Gambling Pays Off --Palmer

The seemingly sudden emergence of foreign golfers in events traditionally dominated by Americans doesn’t surprise Arnold Palmer.

The reason, Palmer says, is that players such as Spain’s Severiano Ballesteros, West Germany’s Bernhard Langer and Australia’s Greg Norman have adopted the same gambling style that Palmer made famous in the 1960s.

“Several years ago, I said that foreign players weren’t willing to take a chance to win,” Palmer told the Associated Press’ John Mossman. “I’ve been reminded of that comment from time to time. Now, it has turned around. It’s the American player who generally won’t gamble, and the foreigners like Ballesteros and Langer who are free-wheeling.

“I think we need more gambling in golf. You can criticize all you want, but I like what Curtis Strange did in the Masters.”

Strange, leading on the final day, tried to reach the par-5 13th and 15th holes in two, and put both shots into the water guarding those greens, ultimately losing to Langer.

“Strange went for it, and it was a hell of a lot more exciting than if he had played safe,” Palmer said. “Who wants to see a guy lay up? Sure, it may be the smart thing to do. But a gamble like that excites people, and that’s what this game needs.

“I always took a shot at whatever I could see. But I rarely thought I was gambling. I was playing within myself. I was doing what I had to do to win. I guess my philosophy is that I’d rather suffer the consequences than not to have tried.”

Add Palmer: In 1968, Palmer became the first golfer to earn $1 million. No one else matched the feat until Billy Casper and Jack Nicklaus did so in 1970. During the rest of the ‘70s, 19 others joined them.

In the last five years, however, the number of golfing millionaires has mushroomed. No fewer than 32 players have achieved that status since 1980, bringing the overall total to 54.

All of which brings to mind Lee Trevino’s comment of some years back: “You don’t know what pressure is until you play for five bucks with only two in your pocket.”

Yup.

Giant Benefit: Had the strike continued for very long, it could have had one beneficial side-effect. It could have prevented the Giants from losing 100 games.

The Giants, including their days in New York, are the only one of baseball’s original teams never to have lost 100 games in a season.

Last season, they came close at 66-96. Their losing pace this time around might make it even closer.

Soon to Be Forgettable Quotes: “I’m not all that concerned about Nebraska and Oklahoma,” said Woody Widenhofer, the first-year head football coach at Missouri.

Perhaps someone should remind Woody that the Tigers were 3-7-1 last season.

Quotebook

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, on his prospects for a successful acting career once he retires from the NBA: “I won’t ever have the problem that Alan Ladd did--standing on boxes, talking to his leading lady.”