The King: Ledes And Statements On His Passing

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I'll be adding to this as the day goes, but for now...

For GolfDigest.com, I compiled some of the first ledes and links to obituaries.

Included with Dave Anderson's New York Times remembrance was this Matthew Orr produced video narrated by Bill Pennington.

Here are some of the more important and thoughtful statements, starting with Jack Nicklaus.

Peter Thomson:

Arnold was the folk hero of golf.

Not only was he the greatest personality the game has produced, he was King of the fairways every time he played.

We were only two weeks apart in age and great rivals.  We certainly had some wonderful times together.

The last time we played was an exhibition at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney on November 24, 2004.  The occasion was the centenary of the Australian Open and Bruce Devlin joined us for the nine-hole match on the eve of the tournament.

At last year's Open Championship at St Andrews, we were rival captains in the four-hole Past Champions event and, although our team scores were the same, Arnold's team won the charity donation by being the older team of the two.

St Andrews was a fitting final place for us both to meet.

Mary and I are terribly saddened by the news of his death, and our thoughts are very much with Kit, and his daughters and their families.

Bless you always, Arnold.

Tiger Woods:

 Golf Channel President Mike McCarley:

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Arnold Palmer. He meant so much to so many people from all walks of life, and is the embodiment of what can happen if you work hard and always treat people well. As Golf Channel’s founder, he was proud of what he created and we all take tremendous pride in continuing an enduring part of his vast and lasting legacy.
 
He was and likely will remain the most important golfer of all-time.  He will be remembered for popularizing the game of golf and revolutionizing the business of sport, but for those who were lucky enough to meet him, they will always remember how special he made them feel. He was always genuine and generous with his time, no matter if the cameras were rolling or not.”

Callaway CEO Chip Brewer with this video statement:

President Barack Obama:

 

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A:

"It is with great sadness that we have awoken to hear the news of Arnold Palmer's passing. He was a true gentleman, one of the greatest ever to play the game and a truly iconic figure in sport.

"His contribution to The Open Championship was, and remains, immeasurable. He will be missed and forever remembered by all at The R&A and throughout the world of golf as a charismatic and global champion of our game."

Gary Player: