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56-477: 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

112-464: 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. As a member of

168-566: 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. He

224-419: 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

280-483: A civil case in an effort to stop the unauthorized sale of their images and alleged signatures in the memorabilia market. The lawsuit was filed against Bruce Matthews, the owner of Gotta Have It Golf, Inc. and others. Matthews and associated parties counter-claimed that Palmer and associated businesses committed several acts, including breach of contract, breach of implied duty of good faith and violations of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. On March 12, 2014,

336-695: 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. On hearing about Palmer's death, Tiger Woods said, "My kids were born at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, and his philanthropic work will be remembered along with his accomplishments in golf." Arnold Palmer Boulevard

392-416: A fictionalized story of a Harvard study in which the three percent of graduates who had clear, written goals earned ten times as much as the 97 percent who didn't have clear, written goals. McCormack and numerous motivational speakers, including Tony Robbins and Brian Tracy , have used various versions of this story in their presentations. The system used to calculate Mark McCormack's world golf rankings

448-668: A humble start working at the local club in his beloved Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to superstardom as the face of golf around the globe, Arnold was the American Dream come to life... Today, Michelle and I stand with Arnie's Army in saluting the King. Professional golfer In golf, the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose said status. A golfer who has lost their amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;

504-403: A living solely from playing tournament golf until some way into the 20th century ( Walter Hagen is sometimes considered to have been the first man to have done so). In the developed world, the class distinction is now almost entirely irrelevant. Golf is affordable at public courses to a large portion of the population, and most golf professionals are from middle-class backgrounds, which are often

560-419: A measure of his popularity, Palmer, like Elvis Presley before him, was known simply as "The King." But in a life bursting from the seams with success, Palmer never lost his common touch. He was a man of the people, willing to sign every autograph, shake every hand, and tried to look every person in his gallery in the eye. Golf Week According to Adam Schupak of Golf Week , "No one did more to popularize

616-526: 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 was married to the former Winnie Walzer for 45 years; the couple had two daughters, Peggy and Amy. Winnie died at age 65 on November 20, 1999, of complications from ovarian cancer. Palmer's grandson Sam Saunders

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672-554: 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

728-499: A plane for the last time on January 31, 2011, and flew from Palm Springs in California to Orlando in his Cessna Citation X . His pilot's medical certificate expired that day and he chose not to renew it. However, public FAA records show he was issued a new third-class medical in May 2011. Palmer died on September 25, 2016 (shortly after his 87th birthday), while awaiting heart surgery at

784-576: A professional career in golf, there's only one decision Arnold Palmer considers smarter. Learning how to fly an airplane. 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

840-570: A professional may not play in amateur tournaments unless the Committee is notified, acknowledges and confirms the participation. It is very difficult for a professional to regain their amateur status; simply agreeing not to take payment for a particular tournament is not enough. A player must apply to the governing body of the sport to have amateur status reinstated. Historically, the distinction between amateur and professional golfers had much to do with social class . In 18th and 19th century Britain, golf

896-469: 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 thought he would pilot

952-533: A single year. Palmer played what he himself said were the four best rounds of his career, shooting 70-71-70-68. His scores had the English excitedly claiming that Palmer may well be the greatest golfer ever to play the game. British fans were excited about Palmer's playing in the Open. Although he failed to win, losing out to Kel Nagle by a single shot, his subsequent Open wins in the early 1960s convinced many American pros that

1008-471: 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

1064-706: A trip to Britain would be worth the effort, and certainly secured Palmer's popularity among British and European fans, not just American ones. Palmer was greatly disappointed by his runner-up finish in the 1960 British Open. His appearance overseas drew American attention to the Open Championship, which had previously been ignored by the American golfers. 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

1120-605: Is a professional golfer who grew up playing at Bay Hill, where he won the club championship at age 15. Saunders attended Clemson University in South Carolina on a golf scholarship and turned pro in 2008. He stated that Palmer's family nickname is "Dumpy.” 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

1176-510: 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

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1232-768: Is named in his honor. Palmer was a member of the Freemasons since 1958. 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

