Arnold Palmer: Golf
Arnold Daniel Palmer (born September 10, 1929), nicknamed “The King”, is a former champion golfer born in Pennsylvania and is considered one of the sport’s all-time greats. He won many events on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour since 1955. Golf came easily to Palmer and when he turned 17, he already captured two state interscholastic championships, earning a golf scholarship to Wake Forest University and won three Atlantic Coast Conference Championships. It was the 1958 Masters Tournament in Georgia that launched his career to fame, being the youngest golfing champion during that time and ending up being number 1 on the money list with $40,000.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
In 1988, “The King” won the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Palmer is the first golfer to win the Masters Tournament four times and won a total of 92 tournaments throughout his golfing career. He is part of “The Big Three” in golf, together with Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, who are generally recognized with advertising the sport to the world
Why Was He So Good?
Arnold Palmer’s modest background and outspoken status helped change the views and opinions of golf, a sport that was known to be only for the privileged and upper classes, to a more democratic sport open to middle and working class.
What You May Not Know
- He embarked a three-year hiatus from golf after the tragic death of his closest friend and teammate, Bud Worsham in 1950. He quit his senior year in college and joined the U.S. Coast Guard.
- Palmer is known to be the first superstar of sports television during the 50s.
- After his golf career ended, he became a very successful businessman and invested in automobile and aviation companies. It was reported that he was taking endorsement deals yearly for $20 million.
Was he a legend?
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Related Pages
- More legendary Golf players
- Athlete Database home
- About the sport of Golf
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