ARNOLD PALMER

Legendary Golfer

Named "Athlete of the Decade" for the 1960's by the Associated Press, Arnold Palmer helped popularize the game of golf like no one else ever has. He brought golf to the common people, not just to the country club types. His many followers became known as "Arnie's Army" as these large crowds followed him from hole to hole at every tournament.

Palmer was born in Latrobe, PA, on September 20, 1929. His father worked at Latrobe Country Club, and Arnold would spend a lot of time there working at many jobs and learning the game. He was soon outplaying most of the older boys, and by the age of 17 won his first West Penn Amatuer Championship. He attended Wake Forest College (now University) where he was number one on the team and three time Atlantic Coast Conference Champion. He left Wake Forest after the death of a close friend, and joined the Coast Guard. Later, in 1954, he won the U. S. Amatuer and turned pro.

His first professional victory came at the 1955 Canadian Open, and he went on to win 92 professional championships, including the Masters Tournament in 1958, 1960, 1962, and 1964. As his fame grew, his followers grew, and the popularity of golf grew. The prize money at that time was quite small compared to today, and Palmer is given part of the credit for making the game popular enough to dramatically increase the purses. He took a "rich man's sport" and made it attractive for the common people, because that's how they perceived Palmer - and rightly so. A large part of Palmer's popularity is because he is such a nice person. Young or old, rich or poor, he relates to people and they relate to him. He has never taken fans for granted, in fact often trying to do well just so they are not disappointed, as if he owes them something. When you act like that, people are bound to appreciate it.

Palmer has won nearly every major tournament and award, and became famous for his late charges tournaments. He also became golf's first millionaire, and its first big-time businessman. Palmer not only made the sport a big money sport, he showed other golfers what to do with their money and popularity. He is a member of the American Golf Hall of Fame in Foxburg, PA, the PGA Hall of Fame in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and is a charter member of the World Golf Hall of Fame in Pinhurst, NC. He still lives in Latrobe, PA part-time, and Orlando, Florida part-time. He works in wide-ranging business and philanthropic interests.