1288-714: Is the case in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom. Professional golfers from these countries are quite often from poor backgrounds and start their careers as caddies, for example, Ángel Cabrera of Argentina , and Zhang Lian-wei , who is the first significant tournament professional from the People's Republic of China . In various countries, Professional Golfers' Associations (PGAs) serve either or both of these categories of professionals. There are separate LPGAs (Ladies Professional Golf Associations) for women. Under

1344-434: The 1958 Masters Tournament , where he earned $ 11,250, established his position as one of the leading stars in golf, and by 1960 he had signed up as pioneering sports agent Mark McCormack 's first client. In later interviews, McCormack listed five attributes that made Palmer especially marketable: his handsomeness; his relatively modest background (his father was a greenskeeper before rising to be club professional and Latrobe

1400-668: The Cleveland law firm, Arter & Hadden . In the 1950s he helped organize one-day golf exhibitions for professionals around the United States. In 1960, McCormack founded IMG . McCormack wrote several books, including The Terrible Truth About Lawyers and What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School , which spent 21 consecutive weeks at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list . His annual publication The World of Professional Golf , first published in 1967, included an (unofficial) world ranking system. In his book What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School, McCormack tells

1456-515: 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 $ 1   million 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

1512-652: The McCormack–Nagelsen Tennis Center at the College of William & Mary , which houses the ITA Women's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame. McCormack died at a New York hospital on May 16, 2003, age 72, from complications after suffering a cardiac event four months earlier that left him in a coma. His second wife, Betsy Nagelsen, their daughter, Maggie, and children from his first marriage to Nancy Breckenridge McCormack, Todd and Leslie, later shared $ 750 million, when

1568-715: 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 . 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

1624-601: 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. From

1680-530: The 1954 U.S. Amateur in Detroit and made the decision to turn pro in November of that year. "That victory was the turning point in my life," he said. "It gave me confidence I could compete at the highest level of the game." When reporters there asked Gene Littler who the young golfer was that was cracking balls on the practice tee, Littler said: "That's Arnold Palmer. He's going to be a great player some day. When he hits

1736-473: 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 , 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

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1792-611: 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 in Charlotte, North Carolina . Over the years, Palmer would acquire several other dealerships in several states including a Buick -Cadillac store in his hometown of Latrobe. The Latrobe dealership, known as Arnold Palmer Motors, closed in 2017 after 36 years in business. As

1848-585: The United States, the PGA of America has 31 distinct member classifications for professionals. Many of the classifications also have corresponding apprenticeship positions. Mark McCormack Mark Hume McCormack (November 6, 1930 – May 16, 2003) was an American lawyer, sports agent and writer. He was the founder and chairman of International Management Group, now IMG , an international management organization serving sports figures and celebrities. After his Army discharge, McCormack worked as an attorney at

1904-456: 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

1960-518: The ball, the earth shakes." After winning that match, Palmer quit his job selling paint and played in the Waite Memorial tournament in Shawnee-on-Delaware, Pennsylvania . There, he met his future wife, Winifred Walzer, and they remained married for 45 years until her death in 1999. On November 17, 1954, Palmer announced his intentions to turn pro. "What other people find in poetry, I find in

2016-573: The course. Palmer attended Wake Forest College on a golf scholarship . He left upon the death of close friend Bud Worsham and enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard , where he served for three years, 1951–1954. At the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May, New Jersey , he built a nine-hole course and had some time to continue to hone his golf skills. After Palmer's enlistment term ended, he returned to college and competitive golf. Palmer won

2072-858: The family's shares in IMG were sold. In July 2006, McCormack was selected for induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in the lifetime achievement category and was inducted in October 2006. On January 23, 2008, he was also inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame . He was featured as one of the Forbes 400 Richest Americans in 1995, 1998, 2001. In 1990, he was named the "Most Powerful Man in Sports" by Sporting News . The University of Massachusetts at Amherst has also named their Sport Management department after McCormack. The British film Wimbledon (2004)

