Palmer set for last trip to Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Arnold Palmer entertained the media for about 40 minutes in what will be his final pre-tournament press conference at Augusta.

The 74-year-old Palmer is playing in his 50th Masters and said it will be his last.

"The king" talked about the thrill of having his 16-year-old grandson caddy for him this week, his thoughts on John Daly ("I like John, he's a friend of mine") and memories of his early Masters appearances.

But most of the talk centered on Palmer's career and his feelings as he plays his final Masters.

Actually he left the door open to returning again.

"I suppose if I made the cut . . ." he said as laughter erupted from the room full of reporters.

They weren't laughing at him, but the fact is, Palmer hasn't made a cut at the Masters since 1983 when he finished in a tie for 36th place.

STILL DREAMING: Palmer said even though he's 74 and has shot in the 80s each of the last seven years at Augusta, he actually feels he can still find the magic that made him one of the top golfers of all time. He used to say the same thing every time he came to Utah to play in the Senior Tour event, when he'd inevitably finish toward the bottom. He still thinks he has some good golf left inside of him.

"I'm a dreamer," he said. "I continue to get up in the morning enthusiastically and go pick up a golf club with a thought that I can somewhere find that secret to making the cut. It applies to other things in life, too, and that's the way I live and the way I think and the way I feel."

QUOTABLE: John Daly, on perhaps winning the Masters this year: "I don't even know if they have a green jacket big enough for me. It would be great to find out."

GO, CHELSEA: It's only Tuesday, but there were clusters of reporters gathered around the various television sets in the Masters press room.

What were they watching? A red-hot practice round of one of the golfers? Some news about the war in Iraq?

No, it was a English soccer match between Chelsea and Arsenal, won by Chelsea 2-1.

Of the nearly 1,000 media covering the tournament, 350 to 400 are foreigners, and they love their soccer.

FOREIGN LEGION: The number of media members corresponds closely to the number of foreign players in the tournament.

Of the 93 golfers in the tournament, 42 are from foreign countries, led by Australia with seven, England with six, South Africa with five and Scotland with three.