Obama: Arnold Palmer 'was the American Dream come to life'

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The golf world is mourning the loss of Arnold Palmer, who died on Sunday at the age of 87.

Jack Nicklaus wrote a moving tribute on his Facebook page. Tiger Woods posted a nice photo of the two to his Instagram account. And on Monday, President Barack Obama himself weighed in with perhaps the best tribute we've seem so far.

"Arnold was the American Dream come to life," Obama said in a statement.

"Sure, we liked that he won seven majors," he added, "but we loved that he went for it when he probably should have laid up."

Here's Obama's full statement:

"With his homemade swing and homespun charm, Arnold Palmer had swagger before we had a name for it. From a humble start working at the local club in his beloved Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to superstardom as the face of golf around the globe, Arnold was the American Dream come to life.

Along the way he racked up win after win - but it wasn't his success that made him King. Arnold's freewheeling, fearless approach to the game inspired a generation of golfers and, for the first time on TV, enthralled an audience across the world. Sure, we liked that he won seven majors, but we loved that he went for it when he probably should have laid up.

That spirit extended beyond the links where he gave freely of himself and poured everything he had into everything he did: from building hospitals to personally responding to countless letters from his fans. And he did it all with a grin that hinted maybe he had one more shot up his sleeve."