FEATURE: 20 Years Later, Playing Partners Talk Arnie’s Last Masters

It was April 6, 2004, and Nathan Smith had just lived his dream, playing a practice round with Arnold Palmer in the latter’s final Masters tournament.

After shaking hands with his fellow Western Pennsylvanian, figured that would be the last that he saw his idol.

Bob Estes does not recall where exactly he was on the grounds, not giving much thought to who he would be playing, rather enjoying some time with then Augusta National Golf Club Vice Chairman Joe Ford, among others on the grounds.

That Tuesday would link Estes and Smith for the rest of their lives, with both expressing surprise recently that 20 years had passed since both accompanied Palmer for his final two competitive rounds at the Masters.

“We are the random question on Trivial Pursuit, the sports question of ‘Who were the two guys to play the final Masters rounds with Arnold Palmer,'” Smith said.

Smith viewed the pairing as quite the surprise as he figured Palmer would play the first two rounds with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.

The 2003 U.S. Mid-Amateur had set up a practice round that day with Palmer though some mutual contacts, with chairman Fred Ridley playing with the duo.

Smith had lunch with Palmer before shaking hands and wishing him luck. Then he looked at the pairings and admitted seeing his name next to Palmer’s for the opening two rounds was difficult to process.

“It’s the greatest,” determined Smith. “Him being my hero being from Western P-A and everything. Playing with him was an all-time honor and humbling. It’s something you can cherish forever and share with family and friends.

“That was a huge experience for me, too, just playing with him but personally to be in that environment that helps you, I played in three Masters and a Walker Cup. If you can play in that it feels like you can play in anything. He was so nice to me during the round. Had some laughs and could tell he was getting emotional. It kind of had it all.”

Estes was in the field by virtue of his placement in the Official World Golf Ranking. A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, Estes’s final win came at the 2002 Kemper Insurance Open, vaulting him to a career best 14th in the world.

He ranked 40th in the OWGR at the end of 2003 and was 24th on the same list a year prior.

It was Estes’s thought that Smith was a natural fit for Palmer’s final Masters pairing. Estes believes it was a combination of his connections and his ability to properly handle the situation which placed him in this grouping.

“Obviously, it meant a lot,” he observed. “Arnold Palmer was huge for the game of golf, and he paved the way for where we are now. I guess they selected me, and I knew it was natural to have Nathan play with Arnold Palmer.

“We had a great group, it was quite the experience, one I will never forget. I was obviously thrilled, and I knew it was going to be a great two days, an emotional two days and most of the people were going to be following us, those that weren’t following Tiger (Woods) in particular were going to be following our group, so they could be a part of Arnold Palmer’s last Masters.”

Bob Estes hits a shot during the first round of the 2024 Kaulig Companies Championship. Photo credit: PGA TOUR photo

The atmosphere over those two days could have been quite overwhelming. Smith likened it to an SEC football game where it felt like 50 people deep on every hole and with 40,000 patrons on the grounds, it felt like everyone had converged on the threesome during Friday’s final nine holes.

“It was different than anything you’ve ever done because the patrons were incredible and you’d be trying as hard as you could and at the same time try to soak up every moment,” recalled Smith. “It had everything. It almost felt like you had every emotion. Probably unlike any tournament I’ve ever played just from what you were feeling, being with him, seeing the outpouring of support for him, playing Augusta National.

“It was honestly surreal and unbelievable; words can’t describe it.”

Estes was able to properly deal with the distractions and concentrate when it was time to perform, but he was certainly well aware of what was going on.

So many people wanted to get Palmer’s attention and to his credit he did say hello when he could to individuals who had watched him play over the years.

“Whenever he had a chance to go say hello, he would wander over towards the ropes where the patrons are,” Estes observed. “A lot were his friends and got to know well over the years. It was a situation that I had to deal with as well like Nathan did and still try to perform.”

When it came time to get to the 18th hole Friday, there was certainly a lot of deserved pomp and circumstance for Palmer, but both Estes and Smith were trying to play the weekend.

Palmer’s score had come to a point where the scoreboard operators refrained from posting it, but that did not stop the Arnie’s Army faithful from expressing their adoration and appreciation for one of golf’s greats.

