The world mourned one of the all-time sporting greats Sunday, as golf legend Arnold Palmer died Sunday. The seven-time major winner was 87.
One need only to look at this list of condolences to understand the widespread impact of the man:
The right man at the right time, Arnold Palmer transformed an entire sport and, along the way, became an American legend. Palmer, one of the most famous athletes on the planet and a friend to presidents, kings, and movie stars, died Sunday at the age of 87.
Palmer, the son of a Pennsylvania country club greenskeeper, learned the sport of golf as a youth and perfected his game while at Wake Forest. He turned pro in 1955, winning a tournament in his first year as a professional, and three years later won the Masters.
Six of Palmer’s seven major wins came in a short period, from 1960 to 1964, but that happened to be the exact moment when televised sports first became a national obsession. Palmer’s good looks, humble origins, cheerful demeanor and on-course success combined to make him an early favorite of viewing audiences, and “Arnie’s Army” turned out in force wherever he played.
Palmer’s battles with Jack Nicklaus were instant legend, a rivalry that blossomed into a friendship lasting more than half a century. Along with Gary Player, the men created the foundation for modern golf, and remained connected, visible and vibrant long after their playing days were done.
Palmer was one of the first sports figures to create a vibrant off-course empire. In addition to the products he endorsed – everything from tractors to the famous “Arnold Palmer” drink – Palmer oversaw a thriving course design business and helped found The Golf Channel.
Generations of golfers, from world-class pros to weekend hackers, owe Palmer a debt of gratitude. He was a singular force in American sports, and he’ll be deeply missed.
Japan scrambled jets Sunday after a fleet of Chinese aircraft flew into a strategically important strait near disputed islands in the East China Sea.
Japan sent out the jets after eight of the Chinese planes crossed back and forth over waters between Okinawa’s main island and Miyako-jima island near Taiwan, the Defense Ministry in Tokyo said in a statement. Two of the planes may have been fighter jets, the ministry said.
While the Chinese planes didn’t cross into Japanese airspace, it was the first time that Japan saw Chinese fighter jets in the Miyako Strait, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters in Tokyo on Monday. He said that Japan rejected China’s Air Defense Identification Zone that encompasses islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
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“We cannot accept the implication that the airspace over the Senkaku islands, which are part of our territory, belongs to China," Suga said.
The People’s Liberation Army Air Force sent a fleet of 40 aircraft -- comprising H-6K bombers, Su-30 fighters and air tankers -- on what it called a "routine" drill through the Miyako Strait on route to the West Pacific for exercises, a defense ministry statement said. It quoted Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke speaking from "a certain airport in East China."
The fleet performed surveillance, sudden assault and aerial refueling exercises, as well as "routine warning patrols" in China’s Air Defense Identification Zone in the East China Sea, according to Shen. The exercises stemmed from the need "to safeguard national sovereignty, protect national security and maintain peaceful development," Shen said.
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For background on China’s maritime push, click here
Last May, the PLA air force said it had flew warplanes through the Miyako Strait towards the West Pacific for drills. The size of the fleet over the weekend was uncommon, said Xu Guangyu, senior adviser at Beijing-based research group the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association.
"It’s not been seen often in the past," said Xu, a retired PLA major general. "The exercise aimed at enhancing open sea combat ability, and it’s part of the military’s reform to familiarize the troops with a battlefield environment. Americans and Russians both routinely conduct this type of exercise."
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The movements in the East China Sea underscore the frosty relationship between Asia’s two biggest economies. One of the thorniest issues is the long-running dispute over sovereignty of the tiny islands.
In a speech in Washington earlier this month, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada criticized China for its increasingly aggressive behavior in both the East China Sea and the South China Sea. She singled out Beijing for its reclamation of land around maritime features and expressed support for the U.S. Navy’s freedom of navigation operations.
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Although he
denied the affair at first
, the President eventually admitted that he and Flowers had one sexual encounter in 1977.