Arnold Palmer

Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Since embarking on a professional career in 1955, he won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and the circuit now known as PGA Tour Champions. Nicknamed "the King", Palmer was one of golf's most popular stars and seen as a trailblazer, the first superstar of the sport's television age, which began in the 1950s.

Palmer's social impact on golf was unrivaled among fellow professionals; his modest origins and plain-spoken popularity helped change the perception of golf from an elite, upper-class pastime of private clubs to a more populist sport accessible to middle and working classes via public courses. Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player were "The Big Three" in golf during the 1960s; they are credited with popularizing and commercializing the sport around the world.

In a career spanning more than six decades, Palmer won 62 PGA Tour titles from 1955 to 1973. He is fifth on the Tour's all-time victory list, trailing only Sam Snead, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Ben Hogan. He won seven major titles in a six-plus-year domination from the 1958 Masters to the 1964 Masters. He also won the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, and in 1974 was one of the 13 original inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Early life

Arnold Daniel Palmer was born on September 10, 1929, to Doris (née Morrison) and Milfred Jerome "Deacon" Palmer in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, a working-class steel mill town. He learned golf from his father, who had suffered from polio at a young age and was head professional and greenskeeper at Latrobe Country Club, which allowed young Palmer to accompany his father as he maintained the course.

Palmer attended Wake Forest College on a golf scholarship. After Palmer's enlistment term ended, he returned to college and competitive golf.

Palmer is also credited by many for securing the status of The Open Championship (British Open) among U.S. players. Before Ben Hogan won that championship in 1953, few American professionals had traveled to play in The Open, due to its extensive travel requirements, its relatively small purse, and the style of its links courses (radically different from most American courses). Palmer wanted to emulate the feats of his predecessors Bobby Jones, Sam Snead and Hogan in his quest to become a leading American golfer.

In particular, Palmer traveled to Scotland in 1960 to compete in the British Open for the first time. He had already won both the Masters and U.S. Open and was trying to emulate Hogan's 1953 feat of winning all three tournaments in a single year. Although he failed to win, losing out to Kel Nagle by a single shot, Palmer went on to win the Open Championship in 1961 and 1962, and last played in it in 1995. Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, called Palmer "a true gentleman, one of the greatest ever to play the game and a truly iconic figure in sport".

Palmer's most prolific years were 1960–1963, when he won 29 PGA Tour events, including five major tournaments, in four seasons. In 1960, he won the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. He built up a wide fan base, often referred to as "Arnie's Army", and in 1967 he became the first man to reach $1million in career earnings on the PGA Tour. By the late 1960s Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player had both acquired clear ascendancy in their rivalry, but Palmer won a PGA Tour event every year from 1955 to 1971 inclusive, and in 1971 he enjoyed a revival, winning four events.

For each of his wins at the Masters, Palmer's caddie was Nathaniel "Iron Man" Avery; at the time, Augusta National required all golfers to use the club's own caddies.

Palmer won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average four times: 1961, 1962, 1964, and 1967. He played on six Ryder Cup teams: 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, and 1973.

Palmer was eligible for the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions) from its first season in 1980, and he was one of the marquee names who helped it to become successful. He won ten events on the tour, including five senior majors.

Palmer gives President George W. Bush golf tips before being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2004 In 2004, he competed in the Masters Tournament for the last time, marking his 50th consecutive appearance in that event. At his death, he and Jack Nicklaus were the only two Masters champions to be regular members of Masters organizer Augusta National Golf Club (as opposed to the honorary membership the club grants to all Masters champions).

From 2007 until his death, Palmer served as an honorary starter for the Masters. He retired from tournament golf on October 13, 2006, when he withdrew from the Champions Tours' Administaff Small Business Classic after four holes due to dissatisfaction with his own play. He played the remaining holes but did not keep score.

Golf businesses Palmer had a diverse golf-related business career, including owning the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida, which is the venue for the PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational (renamed from the Bay Hill Invitational in 2007), helping to found The Golf Channel, and negotiating the deal to build the first golf course in the People's Republic of China. This led to the formation of Palmer Course Design in 1972, which was renamed Arnold Palmer Design Company when the company moved to Orlando, Florida, in 2006. In 1971, he purchased Latrobe Country Club (where his father used to be the club professional) and owned it until his death. On March 12, 2014, a Florida jury ruled in favor of Gotta Have It on its breach of contract and other related claims. The same jury rejected the counterclaims of Palmer and Woods, and awarded Gotta Have It $668,346 in damages.

One of Palmer's most recent products (mass-produced starting in 2001) is a branded use of the beverage known as the Arnold Palmer, which combines sweetened iced tea with lemonade.

