 10 Peter Alliss, England (19.0). Meanwhile, the 1997 ballot will include leading Europeans Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer, who will have had a 40th birthday before next autumn's voting.
An alphabetical list of the Hall of Fame's 73 members, starts with Willie Anderson, the first player to win four US Opens, and ends with the legendary Babe Zaharias who, in 1947, became the first American winner of the British Women's Amateur Championship. And it includes such non American luminaries as Henry Cotton, Roberto de Vicenzo, Bobby Locke, Peter Thomson, Harry Vardon and Joyce Wethered.
LOOKING towards the dawn of a new golfing year, one is drawn to the delightfully evocative lines of P G Wodehouse in his story. "The Heart of a Goof." Incidentally, according to the Oldest Member, a goof was "one of those unfortunate beings who have allowed this noblest of sports to get too great a grip upon them."
But to matters more germane: as we contemplate - courtesy of Santa - a goodly supply of gleaming golf balls, along with the latest in sweaters, shirts and slacks and, oh wondrous thought, our newly acquired, repeating swing, the words of the master create a truly magical picture.
"It was a morning," wrote Wodehouse, "when all nature, shouted `Fore!' The breeze, as it blew gently up from the valley, seemed to bring a message of hope and cheer, whispering of chip shots holed and brassies landing squarely on the meat. The fairway ... smiled greenly up at the azure sky; and the sun, peeping above the trees, looked like a giant golf ball perfectly lofted by the mashie of some unseen god and about to drop dead by the pin on the 18th.
"It was the day of the opening of the course after the long winter, and a crowd of considerable dimensions had collected at the first tee. Plus fours gleamed in the sunshine and the air was charged with happy anticipation."
Thanks to the wonders of modern greenkeeping, most of our courses, parkland and links alike, remain open and playable for 12 months of the year. But we can still share the sense of excitement which even the Oldest Member must have experienced at the advent of a new golfing year.
Wodehouse complained that golf was like some capricious goddess which bestowed its favours "with what would appear an almost fat headed lack of method and discrimination." So, with 1997 only a few days off, my wish for you all is that birdies may abound and pars proliferate and that the spoils of a great game may be more equitably divided.
TEASER: In a match between A and B, A voluntarily told B during play of a hole that he had played three strokes whereas, in fact, he had played four strokes. A did not correct the error before B played his next stroke. Was A subject to penalty under, Rule 9-2 (Information as to strokes taken)?
ANSWER: Yes. When a player gives wrong information, it is irrelevant whether the error is contained in a response to a question from the player's opponent or in a voluntary statement the player. It must be corrected before the opponent's next stroke is played.
