Georgia Tech golf coach Bruce Heppler had the honor of coaching the U.S. team in the 2015 Palmer Cup, a Ryder Cup-style event for American and European collegiate golfers. Part of the duties, though, meant speaking at the opening ceremonies before several hundred people, an attendance that included the event’s namesake, Arnold Palmer.
“I’m just terrified,” Heppler said Monday, the day after Palmer died at the age of 87. “Again, it’s a little bit overwhelming for a guy from southern Utah to be speaking to a group of people and have Arnold Palmer back there.”
After the ceremonies, Heppler had a chance for a brief conversation with Palmer.