Smith, whose father was on the bag, enjoyed the walk, but was not exempt from feeling emotions of his own.

“You had (Palmer) walking up there and I was enjoying the walk with my dad,” explained Smith. “At the same time, you’re trying to play your heart out. Even though I played three more after that, I thought this could be my last Masters, period. To have my dad on the bag and walking up with Arnold Palmer and trying to stay out of his way. It was very emotional, and I had every emotion there was.”

Estes also knew to stay back and allow for Palmer to have his moment with his grandson Sam Saunders on the bag. His ability to shoot even par on Friday allowed him to make the cut on the number, ultimately tying for 31st place.

“It was Arnold Palmer’s last Masters, but it was also mine,” Estes observed. “It shouldn’t have been, but my game was going in the wrong direction and never quite recovered. I made the cut on the number but had to par the last hole to do it with everything going on, Arnold’s last hole of his Masters career.”

Photo Credit: The Masters YouTube Channel

In the days after the Masters, Estes reached out to a newspaper and photographer from Greensboro, North Carolina, as a picture was taken of himself shaking Palmer’s hand with the scoreboard in the background.

A sense of pride could be felt over the phone as Estes, in his Akron hotel room, explained just how much that picture meant to him.

“We were able to get that and it’s my favorite picture in my entertainment area,” he beamed. “I have it framed and that’s one that everyone is obviously very impressed with when they come to visit.”

Smith’s week came to an end after Friday’s 18th hole. His even-par 72 was undone by Thursday’s 78, and he missed the cut by two strokes.

Despite this disappointment, it was quite the week for Smith, who also played that year’s Par 3 Contest with eventual champion Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson also looked up to Palmer and tried to emulate a lot of his behaviors including how he treated fans, doing the interviews, signing countless autographs and doing it all with a sense of pride.

Though Smith admits there will never be another Arnold Palmer, he admitted that there was “a little bit of something there” that Palmer’s exit coincided with Mickelson’s long-awaited breakthrough.

Smith frequently had the opportunity both before and after the 2004 Masters to interact with his hero, most notably through the team-based Palmer Cup held at Latrobe Country Club.

This Palmer Cup was different from the collegiate edition as it pitted the top 10 Tri-State pros against the top 10 West-Penn amateurs with some singles in the morning and then a team event in the afternoon, which he would play with the top point-getters.

“We would go in for some awards and he would speak,” said Smith. “He was such a guy’s guy. I was around him a lot. He was an amazing golfer but an amazing person, such an incredible man and nice guy.”

There may not have been a bigger compliment than a handwritten note from Palmer. Smith never did receive that but had several photos with him and a phone call he would never forget.

After the Masters, Smith had to have shoulder surgery, something which changed his thoughts and aspirations about turning professional.

Palmer managed to get Smith’s phone number and called to see how the surgery went, something which still blows the latter away.

“That was probably the most memorable thing I can remember,” Smith reflected. “You’re sitting in a sling, and you don’t know what your future is. That call meant a lot.”

Nearly eight years after his passing, Palmer’s legacy continues to live through the golf world. Palmer founded the Golf Channel, bringing TV into golf, but he also brought fans in, was charismatic, and really started a lot of what golf is today.

“Was he the greatest golfer ever,” asked Smith. “He’s up there, but I think he was probably the most influential golfer than moved the needle and brought the sport along into the modern TV age. That would be his legacy which would be a big one.”

Estes, who currently competes on the PGA Tour Champions, believes all of this to be true, but leaned into just how he treated people. Even something as simple as having legible handwriting when he signed an item, so fans could read the signature means a lot to Estes.

“He never put himself above anyone else,” Estes illustrated. “That’s kind of what most of us have learned. You see how he treats people or at his own tournament at Bay Hill. I think he was well known for looking people in the eye, being very cordial and people appreciated that.”

Only Estes and Smith can state claim to being in Palmer’s final Masters. The chaotic scene throughout the two days was often a blur, but together the pair navigated through the situation, knowing each other better and showing respect for each other’s game and how they went about it.

“There are certain things in life you don’t realize are happening at the time that are just incredible moments,” concluded Smith. “That whole week was one of the highlights of my life.”