The “Big Three”

By Tom Quiner

Golf’s “Big Three”

The “Big Three” rides again!

Who are the Big Three? The first time I heard the phrase was in the 1960s when Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player dominated professional golf, winning an astounding 34 major tournaments between them. They came to be known as the Big Three.

These guys had more than ability. They had charisma, dedication, drive. They have been renown for the dignity with which they have lived their lives. Lee Trevino, another giant of the game who competed with the Big Three, marveled that Jack Nicklaus was more than a great golfer: he was a great father, and grandfather.

The Big Three brought class to the game and to America. In the case of the South African, Player, he

The 83 year old Arnold Palmer hits a beauty at the Masters

exuded class in every country in which he won some 120 tournaments around the world.

Today is the start of the prestigious Masters Golf Tournament. Palmer, 83, Player, 77, and Nicklaus 73, once again came together as the Big Three to hit the ceremonial first shots of the tourney.

Young and old alike thrill when these legends play. We honor their legacy.

***

Last week’s death of Margaret Thatcher made me think of another “Big Three.” The teaming of Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and Pope John Paul II on the world stage changed the course of history.

Their belief in the dignity of the human person and freedom, and their relentless opposition to collectivism and tyranny crushed the Soviet Union and ushered in an unprecedented era of prosperity.

Ms. Thatcher joins her Comrades in Hope in heaven.

The Big Three rides again!