By Ward Clayton and J.D. Gallop
Staff Writers
Augusta Chronicle

It was a day of homecoming and celebration for the working man's golfer.

That's how one fan described Tuesday morning's unveiling of golfing great Arnold Palmer's statue on Augusta's riverfront. About 1,500 of Arnie's Army braved a chilly breeze to watch the 20-minute dedication.

After the unveiling of the 7-foot-high bronze statue, the four-time Masters winner quipped, ``I was just wondering if I was quite that heavy in the middle then. Maybe they took the difference from back then to now.''

The statue, with its back toward the Savannah River and gaze directed squarely down 10th Street, depicts Palmer during his heyday - the late 1950s through mid-60s - leaning on a driver and staring down the 10th fairway on a Masters Sunday.

Tuesday's ceremony was a highlight of the day for Mr. Palmer, who, arriving late for the unveiling with a police escort, had earlier made his traditional flyover of the Augusta National Golf Club earlier in the morning.

The moment also gave the graying golfer a chance to reflect.

``The first time I came to Augusta, I was a student at Wake Forest,'' Palmer said. ``I peered through the fence. I thought, `Boy, I hope I get there some day.'''

After the brief ceremony, Larry Sconyers, Augusta-Richmond County mayor-chairman, proclaimed Tuesday as Arnold Palmer Day. He also gave Palmer a key to the city.

``Since you`ve already got our hearts, here's a key to the city, too,'' Sconyers said.

The $100,000 sculpture, sponsored by Bankers First, will be the first of many to be featured along Augusta's Riverwalk.

``I'm very proud to be here. This is quite an honor,'' Palmer told his audience, many of whom braved the chilly morning to stand outside in the fountain cul-de-sac in front of the Radisson Riverfront Hotel, while others watched from their rooms.

Many of those gathered carried cameras and wore Masters badges.

``He's the greatest. It's his personality, the way he always smiles and waves to the crowds. He's friendly,'' said Dorothy Beck of Ohio. ``He's just great.''

Palmer, she said, embodies the working man's golfer.

``Arnold is the one who made golf,'' explained Jerry Hartline of Beech Island. Mr. Palmer brought the sport alive to regular people, said Mr. Hartline, a Palmer fan since the first time he saw him play at the Masters more than three decades ago.

``I think he's quite a man,'' said Jack Edwards, a visitor from Fort Myers, Fla.

Tuesday's unveiling was the first of eight commemorating golf's greats along Riverwalk. They will preview the Golf Hall of Fame and Gardens, multimillion-dollar facility with a garden and interactive theater, scheduled to open in 1998.