Arnold Palmer charged across the golf course and into Americas living rooms with a go-for-broke style that made a country club sport popular for the everyman. At ease with presidents and the public, he was on a first-name basis with both.Through his remarkable life, he never lost that personal touch. Thats what made him the King.Palmer died Sunday in Pittsburgh. He was 87.Arnold transcended the game of golf, Jack Nicklaus said. He was more than a golfer or even great golfer. He was an icon. He was a legend. Arnold was someone who was a pioneer in his sport. He took the game from one level to a higher level, virtually by himself. Along the way, he had millions of adoring fans.He was the king of our sport and always will be.Alastair Johnston, the CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, said Palmer was admitted to the UPMC Hospital on Thursday for some cardiovascular work and weakened over the last few days.The memories of Palmer went beyond his golf and to the people who couldnt take their eyes off him.He was an iconic American who treated people with respect and warmth, and built a unique legacy through his ability to engage with fans, Johnston said.President Barack Obama tweeted about Palmers death, saying: Heres to The King who was as extraordinary on the links as he was generous to others. Thanks for the memories, Arnold.Palmer ranked among the most important figures in golf history , and it went well beyond his seven major championships and 62 PGA Tour wins. His good looks, devilish grin and hard-charging style of play made the elite sport appealing to one and all. And it helped that he arrived about the same time as television moved into most households, a perfect fit that sent golf to unprecedented popularity.If it wasnt for Arnold, golf wouldnt be as popular as it is now, Tiger Woods said in 2004 when Palmer played in his last Masters. Hes the one who basically brought it to the forefront on TV. If it wasnt for him and his excitement, his flair, the way he played, golf probably would not have had that type of excitement.And thats why hes the king.Beyond his golf, Palmer was a pioneer in sports marketing, paving the way for scores of other athletes to reap in millions from endorsements. Some four decades after his last PGA Tour win, he ranked among the highest-earners in golf.It is not an exaggeration to say there would be no modern-day PGA Tour without Arnold Palmer. There would be no PGA Tour Champions without Arnold Palmer. There would be no Golf Channel without Arnold Palmer, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement.On the golf course, Palmer was an icon not for how often he won, but the way he did it.He would hitch up his pants, drop a cigarette and attack the flags. With powerful hands wrapped around the golf club, Palmer would slash at the ball with all of his might, twist that muscular neck and squint to see where it went.When he hits the ball, the earth shakes, Gene Littler once said.Palmer rallied from seven shots behind to win a U.S. Open. He blew a seven-shot lead on the back nine to lose a U.S. Open.He was never dull.Im pleased that I was able to do what I did from a golfing standpoint, Palmer said in 2008, two years after he played in his last official tournament. I would like to think that I left them more than just that.He left behind a gallery known as Arnies Army, which began at Augusta National with a small group of soldiers from nearby Fort Gordon, and grew to include a legion of fans from every corner of the globe.Palmer stopped playing the Masters in 2004 and hit the ceremonial tee shot every year until 2016, when age began to take a toll and he struggled with his balance.It was Palmer who gave golf the modern version of the Grand Slam -- winning all four professional majors in one year. He came up with the idea after winning the Masters and U.S. Open in 1960. Palmer was runner-up at the British Open, later calling it one of the biggest disappointments of his career. But his appearance alone invigorated the British Open, which Americans had been ignoring for years.Palmer never won the PGA Championship, one major short of capturing a career Grand Slam.But then, standard he set went beyond trophies. It was the way he treated people, looking everyone in the eye with a smile and a wink. He signed every autograph, making sure it was legible. He made every fan feel like an old friend.Palmer never liked being referred to as The King, but the name stuck.It was back in the early `60s. I was playing pretty good, winning a lot of tournaments, and someone gave a speech and referred to me as `The King, Palmer said in a November 2011 interview with The Associated Press.I dont bask in it. I dont relish it. I tried for a long time to stop that and, he