British Open organizers pay tribute to Arnold Palmer

File-This July 31, 1972, file photo shows Jack Nicklaus kneeling as partner Arnold Palmer looks over his shoulder while they study a putt on 18th green at Laurel Valley Golf Club at the PGA National Team Championship in Ligonier, Pa. Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as "The King," died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87. (AP Photo, File) File-This July 31, 1972, file photo shows Jack Nicklaus kneeling as partner Arnold Palmer looks over his shoulder while they study a putt on 18th green at Laurel Valley Golf Club at the PGA National Team Championship in Ligonier, Pa. Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as "The King," died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87. (AP Photo, File)

By Associated Press September 26, 2016 1 min read

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) – Organizers of the British Open have paid tribute to Arnold Palmer for his “immeasurable” contribution to golf’s oldest major.

Martin Slumbers, chief executive of the Royal & Ancient, says Palmer was “a true gentleman, one of the greatest ever to play the game and a truly iconic figure in sport.”

Palmer died Sunday in Pittsburgh at the age of 87.

Slumbers says “his contribution to The Open Championship was, and remains, immeasurable.”

Palmer won seven majors, including two British Opens, in 1961 and ’62. He last played the Open in 1995, 35 years after his first appearance.