Arnold Palmer

The King who changed golf forever.

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.

Quick Facts

Full name: Arnold Daniel Palmer
Nickname: The King
Born: 10 September 1929
Birthplace: Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died: 25 September 2016
Place of death: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height: 5 ft 10 in / 1.78 m
Weight: 185 lb / 83.9 kg

Lore & Background

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.

Reader's Guide

Palmer's first tour win came during his 1955 rookie season, when he won the Canadian Open. He won seven major championships: Masters Tournament (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964), U.S. Open (1960), and The Open Championship (1961, 1962). For each of his wins at the Masters, Palmer's caddie was Nathaniel 'Iron Man' Avery. He won the Vardon Trophy four times (1961, 1962, 1964, 1967) and played on six Ryder Cup teams (1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1973). He was the last playing captain in 1963, and captained the team again in 1975. Palmer won ten events on the Senior PGA Tour, including five senior majors.

Did You Know?

Palmer learned golf from his father, who was head professional and greenskeeper at Latrobe Country Club.
Palmer won the 1954 U.S. Amateur and turned professional in November of that year.
He was the first man to reach $1 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour in 1967.
Palmer served as an honorary starter for the Masters from 2007 until his death.