Arnold Daniel Palmer was born on September 10, 1929 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, or as the residents there call it "Laaatrobe," with an emphasis on the "A." Considered to be one of the greatest golf players in history he has won a number of events including the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour dating back to 1955. Given the nickname, "The King," he is popular among both fans and golf pros around the world. Part of golf's Big Three that included Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, with the emergence of televised sports in the 1950's, Palmer and his Big Three buddies made golf interesting, and watchable.
Arnold began early, having learned his love for the game from his father, Deacon; a greens keeper at the Latrobe Country Club. At the tender age of seven, Palmer scored a 70 at the nearby Bent Creek Country Club, an impressive achievement, especially considering his age. Palmer cut his teeth in the game on the then only nine hole Latrobe Country Club course, on which he was allowed to play early in the morning and late in the afternoon when members did not have tee times scheduled.
Palmer attended Wake Forest University on a golf scholarship and later served three years in the Coast Guard, during which he married Winifred Walker (whom he met while playing in a Pennsylvania tournament). In his first season as a professional player, Palmer won the Canadian Open, which helped spark interest in the career of this rising young star.
His first major championship win came in the 1958 Masters - within two years he was one of the biggest names in the game. One thing which helped was his signing on with the agent Mark McCormack. Asked later on what it was he saw in the young Palmer, he answered: "his good looks, his modest background, the way he played golf, his risk taking and wearing his heart on his sleeve, and his involvement in so many exciting early televised finishes." One of the first US golfers to win the English Open, Palmer quickly became an international golf superstar and won the Masters in the years 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964. He also won the US Open in 1960 and the English Open again in 1961 and 1962. However, his best years were 1960 through 1963. In this time period, Palmer won 29 PGA Tour Events in only four seasons of play.
In 1960, Arnold was named Sports Illustrated top pro athlete of the year and he won the Sportsman of the Year award. His fans, known as "Arnie's Army," cheered when their Arnie became the first man to reach one million dollars in career earnings in 1967. Even with pros like Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player playing alongside him, Arnold managed to win a PGA Tour every year all the way up to 1970 and in 1971 he enjoyed a rejuvenation of his career winning four events.
The winner of four Vardon Trophies for low average score and a member on six different Ryder Cup teams, Palmer was by 1980 eligible for the PGA Senior Tour - an event which his famous name brought success to. The event would eventually be renamed the Champions Tour; Palmer won ten events on this tour and thanks to the talent of his agent McCormack, Palmer earned more in endorsements, charity events and sponsorships than any other player in the sport. Arnold Palmer has even won the highest honor given to civilians in the US - the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, which was presented to Palmer by President Bush.
In 2004, Arnold played in The Masters for the last time-his 50th consecutive appearance and when he missed the cut at the 2005 US Senior Open, he then announced he would not play any further senior majors, retiring from golf in 2006. To the delight of Arnie's Army, one of his most memorable events was during the 2004 Bay Hill Invitational where standing over 200 yards from the 18th green, he lashed his second shot onto the green with a driver. Even Arnold smiled and celebrated the moment along with his grandson/caddie, Sam Saunders.
Arnold Palmer no longer plays competitively, but stays active in the world of golf. He is involved in the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, which hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He was one of the developers of the Golf Channel and helped to build one of the first golf courses in China and founded the Arnold Palmer Design Company. Ranked the sixth best player of all time by Golf Digest, Palmer has also won the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Arnold Palmer now resides in Orlando, FL where he stays on top of developments in the golf world and still enjoys a good game of golf. - 16887
Arnold began early, having learned his love for the game from his father, Deacon; a greens keeper at the Latrobe Country Club. At the tender age of seven, Palmer scored a 70 at the nearby Bent Creek Country Club, an impressive achievement, especially considering his age. Palmer cut his teeth in the game on the then only nine hole Latrobe Country Club course, on which he was allowed to play early in the morning and late in the afternoon when members did not have tee times scheduled.
Palmer attended Wake Forest University on a golf scholarship and later served three years in the Coast Guard, during which he married Winifred Walker (whom he met while playing in a Pennsylvania tournament). In his first season as a professional player, Palmer won the Canadian Open, which helped spark interest in the career of this rising young star.
His first major championship win came in the 1958 Masters - within two years he was one of the biggest names in the game. One thing which helped was his signing on with the agent Mark McCormack. Asked later on what it was he saw in the young Palmer, he answered: "his good looks, his modest background, the way he played golf, his risk taking and wearing his heart on his sleeve, and his involvement in so many exciting early televised finishes." One of the first US golfers to win the English Open, Palmer quickly became an international golf superstar and won the Masters in the years 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964. He also won the US Open in 1960 and the English Open again in 1961 and 1962. However, his best years were 1960 through 1963. In this time period, Palmer won 29 PGA Tour Events in only four seasons of play.
In 1960, Arnold was named Sports Illustrated top pro athlete of the year and he won the Sportsman of the Year award. His fans, known as "Arnie's Army," cheered when their Arnie became the first man to reach one million dollars in career earnings in 1967. Even with pros like Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player playing alongside him, Arnold managed to win a PGA Tour every year all the way up to 1970 and in 1971 he enjoyed a rejuvenation of his career winning four events.
The winner of four Vardon Trophies for low average score and a member on six different Ryder Cup teams, Palmer was by 1980 eligible for the PGA Senior Tour - an event which his famous name brought success to. The event would eventually be renamed the Champions Tour; Palmer won ten events on this tour and thanks to the talent of his agent McCormack, Palmer earned more in endorsements, charity events and sponsorships than any other player in the sport. Arnold Palmer has even won the highest honor given to civilians in the US - the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award, which was presented to Palmer by President Bush.
In 2004, Arnold played in The Masters for the last time-his 50th consecutive appearance and when he missed the cut at the 2005 US Senior Open, he then announced he would not play any further senior majors, retiring from golf in 2006. To the delight of Arnie's Army, one of his most memorable events was during the 2004 Bay Hill Invitational where standing over 200 yards from the 18th green, he lashed his second shot onto the green with a driver. Even Arnold smiled and celebrated the moment along with his grandson/caddie, Sam Saunders.
Arnold Palmer no longer plays competitively, but stays active in the world of golf. He is involved in the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, which hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He was one of the developers of the Golf Channel and helped to build one of the first golf courses in China and founded the Arnold Palmer Design Company. Ranked the sixth best player of all time by Golf Digest, Palmer has also won the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Arnold Palmer now resides in Orlando, FL where he stays on top of developments in the golf world and still enjoys a good game of golf. - 16887
About the Author:
Improving your golfing swing is possible if you have the right knowledge. For amazing tips and information and ideas visit Nothing But Sports. http://nothingbutsports.info/
No comments:
Post a Comment