Facebook
		Newsvine
		Reddit

From BEV NORWOOD, Inside the Ropes

Golf''s Big Three - Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus - celebrated perhaps the longest on-going commercial relationship in sports this week with a two-day visit to the home of Rolex watches, where they were honored by the managing director of Rolex SA, Patrick Heiniger, and a select group of about 40 guests including Rolex board members and senior executives.

Palmer and the Business manager for all three golfers, the late Mark McCormack, first met the late Andre Heiniger, Patrick''s father and then Rolex''s managing director, while on a Business trip to Japan in 1961, and the relationships grew from there. Nicklaus and Player were presented with Rolex watches to mark their U.S. Open victories in 1962 and 1965, respectively, and Palmer became Rolex''s first golf ambassador in 1967. Joining the Big Three were their wives and two other world-class sportsmen and Rolex ambassadors from the same era, the Grand Prix racing champion Sir Jackie Stewart and the Olympic and World Cup champion skier Jean-Claude Killy. They were all presented gold Rolex GMT Master II watches to mark the occasion. There was an informal welcoming dinner on the evening of their arrival. The next morning they were given a tour and saw Rolex watches being made. There was a ceremony in Rolex''s Andre Heiniger Auditorium. A Video of the Big Three created especially for the occasion was shown before Patrick Heiniger spoke and recognized the Big Three in these words: "In 1960, Arnold gave new life to the British Open and made it a championship never to be missed by the best players. As a result he created the modern Grand Slam."

Keep reading....