He was number 141 on the list.
Statements by the PGA of America
“We were blessed that Arnold Palmer chose golf as a
profession," said Derek Sprague, President of the PGA of America.
"Born the son of a PGA Professional, Arnold inherited his father’s
boundless passion for growing the game and reaching out to others. The
countless lives that he touched, both within our industry and outside the
gallery ropes, elevated golf to unprecedented heights. Our game and our country
lost a legend today, but Arnold Palmer will forever be in our hearts.”
“When I think of Arnold Palmer, I think of his natural
ability to relate to people, the close bond he had with his father, and how
when I first came on Tour, he made young professionals like me feel
welcome," said United States Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love III. "Like
me, Mr. Palmer was born the son of a PGA Professional and was taught by his dad
not only the fundamentals, but also how to give back to this great game. He
leaves an impact on the game and on sports in America that is unmatched.
Tonight our country lost a great sportsman, a great American. As we approach
the Ryder Cup this week, our team will keep Mr. Palmer and his family in our
prayers and will draw from his strength and determination to inspire us.”
By Doug Ferguson, Associated Press
Alastair Johnson, CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises,
confirmed that Palmer died Sunday afternoon of complications from heart
problems. Johnson said Palmer was admitted to the hospital Thursday for some
cardiovascular work and weakened over the last few days.
Palmer ranked among the most important figures in golf
history, and it went well beyond his seven major championships and 62 PGA Tour
wins. His good looks, devilish grin and go-for-broke manner made the elite
sport appealing to one and all. And it helped that he arrived about the same
time as television moved into most households, a perfect fit that sent golf to
unprecedented popularity.
Arnold Palmer brought a country club sport to the masses
with a hard-charging style, charisma and a commoner's touch. At ease with both
presidents and the golfing public, and on a first-name basis with both,
"The King" died Sunday in Pittsburgh. He was 87.Palmer was born Sept.
10, 1929 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the oldest of four children. His father,
Deacon, became the greenskeeper at Latrobe Country Club in 1921 and the club
pro in 1933.
"If it wasn't for Arnold, golf wouldn't be as popular
as it is now," Tiger Woods said in 2004 when Palmer played in his last
Masters. "He's the one who basically brought it to the forefront on TV. If
it wasn't for him and his excitement, his flair, the way he played, golf
probably would not have had that type of excitement. And that's why he's the
king."
"Thanks Arnold for your friendship, counsel and a lot
of laughs," Woods tweeted Sunday night. "Your philanthropy and
humility are part of your legend. It's hard to imagine golf without you or
anyone more important to the game than the King."
Beyond his golf, Palmer was a pioneer in sports marketing,
paving the way for scores of other athletes to reap in millions from
endorsements. Some four decades after his last PGA Tour win, he ranked among
the highest-earners in golf.
On the golf course, Palmer was an icon not for how often he
won, but the way he did it.
He would hitch up his pants, drop a cigarette and attack the
flags. With powerful hands wrapped around the golf club, Palmer would slash at
the ball with all of his might, then twist that muscular neck and squint to see
where it went.
"When he hits the ball, the earth shakes," Gene
Littler once said.
Palmer rallied from seven shots behind to win a U.S. Open.
He blew a seven-shot lead on the back nine to lose a U.S. Open.
He was never dull.
"I'm pleased that I was able to do what I did from a
golfing standpoint," Palmer said in 2008, two years after he played in his
last official tournament. "I would like to think that I left them more
than just that."
He left behind a gallery known as "Arnie's Army,"
which began at Augusta National with a small group of soldiers from nearby Fort
Gordon, and grew to include a legion of fans from every corner of the globe.
Palmer stopped playing the Masters in 2004 and hit the
ceremonial tee shot every year until 2016, when age began to take a toll and he
struggled with his balance.
It was Palmer who gave golf the modern version of the Grand
Slam — winning all four professional majors in one year. He came up with the
idea after winning the Masters and U.S. Open in 1960. Palmer was runner-up at
the British Open, later calling it one of the biggest disappointments of his
career. But his appearance alone invigorated the British Open, which Americans
had been ignoring for years.
Palmer never won the PGA Championship, one major short of
capturing a career Grand Slam.
But then, standard he set went beyond trophies. It was the
way he treated people, looking everyone in the eye with a smile and a wink. He
signed every autograph, making sure it was legible. He made every fan feel like
an old friend.
Palmer never like being referred to as "The King,"
but the name stuck.
"It was back in the early '60s. I was playing pretty
good, winning a lot of tournaments, and someone gave a speech and referred to
me as 'The King,'" Palmer said in a November 2011 interview with The
Associated Press.
"I don't bask in it. I don't relish it. I tried for a
long time to stop that and," he said, pausing to shrug, "there was no
point."