Automotive businesses As a member of the Lincoln-Mercury Sports Panel, in the early 1970s Palmer was a brand ambassador for Lincoln-Mercury. In 1974, Palmer, along with partners Mark McCormack and Don Massey, purchased a Cadillac dealership on Independence Boulevard in Charlotte, North Carolina. The dealership was relocated to nearby Pineville in 2008. Over the years, Palmer would acquire several other dealerships in several states, including a Buick-Cadillac store in his hometown of Latrobe. The North Carolina dealership was sold to Sonic Automotive in 2011 and renamed 'Cadillac of South Charlotte'. It is still in operation today. The Latrobe dealership, known as Arnold Palmer Motors, closed in 2017 after 36 years in business and several months after his death.

Legacy

He is mentioned by James Bond's caddie in Goldfinger: "If that's [Goldfinger's] original ball, I'm Arnold Palmer."

In 2000, Palmer was ranked the sixth greatest player of all time in Golf Digest magazine's rankings, and by 2008 had earned an estimated $30 million.

Palmer was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa - The National Leadership Honor Society in 1964 at Wake Forest University. He won the inaugural Scripps Howard Super Sage Award in 2003. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009. He was the first golfer to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the second golfer, after Byron Nelson, to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

In addition to Palmer's impressive list of awards, he was bestowed the honor of kicking off the Masters Tournament beginning in 2007. From 2007 to 2009, Palmer was the sole honorary starter. In 2010, longtime friend and competitor Jack Nicklaus was appointed by Augusta National to join Palmer. In 2012, golf's The Big Three reunited as South African golfer Gary Player joined for the ceremonial tee shots as honorary starters for the 76th playing of the Masters Tournament. In describing the effect that Palmer had on the sport, biographer James Dodson stated: We loved him with a mythic American joy... He represented everything that is great about golf. The friendship, the fellowship, the laughter, the impossibility of golf, the sudden rapture moment that brings you back, a moment that you never forget, that's Arnold Palmer in spades. He's the defining figure in golf.

Palmer's grandson Sam Saunders is a professional golfer

Palmer married his second wife, Kathleen Gawthrop, in 2005 in Hawaii.

During the spring and summer months, Palmer resided in Latrobe, and he spent winters in Orlando and La Quinta, California. He first visited Orlando in 1948 during a college match. When he took up residence in Orlando, Palmer helped the city become a recreation destination, "turning the entire state of Florida into a golfing paradise.” That included building one of the premier events on the PGA Tour there, along with his contributions to new hospitals. Palmer created the Arnie's Army Charitable Foundation to help children and youth. The Foundation saw the creation of the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies Center, The Howard Philips Center for Children & Families, the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, and the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve. He and O.J. Simpson were spokespersons for Hertz Rent-a-Car. Palmer served on the advisory board of U.S. English, a group that supports making English the official language of the United States.

During his playing career, Palmer smoked cigarettes, which caused him to battle an addiction to nicotine. He noted that many of his colleagues smoked, and he even endorsed the product in television commercials. Later in life, Palmer made a complete about-face and urged the public to give up smoking. He said that cigarette smoking has a negative effect on every organ in the body. As a testimonial for smoking cessation products, he was depicted in a 1989 photo by Robert Straus that was subject to copyright litigation as late as 20 years later.

Palmer was a Republican and donated money to Pat Toomey, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and George W. Bush. He was approached on multiple occasions by the Republican Party encouraging him to run for political office, but he declined on each occasion.

In a September 2018 interview with The Sporting News, Palmer's daughter, Peggy, characterized Palmer as a Goldwater Republican. She also said that her father was personal friends with president Dwight D. Eisenhower, who gave Palmer one of his paintings as a birthday present. Palmer also knew Donald Trump because Trump organized several golf tournaments. According to Peggy, Palmer appreciated Trump's support for the game. However, around the time of Palmer's death, which was during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Palmer showed disgust towards Trump and made unflattering comments about him.

Pilot Arnold Palmer statue unveiled at Laurel Valley Golf Course, Ligonier, PA, on September 10, 2009, in honor of Palmer's 80th birthday. Pictured: Arnold Palmer with sculptor Zenos Frudakis. Palmer's early "fear of flying" led him to pursue his pilot certificate. After almost 55 years, he logged nearly 20,000 hours of flight time in various aircraft. His personal website reads:

On Palmer's 70th birthday in 1999, Westmoreland County Airport in Latrobe was renamed Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in his honor. According to their website: "[The airport] started as the Longview Flying Field in 1924. It became J.D. Hill Airport in 1928, Latrobe Airport in 1935 and Westmoreland County Airport in 1978. Complementing a rich history rooted in some of the earliest pioneers of aviation, the name was changed to Arnold Palmer Regional in 1999 to honor the Latrobe native golf legend who grew up less than a mile from the runway where he watched the world's first official airmail pickup in 1939 and later learned to fly himself." There is a statue of Palmer made by Zenos Frudakis, holding a golf club in front of the airport's entrance, unveiled in 2007.

