Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer turned professional after he won the 1954 U.S. Amateur Championship. Palmer's first PGA Tour victory was at the Canadian Open on August 20, 1955. He earned $2,400 for the victory and it was his only win of the season.http://www.arnoldpalmer.com/ALLARNIE/career.aspx Palmer won four times in 1956 in 32 events and four more events in 1957. Arnold Palmer won his first professional major at the 1958 Masters. He won $11,250 for the victory and had three total victories and $44,531 in earnings for the season.http://www.arnoldpalmer.com/ALLARNIE/career.aspx Palmer won three more events in 1959 but none of them were major championships.

Arnold Palmer had his best seasons from 1960 through 1963. In 1960, he won the Masters and the US Open and finished second at the British Open. Palmer won nine tournaments for the season and earned $80,783. He won the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year and Sports "Sportsman of the Year" award from Sports Illustrated. During the 1961 season, Palmer won the British Open and five other events. He won first Vardon Trophy for best scoring average. Palmer won his second Vardon Trophy and nine more events in 1962, which included his third Masters and second British Open. Arnold Palmer won nine more events in 1963 and his final major championship, his fourth Masters, in 1964.http://www.arnoldpalmer.com/ALLARNIE/career.aspx

During the 1960's, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player were consider The Big Three in professional golf. By the mid to late 1960's, Nicklaus and Player were winning more events than Palmer, but Arnold still won at least one event every year up until 1970. He won four times in 1971 and played on his fourth Ryder Cup team. In 1973, Arnold Palmer won the Bob Hope Classic and played in his final Ryder Cup. Palmer won his final two PGA Tour events in 1975 at the Penfold PGA Championship and the Spanish Open and was honored as the captain of the Ryder Cup team.http://www.arnoldpalmer.com/ALLARNIE/career.aspx?st=tw

Palmer played on the Champions Tour, then the Senior Tour, in its inaugural season in 1980. He won the PGA Seniors and Canadian PGA Championship that year. Palmer went on to win ten Senior Tour events, the last at the Crestar Classic in 1988. Arnold Palmer continued to play and draw a huge crowd, despite limited success through the rest of his career. He retired as a player at the Masters after his 50th consecutive appearance after the 2004 event. Palmer's final Champions Tour major was at the 2005 U.S. Senior Open. He played his final official professional event on October 13, 2006. In 2007 Arnold Palmer became an honorary starter at the Masters and was joined in 2010 by Jack Nicklaus. It was reported on June 5, that Palmer would play in the 3M Championship on August 2 - August 8.http://www.twincities.com/ci_15206381?source=most_viewed&nclick_check=1

The Arnold Palmer Design Company was founded in 1972 and is located in Orlando, Florida at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge. The company has created around 300 courses located around the world. Palmer believes in creating courses that are aesthetically pleasing and fun to play, while respecting nature. He states, "I believe in traditional, straight forward design that produces courses with lasting quality and that are exciting and enjoyable for all players. The designs are founded on the principles and strategies of the game and are sensitive to the land and the environment. All of us work very well together. I give them my feelings and thoughts on a particular hole or course and they fit it in." The location of the company allows visitors to meet Palmer and the staff and to play at the course which hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational.http://www.arnoldpalmerdesign.com/about_us.html

Arnold Palmer is a former professional golfer on the PGA Tour and Champions Tour. He was born on September 10, 1929 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Palmer turned professional in 1954 and is one of the most popular players of all time. Nicknamed The King, Palmer was one of the first golfer stars aired on television. Arnold Palmer won 92 professional events worldwide, 61 of them on the PGA Tour and 12 on the Champions Tour.http://www.arnoldpalmer.com/allarnie/achievements1.aspx He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and earned a PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. Palmer retired from competitive golf in 2005.