said, pausing to shrug, there was no point.Palmer played at least one PGA Tour event every season for 52 consecutive years, ending with the 2004 Masters. He spearheaded the growth of the 50-and-older Champions Tour, winning 10 times and drawing some of the biggest crowds.He was equally successful off with golf course design, a wine collection, and apparel that included his famous logo of an umbrella. He bought the Bay Hill Club & Lodge upon making his winter home in Orlando, Florida, and in 2007 the PGA Tour changed the name of the tournament to the Arnold Palmer Invitational.The combination of iced tea and lemonade is known as an Arnold Palmer. Padraig Harrington recalls eating in an Italian restaurant in Miami when he heard a customer order one.Think about it, Harrington said. You dont go up there and order a `Tiger Woods at the bar. You can go up there and order an `Arnold Palmer in this country and the barman -- he was a young man -- knew what the drink was. Thats in a league of your own.Palmer was born Sept. 10, 1929, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the oldest of four children. His father, Deacon, became the greenskeeper at Latrobe Country Club in 1921 and the club pro in 1933.He had two loves as a boy -- strapping on his holster with toy guns to play Cowboys and Indians, and playing golf. It was on the golf course that Palmer grew to become so strong, with barrel arms and hands of iron.When I was 6 years old, my father put me on a steel-wheeled tractor, he recalled in a 2011 interview with the AP. I had to stand up to turn the wheel. Thats one thing made me strong. The other thing was I pushed mowers. In those days, there were no motors on anything except the tractor. The mowers to cut greens with, you pushed.And it was this, he said, patting his arms, that made it go.Palmer joined the PGA Tour in 1955 and won the Canadian Open for the first of his 62 titles. He went on to win four green jackets at Augusta National, along with the British Open in 1961 and 1962 and the U.S. Open in 1960, perhaps the most memorable of his seven majors because it defined his style. You could never count him out.Palmer went head to head with Nicklaus two years later in a U.S. Open, the start of one of golfs most famous rivalries. It was one-sided. Nicklaus went on to win 18 majors and was regarded as golfs greatest champion. Palmer won two more majors after that loss, and his last PGA Tour win came in 1973 at the Bob Hope Classic.Golf writer Tom Callahan once described the difference between Nicklaus and Palmer this way: Its as though God said to Nicklaus, You will have skills like no other, then whispered to Palmer, But they will love you more.I think he brought a lot more to the game than his game, Nicklaus said in 2009. What I mean by that is, theres no question about his record and his ability to play the game. He was very, very good at that. But he obviously brought a lot more. He brought the hitch of his pants, the flair that he brought to the game, the fans that he brought into the game.It made him a beloved figure, and brought riches long after he stopped competing.That started with a handshake agreement with IMG founder Mark McCormack to represent Palmer in contract negotiations. Palmers image was everywhere, from motor oil to ketchup to financial services companies. Even as late as 2011, nearly 40 years after his last PGA Tour win, Palmer was No. 3 on Golf Digests list of top earners at $36 million a year. He trailed only Woods and Phil Mickelson.Palmers other love was aviation. He piloted his first aircraft in 1956, and 10 years later had a license to fly jets that now are the standard mode of transportation for so many top players, even though the majority of them are merely passengers. Palmer flew planes the way he played golf. He set a record in 1976 when he circumnavigated the globe in 57 hours, 25 minutes and 42 seconds in a Lear 36. He continued flying his Cessna Citation 10 until he failed to renew his license at age 81, just short of 20,000 hours in the cockpit.Through it all, he touched more people than he could possibly remember, though he sure tried. When asked about the fans he attracted at Augusta National, Palmer once said, Hell, I know most of them by name.Only four other players won more PGA Tour events than Palmer -- Sam Snead, Nicklaus, Woods and Hogan.Palmers first wife, Winnie, died in 1999. They had two daughters, and grandson Sam Saunders plays on the PGA Tour. Palmer married Kathleen (Kit) Gawthrop in 2005.Details on a memorial service and burial will be announced later.Palmer was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, which was caught early. He returned to golf a few months later, winking at fans as he waded through the gallery, always a smile and a signature for them.Im not interested in being a hero, Palmer said, implying that too much was made about his return from cancer. I just want to play some golf.That, perhaps, is his true epitaph. Palmer lived to play. Blake Bortles Jersey . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Austin Seferian-Jenkins Jersey . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. http://www.thejaguarsfansshop.com/Jaguars-Cody-Kessler-Draft-Jersey/ . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Will Richardson Jersey . -- Vincent Lecavalier got everything but the desired result in his return to Tampa Bay. Telvin Smith Jersey . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51.The Colorado Avalanche and Calgary Flames made a two-for-two swap, with the Avalanche getting a member of their 2001 Stanley Cup champion team back in the fold. Numbers Game looks at the deal sending Alex Tanguay back to Colorado. The Flames Get: RW David Jones and D Shane OBrien. Jones, 28, is coming off the worst season of his pro career, during which he scored three goals and nine points in 33 games, the lowest rates of his career after signing a four-year, $16-million contract last summer. While Jones has never been a great puck possession player, he did at least take on some heavy minutes for the Avalanche last season, with tough opposition and more starts in the defensive zone. A two-time 20-goal scorer, Jones will play in Calgarys top nine forwards and is likely to score on better than 4.8% of his shots, his career-low set last season but, given Calgarys current crop of centres, it would be asking a lot for Jones to immediately bounce back to 20 goals or 40 points and, for $4-million per season, thats probably on the low end of what should be expected in order to provide value. 29-year-old Shane OBrien had his role reduced, with his ice time down from 19:13 per game in 2011-2012 to 15:30 last season, while playing only 28 of 48 games, but his puck possession stats were quite good when he did play. OBrien is 6-foot-3, 230 pounds and provides toughness. His 853 penalty minutes in seven seasons ranks 11th in the league over that time. OBrien does figure to get more regular playing time in Calgary, and is under contract for two more years, at $2-million per season. If he gives the Flames 17-18 minutes a night, with a little bite to his game, then OBrien will be doing his part. The Avalanche Get: LW Alex Tanguay and D Cory Sarich. Since returning to Calgary in 2010, Alex Tanguay has recorded 145 points; only Jarome Iginla had more for the Flames over the last three seasons. Tanguay, 33, hasnt had strong puck possession numbers in recent sseasons, but hes also done some heavy lifting, facing tough matchups and starting more shifts in the defensive zone, factors which contributed to his career-low minus-13 rating last season.ddddddddddddA rare high percentage shooter, Tanguay has scored on 18.8% of his shots in his career, highest among active players and he scored on a career-high 25.0% of his shots last season. Moving back to Colorado, where he spent the first six years of his career, should allow Tanguay to play more of a complementary role, and while its not likely that he can score on such a high percentage of shots again, Tanguay could, playing with more talented centres, generate more shots on goal than the 1.10 per game he did last season, his lowest shot rate since his rookie season. Theres no reason to expect Tanguay to get better in his mid-30s, but its entirely reasonable to think that he can play a top six role for the next couple seasons. Hes under contract for three years and $10.5-million, so if he manages to do it for each of those three seasons, then that would be ideal for the Avalanche. 34-year-old Cory Sarich has been even more of a part-time player than OBrien, playing more than 16 minutes per game once in the last four seasons, including a career-low 14:52 per game last season, dressing for 28 of 48 games in 2013. Sarich is big, physical and has played 972 (regular season plus playoff) games in his career. Even though the Avalanche have major needs on defence, Sarich isnt the answer to those questions, so he likely fills the seventh or eighth spot on the depth chart. His contract, at a $2-million cap hit, expires at seasons end. Colorado gets a slight edge on this deal, in my view, because they save a little money and have a better chance of getting adequate production out of Tanguay over the next three seasons. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys China Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China NFL Gear Stitched Jerseys Discount Jerseys Cheap NFL T-shirts Cheap Jerseys 2019 Black China NFL Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 ' ' '