Arnold Palmer

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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.

In Their Own Story

In 1960, Palmer traveled to Scotland to compete in the British Open for the first time. He had already won both the Masters and U.S. Open that year and was trying to emulate Ben Hogan's 1953 feat of winning all three in a single year. Palmer played what he himself called the four best rounds of his career, shooting 70-71-70-68. The British excitedly claimed he might be the greatest golfer ever to play the game. Though he lost to Kel Nagle by a single shot, his subsequent Open wins in 1961 and 1962 convinced many American pros that a trip to Britain was worth the effort. His appearance overseas drew American attention to the Open Championship, which had previously been ignored by American golfers. European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said Palmer's participation in the early 1960s "was the catalyst to truly internationalize golf."

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), The Open Championship (1961, 1962). His most prolific years were 1960–1963, when he won 29 PGA Tour events, including five major tournaments. He won the Vardon Trophy four times (1961, 1962, 1964, 1967). He played on six Ryder Cup teams (1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, 1973) and was the last playing captain in 1963. He won ten events on the Senior PGA Tour, including five senior majors. He won the first World Match Play Championship held in England. In 2004, he competed in the Masters for the last time, marking his 50th consecutive appearance. From 2007 until his death, he served as an honorary starter for the Masters. He retired from tournament golf on October 13, 2006.

Did You Know?

• For each of his wins at the Masters, Palmer's caddie was Nathaniel 'Iron Man' Avery.
• Palmer won the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year in 1960.
• He became the first man to reach $1 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour in 1967.
• Palmer helped found The Golf Channel and formed Palmer Course Design in 1972.