Four-time Masters champion Arnold Palmer waves his putter to the gallery on the 18th green after completing his final round at the Masters. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        AUGUSTA, Ga. — Arnold Palmer, 72, strolled through the mist and fought back the tears. His long goodbye to the Masters came to a melancholy close Saturday.

        The champion played his last six competitive holes at Augusta National. Watching it from behind the ropes was “Arnie's Army,” the cult of personality that learned to love Palmer as much for his charming ways as for the herky-jerky swing that won him four Masters titles.

        When it was over — when the standing ovations had ceased and the nonstop applause had faded — Palmer was as overwhelmed by the fans as they were smitten by him. “I've seen big crowds, and I've seen people,” Palmer said. “But this was unbelievable.”

Arnold Palmer waves to the crowd after he two-putted the 18th. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Before the rain-delayed second round resumed early Saturday morning, fans ignored the “no running” warnings from all those Pinkerton security guards. They were in a hurry to be in position when Palmer hit his shot from the 13th fairway.

        With a well-struck 5-wood, a thumbs-up sign and a wave to the crowd, the game was back on.

        About 10:35 a.m., it came to an end, 48 years after it started, and 44 years since he charged to win his first green jacket with help of an eagle on No. 13.

        “I thought I would keep the emotion down a bit,” Palmer said of his walk up the final fairway. “But, yes, there's a lot of feeling.”

        TV SIGNALS: CBS doesn't want rain to get in the way of its expanded Masters coverage. The network will go on the air at 1:30 p.m. — an hour earlier than originally planned when Augusta National let the network expand its Sunday coverage to 18 holes.

        Tee times were moved up a half-hour, as well. Rain has plagued the tournament, and the extra time will come in handy if another storm halts play. By starting an hour earlier, CBS also builds in extra time to cope with a delay.

        MONEY GAME: Augusta National announced a purse of $5.6 million for this year's Masters, including $1.008 million to the winner.

        Those are the same amounts paid out when Tiger Woods captured the green jacket in 2001. This is the first time since 1977 that the winner will get the same amount as his predecessor. Tom Watson received $40,000 for winning a quarter-century ago, duplicating the winner's check to '76 champion Raymond Floyd.

        NOTABLE: Of the top 10 players on the leaderboard, eight are international players. Woods and Mickelson are the only Americans. International players have won nine of the last 14 Masters.

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