CHASKA, Minnesota (Reuters) - The earthy, endearing and gifted Arnold Palmer left a brilliant legacy in golf but he transcended the links, launching an era of sports stars as high paid pitchmen and pioneering in sports media.
"Something of a pop hero," Bob Dorfman, creative director at San Francisco's Baker Street Advertising, told Reuters about Palmer, who died on Sunday aged 87.
"A trend-setter in terms of sports endorsements on TV. It was kind of the right guy, the right personality, the right time."
Palmer, winner of seven majors, captured the public's imagination with his everyman demeanour, swashbuckling style and good looks just as television was coming of age nearly 60 years ago.