Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer was an American professional golfer who was one of the most charismatic players in the sport’s history. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and the circuit. In the entirety of his career, he won 62 PGA Tour titles.

Famous For

• An American professional golfer who was one of the most charismatic players in the sport’s history.

Arnold Palmer’s Early Life

Arnold Daniel Palmer was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania to parents Doris and Milfred Jerome Palmer. He learned golf from his father who was head professional and greenskeeper at Latrobe Country Club.

He is American by nationality and belongs to white ethnicity. His birth name is Arnold Daniel Palmer and his zodiac sign is Virgo.

He attended Wake Forest College on a golf scholarship. He was enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard where he served for three years and later returned to college and competitive golf. In 1954, Palmer won the U.S. Amateur in Detroit which helped him to make the decision to turn pro in November of that year.

Arnold Palmer’s Golf Career

• His professional career started on a good note as he recorded victory at the 1955 Canadian Open in his rookie season. He continued displaying powerful performances which helped him bag a series of victories.
• Though his proficiency at the game earned him a streak of wins, it was the victory at the 1958 Masters Tournament that launched him as a professional golfer earning him much fame and recognition.
• In 1969, he became one of the clients of the pioneering sports agent, Mark McCormack. The same year, he won the US Open and yet again recorded a victory at the Masters Tournament.
• With an aim to recreate the winning streak of Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen and Sam Snead of winning all the three in a single year, he headed to Scotland to play at The Open Championship. However, he lost the title by a shot to Kel Nagle. Nevertheless, he earned himself a huge fan base amongst the British and Europeans.
• The first three years of the 1960s were the most successful years in his career as he recorded massive victories. He not just won the 29 PGA Tour titles but earned a whopping $400,000 in prize money. Furthermore, he served as a winning captain of the US Ryder Cup.
• He recorded back to back victories at The Open Championship in 1961 and 1962. Furthermore, he won two more Masters Tournaments title in 1962 and 1964, taking the total to four titles, the first ever recorded by a golfer
• From 1955 to 1971, he won a PGA Tour event every year. In 1967, he became the first man to eclipse one million dollars in career earnings on the PGA Tour. In 1971, he won four events in a revival series. Four years later, he yet again captained the US Ryder team.
• Later in life, i.e. in 1980, he became eligible in the Senior PGA Tour, which is currently known as the Champions Tour. He enjoyed big victories in the Senior Tour, winning ten events on the tour including five senior majors.
• He recorded a victory at the first World Match Play Championship in England. In 2004, he competed in the Masters Tournament, thus making his 50th consecutive and last appearance at the tournament.
• It was in the 2005 U.S. Senior Open that he announced his retirement from senior majors. He officially retired from tournament golf on October 13, 2006. In his overall career, he recorded 92 titles, with seven major championships including four Masters, two British Opens and one US Open.
• Other than sports, he had great acumen for business as well and enjoys a diverse golf-related business career. He was the owner of the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Latrobe Country Club, where his father used to be a club professional.
• Furthermore, he helped found The Golf Channel and built the first golf course in the People’s Republic of China. He even founded a beverage, Arnold Palmer, which combines iced sweet tea with lemonade.

How many titles did Arnold Palmer win?

• In 1974, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
• In 1998, he was presented with the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award
• In 2000, he was ranked as the sixth greatest player of all time in the Golf Digest magazine.
• He was conferred with the prestigious Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004. Five years later, he has bestowed the Congressional Gold Medal.
• Since 2007, he had been the honorary starter of the Masters Tournament and for three years from 2007 to 2009, he was the sole honorary starter.

What did Arnold Palmer die from?

Arnold Palmer died on September 25, 2016. He was awaiting heart surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center during his time of death. He had only been admitted three days earlier to undergo the testing on his heart. After his funeral, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered in his hometown at Latrobe Country Club.

Was Arnold Palmer married?

Reflecting his personal life, Arnold Palmer married Winnie Walzer in 1954. He was together with Walzer for 45 years until her death on November 20, 1999. He had two daughters named Amy and Peggy from his marriage with Walzer.

Palmer got married again and his second wife was Kathleen Gawthrop who he married in 2005 until his death in 2016. He did not have any children of his second marriage.

Arnold Palmer’s Net Worth

The net worth of Arnold Palmer during the time of his death was valued at $ 875 million. He was one of the highest earning golfers of his time and held the title for many years even after retirement.  His earnings or salary from his career as a pro golfer were quite high which helped him to become the first player to win $1 million in career earnings.

He made his fortune not only through career earnings but from business investment as well as endorsement invitational from various companies as well. After death, Palmer’s money was divided between his two daughters, his second wife, eight employees, and his charity Arnie’s Army.

Arnold Palmer’s Body Figures

Before his death, he has a height of 5 feet 10 inches and weighs 84 kg. Similarly, his eyes are dark brown and hair color is white. His other body statistics were not disclosed yet.