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Palmer upholds his club position

By BOB HARIG

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 15, 2001

ORLANDO -- He took some shots, and they stung. Arnold Palmer might be the King, but he also is human, and some of the letters he received, the articles he read ... well, it's just a game, isn't it?

If Palmer still is smarting from the backlash for his part in one of golf's biggest controversies, he manages to hide the hurt. And he vows to keep fighting.

"I can honestly say right now that I think I was right and I still think I'm right," said Palmer, whose endorsement of a club that does not conform to the rules of golf is the subject of considerable debate. "When you look at the players who are playing golf today, professionals are great ... but golf is flat right now. Part of the reason it's flat is because people don't play as well as they would like to play.

"If a player can make it a little easier and a little better for them, then why can't they use (a non-conforming club)? They are not out here beating the pros. They are playing their own games and having their own games. ... To say that it's cheating for a guy to go out and hit a club that let's him enjoy the game a little bit more, I think that's a little farfetched. I think that's carrying it a little too far."

Palmer was holding court Wednesday on the eve of his Bay Hill Invitational, commenting on a variety of subjects, from Tiger Woods' supposed "slump," to shooting his age of 71 a few weeks ago at the Bob Hope Classic, to next month's Masters.

It didn't take long for the conversation to turn to the Callaway ERC II driver, a club that the United States Golf Association says does not meet its requirements for "spring-like effect." The Royal & Ancient, however, has not banned the club, which means it is legal on the European PGA Tour.

Palmer has not touted the club for tournament play, only for recreational golfers looking to hit the ball a little farther. The USGA, for which Palmer has been a spokesman for more than a quarter-century, talked of removing him from his honorary role before backing off.

There are no hard feelings, Palmer said.

"Have you ever agreed with everyone about anything?" Palmer said. "I don't see that there's a problem with us having a disagreement."

Palmer believes it would be prudent for the USGA and R&A to come to an agreement on club limitations. And it wouldn't hurt for them to look at other things such as long putters, range finders or hot golf balls, either, he said.

"All of those things have far more impact on the game than a club that allows a few people that are high-handicap players to hit the ball a little farther and get a little more enjoyment out of the game," Palmer said. "That's where I'm coming from."

OUTER SPACE: Jesper Parnevik is known to be a bit eccentric. His wild clothing and upturned hat are only part of his aura. Parnevik, who won the Honda Classic on Sunday, used to eat organic sand to cleanse his body and is part-owner of a vitamin company.

But when he showed up with a wild-looking putter last week, and won with it, well the legend grew a bit.

Parnevik picked up a putter he had never heard of from a man he had never met. He said it looked like a stealth bomber with its odd shape.

"It seems like if somebody has an odd-looking thing, they come to me," Parnevik said. "I am a magnet to people. It seems like, if they have a funny idea or a strange idea or a new method or something, they come to me first and ask me to try it. And I usually do."

AROUND GOLF: Annika Sorenstam appears poised to battle Karrie Webb for supremacy on the LPGA Tour. Her six-shot victory at the Welch's-Circle K Championship Sunday gave her a tournament-record 23-under-par 265. She leads the money list with $261,448. ... Casey Martin will be profiled on 60 Minutes April 8 -- the show will air after the final round of the Masters. ... In his past 13 rounds, Joe Durant was 69 under. He has two victories and a fifth in those three tournaments. He leads the PGA Tour in fairways hit and greens in regulation, which helps explain why he leads the money list. ... Jim Colbert became the 10th player to win on the Senior PGA Tour after turning 60 with his victory at the SBC Senior Classic Sunday. ... Woods reportedly is considering playing in the Lancome Trophy tournament in France (for a hefty appearance fee) the week before the Ryder Cup in England. U.S. captain Curtis Strange approves: "That's fine, I actually think it is advantageous from the standpoint of jet lag."

- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

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