Palmer played at least one PGA Tour event every season for
52 consecutive years, ending with the 2004 Masters. He spearheaded the growth
of the 50-and-older Champions Tour, winning 10 times and drawing some of the
biggest crowds.
He was equally successful off with golf course design, a
wine collection, and apparel that included his famous logo of an umbrella. He
bought the Bay Hill Club & Lodge upon making his winter home in Orlando,
Florida, and in 2007 the PGA Tour changed the name of the tournament to the
Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The combination of iced tea and lemonade is known as an
"Arnold Palmer." Padraig Harrington recalls eating in an Italian
restaurant in Miami when he heard a customer order one.
"Think about it," Harrington said. "You don't
go up there and order a 'Tiger Woods' at the bar. You can go up there and order
an 'Arnold Palmer' in this country and the barman — he was a young man — knew
what the drink was. That's in a league of your own."
He had two loves as a boy — strapping on his holster with
toy guns to play "Cowboys and Indians," and playing golf. It was on
the golf course that Palmer grew to become so strong, with barrel arms and
hands of iron.
"When I was 6 years old, my father put me on a
steel-wheeled tractor," he recalled in a 2011 interview with the AP.
"I had to stand up to turn the wheel. That's one thing made me strong. The
other thing was I pushed mowers. In those days, there were no motors on
anything except the tractor. The mowers to cut greens with, you pushed.
"And it was this," he said, patting his arms,
"that made it go."
Palmer joined the PGA Tour in 1955 and won the Canadian Open
for the first of his 62 titles. He went on to win four green jackets at Augusta
National, along with the British Open in 1961 and 1962 and the U.S. Open in
1960, perhaps the most memorable of his seven majors.
Nothing defined Palmer like that 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry
Hills. He was seven shots behind going into the final round when he ran into
Bob Drum, a Pittsburgh sports writer. Palmer asked if he could still win by
shooting 65, which would give him a four-day total of 280. Drum told him that
280 "won't do you a damn bit of good."
Incensed, Palmer headed to the first tee and drove the green
on the par-4 opening hole to make birdie. He birdied the next three holes, shot
65 and outlasted Ben Hogan and 20-year-old amateur Jack Nicklaus.
Palmer went head-to-head with Nicklaus two years later in a
U.S. Open, the start of one of golf's most famous rivalries. It was one-sided.
Nicklaus went on to win 18 majors and was regarded as golf's greatest champion.
Palmer won two more majors after that loss, and his last PGA Tour win came in
1973 at the Bob Hope Classic.
Tom Callahan once described the difference between Nicklaus
and Palmer this way: It's as though God said to Nicklaus, "You will have
skills like no other," then whispered to Palmer, "But they will love
you more."
"I think he brought a lot more to the game than his
game," Nicklaus said in 2009. "What I mean by that is, there's no
question about his record and his ability to play the game. He was very, very
good at that. But he obviously brought a lot more. He brought the hitch of his
pants, the flair that he brought to the game, the fans that he brought into the
game."
Palmer combined power with charm, reckless abandon with
graceful elegance. Golf no longer was a country club game for old men who were
out of shape. He was a man's man, and he brought that spirit to the sport.
It made him a beloved figure, and brought riches long after
he stopped competing.
That started with a handshake agreement with IMG founder
Mark McCormack to represent Palmer in contract negotiations. Palmer's image was
everywhere, from motor oil to ketchup to financial services companies. Even as
late as 2011, nearly 40 years after his last PGA Tour win, Palmer was No. 3 on
Golf Digest's list of top earners at $36 million a year. He trailed only Woods
and Phil Mickelson.
Palmer's other love was aviation. He piloted his first
aircraft in 1956, and 10 years later had a license to fly jets that now are the
standard mode of transportation for so many top players, even though the
majority of them are merely passengers. Palmer flew planes the way he played
golf. He set a record in 1976 when he circumnavigated the globe in 57 hours, 25
minutes and 42 seconds in a Lear 36. He continued flying his Cessna Citation 10
until he failed to renew his license at age 81, just short of 20,000 hours in
the cockpit.
Through it all, he touched more people than he could
possibly remember, though he sure tried. When asked about the fans he attracted
at Augusta National, Palmer once said, "Hell, I know most of them by
name."
Only four other players won more PGA Tour events than Palmer
— Sam Snead, Nicklaus and Woods.
Palmer's first wife, Winnie, died in 1999. They had two
daughters, and grandson Sam Saunders plays on the PGA Tour. Palmer married
Kathleen (Kit) Gawthrop in 2005.
Palmer was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, which was
caught early. He returned to golf a few months later, winking at fans as he
waded through the gallery, always a smile and a signature for them.
"I'm not interested in being a hero," Palmer said,
implying that too much was made about his return from cancer. "I just want
to play some golf."
That, perhaps, is his true epitaph. Palmer lived to play.
