Patience is paying off for Canadian golfer Mackenzie Hughes.

Thing are falling into place for the 25-year old from Dundas, Ont., who will be making his debut as a full-fledged PGA Tour member this week at the Safeway Open in Napa, Calif. Next week he’ll marry his long-time partner Jenna Shaw in a ceremony in his adopted home of Charlotte, N.C.

“To be where I am now is kind of surreal when I think about it,” Hughes said over the phone en route to the West Coast. “Even though things were dragging along this summer, early on, everything’s happened relatively quickly from last year to where I am now. I’m grateful, but by no means do I think I don’t deserve it. More than anything, I’m just excited to get going.”

Hughes has learned to temper that excitement while looking for his path to the PGA Tour. His approach paid dividends when he captured the Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Web.com Tour in August and finished 17th on that Tour’s money list. The top 25 finishers earn a spot on the PGA Tour for the following season.

Hughes’ maiden victory came after he rolled in an 18-inch birdie put on the final hole to win by one shot.

“It’s probably one of the hardest things to do as a professional golfer, not get too far ahead of yourself,” he said. “There were tons of times when I got ahead of myself, about what the win would mean for me and my family, and then brought myself back.”

The two-time Canadian Men’s Amateur Champion (2011 and 2012) captured the Order of Merit title in 2013 on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada, which gave him full status on the Web.com circuit in 2014. But he struggled, admitting he was inexperienced for such a big stage.

In 2015 he returned to the PGA Tour Canada, where he finished 13th on the money list. He earned a spot on the Web.com Tour last winter in a qualifying tournament.

“When we launched the Mackenzie Tour as PGA Tour Canada in 2013, we hoped to see many journeys like Mackenzie’s unfold,” said PGA Tour Canada Tour president Jeff Monday. “Seeing players benefit from their performances in Canada and then go on to prove themselves a the next level is certainly encouraging.”

Hughes was part of Golf Canada’s national team program as an amateur and remains involved today. Hughes’ coach is Derek Ingram, who leads the national team and was at the helm of Canada’s Olympic golf team in Rio de Janeiro.

“The recipe Mackenzie has been using the last few years to get on the PGA Tour is almost exactly the same recipe he needs going forward,” Ingram said. “We are going to work on the same plan, be disciplined and professional in his approach, and just continue to be Mackenzie Hughes.

“We’re going to focus on getting a little bit better, but not search for unicorns out there. He knows if he plays his game, he will have plenty of success.”

Hughes connected with fellow Canadian PGA Tour golfers David Hearn and Nick Taylor prior to this week. Both advised Hughes on what they wished they could have done differently in their first seasons on Tour.

“They had great advice for me. It’s nice to know what some of those guys learned in their first year and just put it in my back pocket,” said Hughes. “I’m not going to play with Rory McIlroy one day and change my swing to hit it like him. It’s important to have that belief that what you did to get there (the PGA Tour) is good enough.”

Where Hughes finished on the Web.com Tour’s money list determined what PGA Tour events he will be able to get into during the six-tournament ‘Fall Series’ portion of the 2016-17 Tour schedule. He does not have enough status to pick-and-choose the rest of his schedule like veterans Hearn or fellow Olympian Graham DeLaet.

He wedding will keep him from next week’s event in Kuala Lumpur, but he will return for the Sanderson Farms Championship – won by Taylor in 2014.

Taylor, Hearn, DeLaet, Adam Hadwin, and fellow Web.com Tour graduate Brad Fritsch are also in the field at this week’s Safeway Open, which begins Thursday.

The comeback of Tiger Woods is going to have to wait at least two more months.

Three days before he was to return at the Safeway Open, Woods said he wasn’t ready to return against PGA Tour competition.

He first said on Sept. 7 that he planned to play, then officially committed to the tournament on Friday.

Woods, who had back surgery three times last year, says he feels strong and his health is good. But he says that after several days of practice in California, he feels his game is vulnerable.

Ryder Cup inspired me to play my best. Unfortunately as I prepared, I still need work and refining. https://t.co/wCFjIznK6R

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) October 10, 2016

Along with pulling out of the Safeway Open, Woods said Monday he was withdrawing from the Turkish Airlines Open next month.

He plans to play at his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas the first week of December.

Woods was to play the Safeway Open with Phil Mickelson and defending champion Emiliano Grillo.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Tiger Woods will be at Presidents Cup next year with or without his golf clubs.

U.S. captain Steve Stricker said Wednesday he has chosen Woods, Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III and three-time Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples to be his assistants for the matches next year at Liberty National.

International team captain Nick Price said his three assistants would be Ernie Els, Geoff Ogilvy and Tony Johnstone.

Woods was an assistant to Love at Hazeltine when the U.S. won the Ryder Cup over Europe last week.

Woods is to return to competition next week after being out more than a year recovering from back surgery. Stricker says he hopes Woods is at Liberty National as a player. If not, he’ll have him as an assistant captain.

LATROBE, Pa. – With a large tear forming in his left eye, Jack Nicklaus asked everyone from the elite to the everyman to remember the time Arnold Palmer touched their lives during an emotional farewell to the King on Tuesday.

“I hurt like you hurt,” Nicklaus said. “You don’t lose a friend of 60 years and don’t feel an enormous loss.”

The service at Saint Vincent College in Palmer’s hometown was filled with just as much laughter and warmth from stories of the most significant player in the modern game. The basilica at the college was packed with golf’s biggest names from around the world.

Charlie Mechem, the former LPGA commissioner who became one of Palmer’s most trusted advisers, referred to them as the “elite battalion” of Arnie’s Army.

Palmer died Sept. 25 in Pittsburgh as he was preparing for heart surgery. He was 87. His private funeral for family members was Thursday.

“We were looking down at the air strip and the fog just suddenly lifted,” Ernie Els said Tuesday after landing in one of several private jets that descended on Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. “This is a beautiful day. We’ve all met different people in life. He was a man who didn’t change. It didn’t matter if you cut the grass or you were a president. He was the same with everybody.”

Palmer’s co-pilot, Pete Luster, flew his plane around Saint Vincent College for nearly an hour before the service, tipping the left wing as he zoomed by.

Mechem set a happy tone by pointing to a large photograph of Palmer with a grin that made everyone feel so important. He asked the crowd to remember the Palmer who hitched up his pants and gave a thumbs-up.

“There’s an old saying that there are no irreplaceable people,” Mechem said, his voice cracking toward the end of the ceremony. “Whoever made that line didn’t know Arnold Palmer. There will never be another.”

Palmer won 62 times on the PGA Tour, including seven major championships.

The service was another reminder that Palmer was not the greatest golfer who ever lived, or even the best from his generation. He just had the greatest influence through television, through marketing and mostly through eye contact.

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem tried to explain Palmer’s popularity by mentioning his attacking style of golf, his appeal on television and the way he carried himself.

“He had this other thing,” Finchem said. “It was the incredible ability to make you feel good – not just about him, but about yourself. I was amazed by how people reacted to him. He took energy from that and turned right around and gave it back.”

CHASKA, Minn. – This wasn’t about being maybe the best team ever assembled. The Americans were simply a team, and they finally won back the Ryder Cup.

Phil Mickelson led the Americans behind the scenes. Patrick Reed powered them with his passion on the golf course. And it was Ryan Moore, the final captain’s pick who wasn’t even on the team until a week ago Sunday, who delivered the cup-clinching point at Hazeltine.

Moore finished eagle-birdie-par for a 1-up victory over Lee Westwood, and the celebration was on.

“When put in the right environment, the U.S. team brought out some amazing golf,” Mickelson said. “And we’re bringing back the Ryder Cup because of it.”

There was no meltdown like Medinah four years ago, when the Americans blew a 10-6 lead under captain Davis Love III.

Europe never really had a chance.

Reed outdueled and outshouted Rory McIlroy for a 1-up victory, and by then the back end of the scoreboard was filled with American red.

The final score was 17-11, the biggest rout for the United States since 1981. That U.S. team is considered the best team ever assembled with 11 major champions. In a radio interview going into the Ryder Cup, Love was trying to explain that the Americans didn’t have to do anything “super human” when he said, “This is the best team maybe ever assembled.”

Ultimately, this wasn’t about measuring against the past as much as it was building to the future.

The Americans lost for the third straight time in 2014 at Gleneagles, and it was team divided over everything from how the captain was selected to how the team should be built. Mickelson put his image on the line by publicly challenging captain Tom Watson at the closing press conference in Scotland, and he was the strongest voice among five players on a task force that was assembled to figure out why the Americans couldn’t seem to win.

Mickelson was under pressure all week and delivered 2 1/2 points, including a halve with Sergio Garcia in which both birdied the final two holes.

“You keep losing, you feel like you have to do something different,” said Love, who avoided becoming the first U.S. captain to lose the Ryder Cup twice. “They had a lot of pressure on them for the last two years. And every time we picked a guy, there was more and more pressure on the team and more and more questions. And I’m just proud the way every one of them played. It was a great team effort.”

The golf was equally great.

Reed faced the tallest order in the leadoff match with Rory McIlroy, and the quality of golf was as high as it gets. Reed squared the match by driving the fifth green to 8 feet for eagle, and he kept the tee until the 18th. Reed matched McIlroy’s birdie on No. 6, McIlroy matched Reed’s birdie on No. 7 and the par-3 eighth hole was as sensational as it gets in a Ryder Cup.

McIlroy holed a 60-foot birdie putt, leapt into the air and cupped his hand to his ear, mocking the American crowd to yell even louder. Reed then holed a birdie putt from 35 feet, charging the crowd before turning to wag his finger at McIlroy. They bumped fists and patted each other on the back, both 5 under through eight holes.

Their standard of gold dipped after that, perhaps because they spent so much energy pumping fists, and Reed finally took his first lead when McIlroy bogeyed the 12th hole. McIlroy’s putter went cold, and Reed closed him out with a 7-foot birdie on the 18th.

Mickelson made 10 birdies, and Garcia made nine birdies against no bogeys in their match.

Among the lone bright spots for Europe was Thomas Pieters, the Belgian rookie who had the best debut of any European rookie by going 4-1. He took down J.B. Holmes in the third match, right after Henrik Stenson dismantled Jordan Spieth. By then, it was ominous.

There would be no comeback like Medinah. There would be no celebrating for Europe, which it had done eight of the last 10 times.

The Americans stood atop a bridge to the left of the 18th green and sprayed champagne on themselves and the crowd, an enormous gathering that sent endless cheers of “U-S-A” and “Red, white, blue” across Hazeltine for three straight days.

Every U.S. player contributed a point.

For Europe, Westwood was among four players who ended the week without a point.

The Ryder Cup Task Force was dismantled after Love was named captain for the second time, though Mickelson and Tiger Woods remain on a committee for the next Ryder Cup in 2018 in France. Europe has not lost consecutive Ryder Cups since 1993.

CHASKA, Minn. – Patrick Reed took over his match and the rest of the Americans followed suit. Now they need to win only five of 12 singles matches to win the Ryder Cup.

The Americans won three of the four afternoon matches for 9 1/2 to 6 1/2 lead Saturday.

Reed holed out a wedge from the fairway for eagle on the par-5 sixth hole to take a lead that he and Jordan Spieth never relinquished against Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose.

Phil Mickelson delivered the key putts for another point, and Lee Westwood gave the Americans help they didn’t need by missing a 2-foot putt on the final hole.

Not even the undefeated partnership of Rory McIlroy and Thomas Pieters could dig Europe out of a hole.

The next challenge for the Americans is history. They led 10-6 at Medinah four years ago only for Europe to rally for another victory.

CHASKA, Minn. – Henrik Stenson tracked the flight of his shot from the middle of the 11th fairway and didn’t like where it was headed. The ball had barely settled into a greenside bunker when he flipped the fairway wood end-over-end into the air like a baton.

“Welcome to America, Henrik!” someone in the gallery howled with delight.

Never mind that Stenson and his family have lived in a very exclusive enclave in Orlando, Florida, for four years now. More important is that it was the Swede who had the last laugh Friday at the Ryder Cup.

He teamed with Englishman Justin Rose in the afternoon’s fourballs to begin the comeback that Rory McIlory and rookie Thomas Pieters finished in grand style to pull Europe to 5-3 by the time the gates at Hazeltine National Golf Club were closed.

The closing flourish was something to see.

Like Stenson-Rose, the McIlroy-Pieters duo got beat handily as the Americans rolled out a 4-0 sweep of the morning foursome. No U.S. team had managed to sweep a session since 1981, which may explain why Captain Davis Love left his opening and anchor pairings intact. So did Darren Clarke, his European counterpart, and his turned out to be the better gamble.

No sooner had McIlory’s 20-footer dropped for eagle to seal a 3-and-2 win over Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar, than he pumped his fist, then stopped and bowed deeply to the sometimes-raucous and overwhelmingly hometown crowd ringing the 16th green.

“I wanted to put an exclamation point on that session for us,” McIlroy said. “I thought about that celebration before I hit the putt.”

It was the kind of gesture we’ve come to expect from Spaniard Sergio Garcia. He teamed with countryman Rafael Cabrera Bello to win his afternoon match and has often served as the emotional engine for the European side, a role he inherited from the late Seve Ballesteros, another of his countrymen.

But Garcia was relatively subdued after his win and, if McIlroy, as well as Stenson and others whose style is less demonstrative, step forward and claim a leadership role, these Ryder Cup matches will be something to see.

With six rookies on his side, Clarke opted to pair the Olympic medallists – Rose won gold at Rio and Stenson grabbed silver – and put them out as his leadoff pair for both the foursomes and fourballs. They managed just one birdie through the 16 holes in the alternate-shot format and got beat 3 and 2 by Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed.

“Obviously, Jordan and Patrick made a few more putts and got the momentum early,” Stenson said.

But the Swede had an inkling he’d get the chance to square things.

“Jordan just told me he would see me this afternoon,” Stenson added, and Spieth turned out to be right.

But this time, the Europeans got some traction early, turning a 1-down deficit around with three straight birdies by Stenson and leading 2-up before they turned for the back nine. When Stenson dumped that fairway wood at par-5 11th into the bunker and wound up making par, Rose stepped up and halved the hole with a nervy 6-footer for birdie. That fueled another run as Stenson and Rose took the next three holes and closed out the match 5 and 4.

“Makes it sweeter when you beat the guys you lost to in the morning,” Stenson said.

The Ryder Cup is known for rowdy galleries. A vocal heckler walked the walk after talking the talk during the practice round on Thursday.

Rory McIlroy and Andy Sullivan took multiple cracks at a 12-foot putt on No. 8 and missed every time. David Johnson, of Mayville, North Dakota, let them know about it, saying he could make the putt. Henrik Stenson pulled Johnson from the gallery and Justin Rose laid a $100 bill right next to the ball, daring Johnson to make it.

After wisecracking that the putter he was handed was too short, Johnson muttered, “home soil, right?” Then he drilled the putt , eliciting a roar from the crowd. Johnson pumped his arms wildly and earned high fives from the entire Euro foursome as they exited the green.

Has the @rydercup started already?? pic.twitter.com/s6EImcbnZv

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) September 29, 2016

CHASKA, Minn. – Momentum means everything at the Ryder Cup.

Shot to shot, match to match, even era to era, it’s swung back and forth between the United States and Europe, sometimes at a glacial pace and occasionally with head-turning speed.

This time, it’s the visitors who arrive with the wind at their backs. Europe has won the last three, six of the last seven and eight of the last 10.

But if the history of that small gold trophy that English seed merchant Samuel Ryder first put up for grabs in 1927 proves anything, it’s that momentum is hard to catch and even harder to hold onto.

Here are five key swings in momentum at past Ryder Cups:

1967: “The finest golfers in the world.”

Golfers don’t come any tougher or more taciturn than Ben Hogan. The United States had largely dominated Ryder Cup play in the preceding four decades – against teams drawing players only from Great Britain and Ireland – but captain Hogan must have sensed his side was about to step on the gas. He listened as counterpart Dai Rees introduced his team at length and in glowing terms to the audience at the Champions Golf Club in Houston. Then Hogan asked his team to stand, read their names and said simply: “Ladies and gentlemen, the United States Ryder Cup team … the finest golfers in the world.” The Americans won 23 1/2-8 1/2 and kept their grip on the cup for the next eight matches in a row.

1987: First European victory on U.S. soil

Players from continental Europe joined the fray in 1979 and first made their mark with a rare, lopsided home win at The Belfry in 1985. Many of the young golfers who would become Europe’s “golden generation” – Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Jose-Maria Olazabal, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam – were just hitting their stride. But they had to prove their mettle by scoring a first-ever win on U.S. soil – at Muirfield Village, no less, on a course Jack Nicklaus designed. Trailing after two days, a U.S. charge in singles was blunted when Ben Crenshaw, frustrated by a missed putt, broke his putter in half and used his 1-iron or sand wedge on the greens the rest of the way. He lost to Ireland’s Eamonn Darcy on the final hole and Europe appeared to be set for a long run of success.

1991: “War by the Shore”

American golf fans didn’t care much about the Ryder Cup when their countrymen were dominating. But the galleries at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, for the “War by the Shore” let Europe know how much they wanted it back. Rowdy and close enough to the players on most holes to let those sentiments be heard in explicit terms, the matches came down to the final putt on the final hole of the final singles match between Langer and Hale Irwin. Langer missed a 6-footer for par and a chance to retain the cup.

1999: What are all those people doing on the green?

The swing in momentum at Kiawah turned out to be short-lived. The U.S. team won in 1993, but returned to Brookline Country Club after back-to-back losses in 1995 and 1997, and were down 10-6 heading into the final-day singles. Captain Crenshaw wagged his finger at reporters as he walked out of a news conference, saying “I’ve got a good feeling about this.” In the team room that night, future U.S. President George W. Bush read the famed “Victory or Death” letter penned by Col. William Barrett Travis to the team. Americans won the first seven matches, Justin Leonard made a 45-foot birdie putt at the 17th green as teammates, caddies and even some wives stormed onto the green and soon after, the greatest final-day comeback in Ryder Cup history went into the books. Unfortunately for the U.S. team, this swing was even shorter-lived.

2012: “It ain’t over until we say it’s over!”

Europe arrived on a roll, having won four of the last five. But back on home soil, it was the Americans who were rolling, leading 10-5 late Saturday and 2-up in the last match on the course. But Englishman Ian Poulter had other ideas. He birdied the last five holes to make it 10-6 and a suddenly resurgent Europe mowed down the Americans 8 1/2-3 1/2 in singles. German Martin Kaymer faced a 6-footer – the same length from which countryman Langer had missed almost 20 years earlier _ to clinch the win. “I did think about him, especially when I walked around the hole and read the putt from the other side,” Kaymer said. He poured it into the cup.

Arnold Palmer brought a country club sport to the masses with a hard-charging style, charisma and a commoner’s touch. At ease with both presidents and the golfing public, and on a first-name basis with both, “The King” died Sunday in Pittsburgh. He was 87.

Alastair Johnston, CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, confirmed that Palmer died Sunday afternoon of complications from heart problems. Johnston said Palmer was admitted to the UPMC Hospital on Thursday for some cardiovascular work and weakened over the last few days.

“Today marks the passing of an era,” said Johnston, Palmer’s longtime agent at IMG. “Arnold Palmer’s influence, profile and achievements spread far beyond the game of golf. He was an iconic American who treated people with respect and warmth, and built a unique legacy through his ability to engage with fans.”

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 go-for-broke manner 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 wasn’t for Arnold, golf wouldn’t be as popular as it is now,” Tiger Woods said in 2004 when Palmer played in his last Masters. “He’s the one who basically brought it to the forefront on TV. If it wasn’t for him and his excitement, his flair, the way he played, golf probably would not have had that type of excitement.

“And that’s why he’s 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.

“Thanks Arnold for your friendship, counsel and a lot of laughs,” Woods tweeted Sunday night. “Your philanthropy and humility are part of your legend. It’s hard to imagine golf without you or anyone more important to the game than the King.”

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, then 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.

“I’m 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 “Arnie’s 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.

Canadian golfer Mike Weir, who captured the Masters in 2003, tweeted from his verified account.

Everyone knows the great champion Mr Palmer is, but having spent time with, he’s an even better human being. #RIPAP pic.twitter.com/6KORU5M0KI

— Weirsy (@MikeWeir) September 26, 2016

Fellow Canadian golfer Graham DeLaet also reacted to the news on Twitter.

Arnie was one of the special people in our game. Treated everyone with so much respect. So glad I was able to meet the King. #RIP

— Graham DeLaet (@GrahamDeLaet) September 26, 2016

He also shared this tweet.

If Mr. Palmer’s life was a round of golf, he’s the only guy to ever shoot 57. #TheKing

— Graham DeLaet (@GrahamDeLaet) September 26, 2016

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 like 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 don’t bask in it. I don’t 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 don’t 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. That’s 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. That’s 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.

Nothing defined Palmer like that 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills. He was seven shots behind going into the final round when he ran into Bob Drum, a Pittsburgh sports writer. Palmer asked if he could still win by shooting 65, which would give him a four-day total of 280. Drum told him that 280 “won’t do you a damn bit of good.”

Incensed, Palmer headed to the first tee and drove the green on the par-4 opening hole to make birdie. He birdied the next three holes, shot 65 and outlasted Ben Hogan and 20-year-old amateur Jack Nicklaus.

Palmer went head to head with Nicklaus two years later in a U.S. Open, the start of one of golf’s most famous rivalries. It was one-sided. Nicklaus went on to win 18 majors and was regarded as golf’s greatest champion. Palmer won two more majors after that loss, and his last PGA Tour win came in 1973 at the Bob Hope Classic.

Tom Callahan once described the difference between Nicklaus and Palmer this way: It’s 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, there’s 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.”

Palmer combined power with charm, reckless abandon with graceful elegance. Golf no longer was a country club game for old men who were out of shape. He was a man’s man, and he brought that spirit to the sport.

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. Palmer’s 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 Digest’s list of top earners at $36 million a year. He trailed only Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Palmer’s 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 and Woods.

Palmer’s 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.

“I’m 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.