Arnold Palmer’s grandson has a unique connection to Colonial CC

Golf legend Arnold Palmer won the 1962 Colonial National Invitational, the good folks at this year’s Dean & DeLuca Invitational are proud to point out.

Sam Saunders — grandson of the legendary Palmer, who died in September — is proud of his heritage. But this week at Colonial Country Club, Saunders is just trying to snap a streak of four straight missed cuts.

“It’s another week of work for me to best prepare myself to try and win a golf tournament,” he said. “The course is in awesome condition. The fairways are absolutely flawless, the greens are very healthy and they’re rolling smooth, and they’re going to get lot faster and hopefully a lot firmer, too.”

Palmer won 62 PGA Tour events during a Hall of Fame career, including seven others the same year he won at Colonial.

“They’re all special, but yeah he won a lot of them so I get that a lot where he’s won ‘This event, would it be special to win that event?’ so yeah.”

Ask about Arnie’s Army Charitable Foundation, and Saunders is happy to oblige.

“I think it’s the best way to carry on my grandfather’s legacy and the positive impact that he made, not just on golf but in the world,” he said. of the organization that provides financial support to institutions and organizations that help children, youth, families, and the environment.

“We’ve been given a good opportunity to help others and carry on that tradition through the sport of golf, but also through health and research and just try to make the world a better place.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 7:43 AM with the headline "Arnold Palmer’s grandson has a unique connection to Colonial CC."