2128-663: The first golf courses built in China since the founding of the People's Republic of China. In 1971, he purchased Latrobe Country Club (where his father used to be the club professional) and owned it until his death. The licensing, endorsements, spokesman associations and commercial partnerships built by Palmer and McCormack are managed by Arnold Palmer Enterprises. Palmer was also a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects . In 1997, Palmer and fellow golfer Tiger Woods initiated

2184-488: The flight of a good drive," Palmer said. Palmer's first tour win came during his 1955 rookie season, when he won the Canadian Open and earned $ 2,400 for his efforts. He raised his game status for the next several seasons. Palmer's charisma was a major factor in establishing golf as a compelling television event in the 1950s and 1960s, which set the stage for the popularity it enjoys today. His first major championship win at

2240-401: The formation of Palmer Course Design in 1972, which was renamed Arnold Palmer Design Company when the company moved to Orlando, Florida, in 2006. Palmer's design partner was Ed Seay. Palmer designed more than 300 golf courses in 37 states, 25 countries, and five continents (all except Africa and Antarctica), including the golf course at Henry Fok 's Zhongshan Hot Springs Hotel, which was one of

2296-433: 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. 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: Next to marrying his wife, Winnie, and deciding on

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2352-485: The greatest ever to play the game and a truly iconic figure in sport". His participation in The Open Championship in the early 1960s "was the catalyst to truly internationalize golf," said European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley. Palmer won seven major championships : 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

2408-527: 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

2464-431: The player's score on a hole is not the primary goal, such as long drive and putting competitions, outside the amateurism rules. If an amateur accepts a prize of greater than this in a competition covered by the amateurism rules, they forfeit their amateur status, and are therefore by definition a professional golfer. Professional golfers are divided into two main groups, with a limited amount of overlap between them: In

2520-593: The remaining holes but did not keep score. 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

2576-433: The rules of golf and amateur status, the maximum value of a prize an amateur can accept is £700 or US$ 1000. Before the most recent increase in 2022, the maximum had been £500 or $ 750. The 2022 changes also significantly reduced the scope of competitions in which the prize limit applies. Before that time, the only competitions exempt from prize limits were hole in one contests. The 2022 changes took all competitions in which

2632-404: The same sort of backgrounds as the members of the clubs where they work or the people they teach the game, and are educated to university level. Leading tournament golfers are very wealthy; upper class in the modern U.S. usage of the term. However, in some developing countries, there is still a class distinction. Typically, golf is restricted to a much smaller and more elite section of society than

2688-425: The sport than Palmer". "His dashing presence singlehandedly took golf out of the country clubs and into the mainstream. Quite simply, he made golf cool." Jack Nicklaus said: Arnold transcended the game of golf. He was more than a golfer or even great golfer. He was an icon. He was a legend. Arnold was someone who was a pioneer in his sport. He took the game from one level to a higher level, virtually by himself. He

2744-515: 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

2800-553: Was a humble club); the way he played golf, taking risks and wearing his emotions on his sleeve; his involvement in a string of exciting finishes in early televised tournaments; and his affability. 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

2856-518: Was adapted in 1986 to become the Official World Golf Ranking system, with McCormack chairing the rankings committee made up of representatives from all the major golf tours. McCormack pioneered a similar system for tennis rankings. McCormack met his second wife Betsy Nagelsen-McCormack , a two-time Australian Open doubles champion and a Wimbledon doubles finalist, while she was a business client. They married in 1986. The couple founded

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2912-742: 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

2968-461: Was originally organized by McCormack to showcase his stable of players. Their partnership was one of the most significant in the history of sports marketing. Long after he ceased to win tournaments, Palmer remained one of the highest earners in golf due to his appeal to sponsors and the public. 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

3024-449: Was played by the rich, for pleasure. The early professionals were working-class men who made a living from the game in a variety of ways: caddying , greenkeeping, clubmaking, and playing challenge matches. When golf arrived in America at the end of the 19th century, it was an elite sport there, too. Early American golf clubs imported their professionals from Britain. It was not possible to make

3080-513: Was the last playing captain in 1963, and captained the team again in 1975. 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 won the first World Match Play Championship that was held in England. The event

3136-541: 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

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