Palmer piloted a plane for the last time on January 31, 2011,

Books A Life Well Played: My Stories (2016) Reflections on the Game (2012, with Thomas Hauser. Originally published as Arnold Palmer: A Personal Journey, 1994) Arnold Palmer: Memories, Stories, and Memorabilia from a Life on and off the Course (2004) Playing by the Rules: The Rules of Golf Explained & Illustrated from a Lifetime in the Game (2002) A Golfer's Life (1999, with James Dodson) Arnold Palmer's Complete Book of Putting (1986, with Peter Dobereiner) Arnold Palmer's Best 54 Golf Holes (1977) Go for Broke! My Philosophy of Winning Golf (1973, with William Barry Furlong) 495 Golf Lessons (1973, with Earl Puckett) Golf Tactics (1970) Situation Golf (1970) My Game and Yours (1965)

Death Palmer died on September 25, 2016, while awaiting heart surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (Shadyside) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was admitted three days earlier to undergo testing on his heart. After his funeral, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered in his hometown at Latrobe Country Club. His estate was valued at $875 million and was divided between his two daughters, his second wife (who received $10 million), eight employees who received $25,000 each, and his charity, Arnie's Army, which received $10 million.

Tributes

Less than a week after Palmer died, his life was celebrated by both teams at the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota, just outside the Twin Cities. The celebration included a video tribute and a moment of silence during the opening ceremony, which also included tributes from the opposing captains—Davis Love III for Team USA and Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke for Team Europe—and the opposing honorary captains—Nicklaus for Team USA and England's Tony Jacklin for Team Europe. During the matches, the players paid tribute to Palmer, which included wearing a special logo, button and pin. Palmer's bag from the 1975 Ryder Cup was also placed on the first tee as a tribute. Palmer had won more than 22 Ryder Cup matches and had also captained Team USA to two victories, in addition to holding or being tied for the records for youngest captain, most career singles points and most points in a single Ryder Cup.

A Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to Palmer on January 1, 2017.

The United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring Palmer on March 4, 2020.

Amateur wins 1946 WPIAL Championship, PIAA Championship 1947 WPIAL Championship, PIAA Championship, Western Pennsylvania Junior, Western Pennsylvania Amateur 1948 Southern Conference Championship, Sunnehanna Invitational, Western Pennsylvania Junior 1950 Southern Intercollegiate, Western Pennsylvania Amateur, Greensburg Invitational 1951 Western Pennsylvania Amateur, Worsham Memorial 1952 Western Pennsylvania Amateur, Greensburg Invitational 1953 Ohio Amateur, Cleveland Amateur, Greensburg Invitational, Mayfield Heights Open, Evergreen Pitch and Putt Invitational 1954 U.S. Amateur, Ohio Amateur, All-American Amateur, Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, Bill Waite Memorial

Amateur major wins (1) YearChampionshipWinning scoreRunner-up 1954 U.S. Amateur 1 up Robert Sweeny Jr.

Results timeline

R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play

Source:

Professional wins (95) PGA Tour wins (62) LegendMajor championships (7)Other PGA Tour (55)

PGA Tour playoff record (14–10) Source:

European Tour wins (2)

Australian wins (2)

Latin American wins (2) 1956 Panama Open, Colombian Open

Other wins (12)

Senior PGA Tour wins (10) LegendSenior PGA Tour major championships (5)Other Senior PGA Tour (5)

Senior PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)

Other senior wins (5) 1984 Doug Sanders Celebrity Pro-Am 1986 Union Mutual Classic 1990 Senior Skins Game 1992 Senior Skins Game 1993 Senior Skins Game

Playoff record PGA Tour of Australia playoff record (0–1)

Major championships

Wins (7) 1Defeated Player (2nd) and Finsterwald (3rd) in an 18-hole playoff; Palmer (68), Player (71) and Finsterwald (77). 1st, 2nd and 3rd places awarded in this playoff.

Results timeline

CUT = missed the half-way cut WD = withdrew "T" = tied

Summary Most consecutive cuts made – 26 (1958 Masters – 1965 Masters) Longest streak of top-10s – 6 (1966 Masters – 1967 U.S. Open)

Senior major championships

Wins (5) a This was the January edition of the tournament. 1 Palmer won this with a birdie on the first playoff hole. 2 Won in an 18-hole playoff, Palmer shot a (70) to Stone's (74) and Casper's (77).

U.S. national team appearances Professional Ryder Cup: 1961 (winners), 1963 (winners, playing captain), 1965 (winners), 1967 (winners), 1971 (winners), 1973 (winners), 1975 (winners, non-playing captain) World Cup: 1960 (winners), 1962 (winners), 1963 (winners), 1964 (winners), 1966 (winners), 1967 (winners, individual winner) Presidents Cup: 1996 (winners, non-playing captain) UBS Cup: 2001 (winners, captain), 2002 (winners, captain), 2003 (tie, captain), 2004 (winners, captain)