I had the privilege of taking my father-in-law to the 2000 US Senior Open, which was held at Saucon Valley in Northeast, PA.

We followed Arnie for several holes, although he scruffed it around quite a bit. He pushed one of his tee shots, which ended up being about 5 feet from where I was standing in the gallery. He was stymied, big time, as a continent of Oaks and Maples rendered his second shot nothing more than a punch-out back into the fairway. As he got to his ball, he studied carefully. He had a wry smile on his face. He pulled a club from his bag and took a practice swing. He then looked directly at me, and asked me, "Son, what would you do if you were in my position?" I said, "Mr. Palmer, I have no doubts that I would whiff the shot." He laughed, gave me a wink, and said, "Good answer." The gallery of folks around me laughed hysterically.

It was a really neat experience. For a split second, I was a part of Arnie's life. Compare that to the average touring pro today who would just as soon not be bothered by kids asking for autographs or pesky reporters wanting a post round interview. Arnie realized a long time ago that the fans make the sport what it is. If it were not for the people standing outside the ropes, there would be nobody standing inside the ropes.

It was something that I will never forget. :)