Free Republic

<p>LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — A farewell to the King turned somber when Jack Nicklaus, his voice cracking as a large tear formed in his left eye, urged the elite and the everyman to remember how Arnold Palmer touched their lives and "please don't forget why."</p>

SPRING, Texas (AP) - Arnold Palmer tearfully said it was time to stop playing competitive golf after withdrawing from a PGA Champions Tour event early in the first round. <-------SNIP--------> Palmer was making only his second appearance on the 50-and-over tour this season in the Administaff Small Business Classic. He remained with the group after withdrawing to entertain the gallery following him at Augusta Pines Golf Course. <-----snip-----> Palmer said he finished the round because he owed it to his fans.

What really defined this year's Masters golf tournament, which ended Sunday, was its emotional extremes. Not in a long time has one of golf's majors (or any sporting event, for that matter) taken fans on such an emotional rollercoaster, from extreme sadness to extreme joy, in such a short period of time. With the hubbub of last year's controversy about Augusta National Golf Club's men-only membership policy all but a distant memory, this year had but one focus: golf. And after yesterday, few fans were left disappointed. But before Sunday's joy, the sadness: The tournament opened Thursday with news of...