ARNOLD PALMER
HI FOLKS. I'M ARNOLD PALMER AND THIS IS MY PARTNER, GARY PLAYER.
(VIDEO CLIP ENDS)
PETER KESSLER
WELCOME, MR. PLAYER, TO THE SHOW. IT'S WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU, SIR.
GARY PLAYER
THANK YOU, PETER. NICE TO BE ON THE SHOW.
PETER KESSLER
THIS IS REALLY YOUR HOST. HE INVITED YOU.
GARY PLAYER
WELL THAT'S NICE.
PETER KESSLER
NOW THAT WAS 'CHALLENGE GOLF' WHEN YOU TWO TOOK ON ALL THE OTHER TWO-MAN TEAMS. WHO CARRIED WHO BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU IN 'CHALLENGE GOLF'?
GARY PLAYER
WELL, I DON'T THINK ANYBODY CARRIED ANYBODY. I THINK IT .
PETER KESSLER
IT'S NOT WHAT ARNOLD SAID.
GARY PLAYER
WELL, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS TWO SIDES TO THE STORY. (LAUGH)
I THINK WE COMBINED VERY WELL. AND YOU KNOW, ARNOLD WOULD SORT OF AGGRESSIVELY GO FOR THAT FLAG AT THE BACK OF THE GREEN WITH A 3-WOOD
WHEN I WAS TAKING A 3-WOOD JUST TO GET ON THE FRONT OF THE GREEN. BUT I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU ONE MATCH WE HAD AND THAT WAS AGAINST MIKE SOUCHAK AND BOB ROSBURG.
AND WE'RE ONE DOWN PLAYING THE LAST HOLE, AND ARNOLD'S GOT A 30-FOOTER. AND HE STANDS UP THERE AND HE KNOCKS IT RIGHT IN THE HOLE. AND MAN, I GOT A SUCH A KICK. I RAN UP AND GAVE HIM SUCH A BIG HUG.
AND THEN WE TIED THE 19TH HOLE AND THE 20TH HOLE. AND THE 21ST HOLE, ARNOLD WAS IN THE TREES AND I WAS IN THE TREES. ROSBURG WAS LIKE THAT FROM THE HOLE (INDICATES WITH HANDS).
I KNOCKED OUT 12 FEET FROM THE HOLE AND HOLED IT. NOW WE GO TO THE 22ND HOLE, AND ARNOLD HITS THIS 1-IRON JUST LIKE A DART. AND HE PUTS IT ABOUT 20 FEET FROM THE HOLE.
AND ROSBURG MARKED HIS BALL WITH A COIN. AND ARNOLD HOLED THIS PUTT TO WIN THE MATCH. AND ROSBURG TOOK THAT PUTTER VERY ACCURATELY AND WENT 'SCHWAP!'
AND THAT PUTTER HIT THE COIN DOWN IN THE BOTTOM OF THAT GREEN. AND THE GREENS KEEPER SAW ME 7 YEARS LATER. HE SAYS, 'WE WERE SCARIFYING THAT GREEN. WE FOUND THAT COIN RIGHT AT THE BOTTOM.'
AND I MEAN, HE STILL - EVERY TIME I SEE HIM, HE'S SO HOT (LAUGH) . HE'S NEVER FORGOTTEN THAT. (LAUGH)
PETER KESSLER
YOU KNOW, IF I GET EITHER OF YOU ALONE, YOU'LL TELL ME, 'MAN, HE GOT IT UP AND DOWN FROM EVERYWHERE.' AND YOU WOULD TELL ME, 'ARNOLD DIDN'T GET IT UP AND DOWN. HE JUST GOT IT UP AND IN ON THE FIRST SHOT FROM OFF THE GREEN.'
WHO WAS REALLY BETTER AT THAT, ARNOLD?
ARNOLD PALMER
OH . ARE YOU KIDDING? IF HE COULDN'T PUTT AND CHIP, HE'D BE IN A GOLD MINE IN SOUTH AFRICA.
GARY PLAYER
WOULDN'T BE ALL THAT (LAUGH) .
ARNOLD PALMER
GOD, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHEW, THE .
PETER KESSLER
AND NOT AS THE OWNER OF THE GOLD MINE.
ARNOLD PALMER
NO, HE .
PETER KESSLER
GOT IT.
ARNOLD PALMER
HE'D HAVE THAT LAMP ON THE FRONT OF HIS HELMET.
GARY PLAYER
LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING INTERESTING. LOOK AT ARNOLD'S HANDS HERE - I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE IT ON THE SCREEN. NOW ARNOLD'S LITTLE FINGER IS THE EXACT SAME SIZE AS MY INDEX FINGER.
NOW THEY'RE POURING THE GOLD IN SOUTH AFRICA, WE'RE IN THIS ROOM . WE TOOK HIS MOM AND DAD AND WINNIE AND EVERYBODY, MARK MCCORMACK.
WE GO DOWN THE MINE. WE COME IN THIS BIG ROOM. THERE'S MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF GOLD IN THIS MAN CHEST (???). WELL, ANYBODY WHO COULD PICK THIS BAR OF GOLF WITH HIS HAND MAY HAVE IT.
SO ARNOLD SAYS, 'MUFF(???), ASK HIM IF I CAN HAVE A TRY?' SO I SAID, 'I'VE GOT A FRIEND HERE FROM AMERICA. HE'S A GOLFER. CAN HE TRY AND PICK THAT UP PLEASE?'
HE SAYS, 'CERTAINLY.' AND ARNOLD PUTS HIS HAND ON IT LIKE THAT AND PICKS IT UP LIKE THAT. THIS GUY SAYS, 'OH UH, EXCUSE ME SIR, I ONLY WORK HERE.' PALMER SAYS, 'YOU DID WORK HERE. YOU'RE GONE, MAN. THIS IS MINE.' (LAUGH)
ONLY MAN THAT EVER PICKED UP A BAR OF GOLD.
ARNOLD PALMER
I STARTED FOR THE DOOR BUT THEY STOPPED ME.
GARY PLAYER
BUT YOU DON'T THINK THAT HE STAYED AT 5 FOOT 10. HE NEVER GOT TALLER THAN THAT BECAUSE HE WAS ALWAYS BENDING OVER. MAN, HE COULDN'T GROW UP.
HE HAD TO STAY BENT BECAUSE HE'S BENDING DOWN AND PICKING THAT BALL OUT OF THE HOLE ALL THE TIME. HE WAS A '1- PUTTING-IST'.
AND I HEARD HIM ADMIT IT. HE DENIES SITTING THERE. HE ADMITTED IT, THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER HEARD HIM ADMIT IT.
PETER KESSLER
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE PART OF HIS GAME, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
GARY PLAYER
I THINK ARNOLD IS DEFINITELY .
ARNOLD PALMER
THE WHOLE THING. THE WHOLE THING.
(ALL LAUGH)
GARY PLAYER
YOU GOT A TRUMPET FOR HIM?
NOW I THINK THAT ARNOLD - I'VE ALWAYS SAID THAT ARNOLD AND UM, BEN HOGAN AND LEE TREVINO WERE THE 3 BEST DRIVERS OF A GOLF BALL THAT I'D SEEN IN MY CAREER.
ARNOLD VERY SELDOM DROVE THE BALL IN THE ROUGH. HE DROVE IT LONG AND HE DROVE IT STRAIGHT, AND EVEN TODAY AT 70 . YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GET TO 70, YOU REALLY ARE GETTING ON. AND I MEAN, YOU KNOW ... (LAUGH)
PETER KESSLER
THEN WHY WAS HE OUT-DRIVING YOU EVERY HOLE LAST WEEK AT THE SKINS GAME?
GARY PLAYER
WERE YOU WATCHING THE SHOW CAREFULLY?
PETER KESSLER
I TRIED TO.
GARY PLAYER
WHAT WERE YOU SMOKING? (LAUGH)
PETER KESSLER
ANYTHING THAT YOU LEFT HERE LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE.
GARY PLAYER
NO, HE DRIVES IT . AT 70 HE PLAYED, I THOUGHT, BEAUTIFULLY.
ARNOLD PALMER
WHY DO YOU HAVE TO KEEP SAYING 'AT 70'?
(GARY LAUGHS)
GARY PLAYER
WELL, I HEARD WHAT YOU WERE SAYING ABOUT ME AND JACK.
ARNOLD PALMER
AT 68, YOU'RE NOT DOING BAD EITHER.
GARY PLAYER
68 (LAUGH) . NO, HE'S BEEN A GREAT DRIVER, GREAT DRIVER.
PETER KESSLER
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE PART OF THAT GAME, WHAT WOULD YOU TAKE?
ARNOLD PALMER
OH, THERE'S NO QUESTION, IN GARY UH, COMPETITIVENESS, DESIRE. UH, HE HAS PROBABLY SPENT MORE TIME WORKING, AND PHYSICALLY AS WELL AS MENTALLY, TO DO WHAT HE HAS DONE IN GOLF.
NO QUESTION ABOUT IT, WHETHER IT BE PUTTING, DRIVING, IRONS UH ... THE DESIRE AND THE COMPETITIVENESS IN HIM. I COULD TAKE .
I COULD TAKE A FEW YOUNG PLAYERS TODAY, AND IF I COULD TAKE HIS COMPETITIVENESS AND HIS DESIRE TO PLAY AND PLAY GOOD AND HIS 'NO GIVE UP' ATTITUDE AND PUT IT INTO A FEW PLAYERS THAT I SEE OUT THERE IN THE TOUR TODAY,
LORD KNOWS WHERE THEY'D GO. AND I'M TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION TIGER WOODS ALTHOUGH HE HAS A LOT OF THE SAME STUFF. THERE ARE GUYS OUT THERE THAT IF YOU JUST COULD GET THEM TO HAVE THAT - THE DESIRE,
AND THE WORK ATTITUDE THAT GARY PLAYER HAD, LORD KNOWS HOW GOOD THEY'D BE. AND I MEAN THAT. I . YOU AGREE WITH ME, DON'T YOU?
GARY PLAYER
WELL, IT'S A NICE UH .
ARNOLD PALMER
WHETHER YOU DO OR NOD IT, I'M SAYING IT.
(GARY LAUGHS)
PETER KESSLER
NOW I THOUGHT JUST FOR FUN, WHEN WE COME BACK, IT WAS TRUE THAT IN 1961 YOU WERE GOING FOR BACK TO BACK MASTERS AND HELPED YOUR BUDDY, GARY, WIN HIS FIRST MASTERS INSTEAD ON THE LAST HOLE WITH YOUR PLAY.
THE NEXT YEAR, OF COURSE, HE WAS GOING FOR BACK TO BACK MASTERS AND YOU DID SOME THINGS TO UPSET HIM. AND WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT BOTH OF THOSE THING AS SOON AS WE COME BACK. DON'T GO AWAY.
(BREAK)
NEXT SEGMENT