Why Arnold Palmer nearly got Tiger Woods in a lot of trouble after paying for a $50 dinner

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Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods are the two golfers who are credited most with growing the game.

When Palmer burst onto the scene in the 1950s, his character, charisma and the way that he appealed to youngsters saw a huge boom in the golf industry.

And then 40 years later, the exact same thing happened with Woods but to an even greater extent.

They are two of the most successful golfers of all-time with 144 PGA Tour wins and 22 major championships between them. Palmer only has seven of those combined major victories and he definitely should have won more.

Palmer always helped out Woods when he was struggling, not that he needed that help too often!

Back in 1997, Palmer raved about Woods’ ability, but he did highlight how it would be difficult for him to break Jack Nicklaus’ record haul of 18 major championships, and he’s been proven right.

Palmer, who sadly passed away in 2016, first met Woods properly in 1995 over dinner in Napa Valley, California, and he nearly got the talented young starlet in a lot of trouble.

Why Arnold Palmer nearly got Tiger Woods in serious trouble in 1995

Woods was the most exciting amateur golfer in the college system back in the mid-1990s.

While he was at Stanford University, Woods won three consecutive US Amateur titles, and it was during that time that he met Mr Palmer for the very first time.

In his book – A Life Well Played: My Stories – Palmer opened up on a fascinating story about a time when he had dinner with Woods 30 years ago.

Incredibly, the now 15-time major winner nearly got in a serious amount of trouble as a result of that meeting with Palmer.

Palmer explained: “In October 1995, Tiger and I met for dinner when he drove from Stanford University, where he was a sophomore at the time, to Napa, California, where I was playing in the TransAmerica Golf Championship. He wanted to pick my brain about a range of golf-related topics, including the pros and cons of turning professional. I was delighted to oblige, and I picked up the dinner tab, naturally. It was the right thing to do as the elder person, and even though Tiger already was a two-time U.S. Amateur champion and a golfer of renown he was still a college kid.

“Unfortunately, that little gesture ended up almost getting Tiger in trouble, because the NCAA has a rule—among many—that prohibits student-athletes from receiving benefits because of their status or reputation. And Tiger was the most celebrated college golfer to come along in decades, having won five straight USGA titles at that point—three U.S. Junior Amateurs and two U.S. Amateurs. (The NCAA also could have penalized Tiger for receiving benefits from an equipment manufacturer, because I had my own club company.) To make things right, Tiger had to write a check to me for $25. Funny, I don’t remember whether or not I ever cashed that check. Oh, well, Tiger was off the hook, and thank goodness for that.

“Boy, was his mother, Kultida, angry about the NCAA’s involvement, telling one newspaper reporter, “The kid was just trying to learn knowledge.” I wasn’t too thrilled myself. Seemed like an unreasonable rule to me.“

How incredibly bizarre that was.

The rule is in place for a reason but sometimes common sense should prevail, just like Woods’ mother Kultida obviously thought.

Arnold Palmer vs Tiger Woods: Career records compared:

Palmer and Woods both had a transcending impact on the game of golf.

But how did their respective records stack up against each other?

A lot of Palmer’s missed cuts came when he played events well into his 50s and in some cases even his early-60s, so that stat is slightly misleading.

With Palmer in the 1950s and Woods 40 years later, PGA Tour players would not be competing for the money they are nowadays.

And for that, both of them deserve to be held in extremely high esteem.