This past week, the sport of golf lost one of its greatest, if not the greatest, legend of all time when Arnold Palmer passed away at the age of 87. Palmer was born in September 1929 in Latrobe PA. He attended Wake Forest, and served in the Coast Guard for three years prior to the start of his golf career. He died on September 25 at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. Palmer was reportedly battling some cardiovascular problems when he was admitted to the hospital on September 22. Needless to say, Arnold Palmer left a lasting impact on the game of golf and on the world over.

​

Known widely as “The King” of golf, he found great success in the game. It all started in 1946 when he won the PIAA and WPIAL Golf Championships. Palmer would go on to collect 24 more Amateur wins in Pennsylvania, Ohio, ACC, and All-American tournaments with his first major Amateur win coming at the 1954 US Amateur Championship. He would turn pro after this win and win the Canadian Open as a rookie. Palmer is 5th all-time with a whopping 62 PGA Tour wins and 7 Major Championship wins. In those 7 Major Championship wins, he won the US Open once, the Open Championship twice, and the Masters Tournament 4 times. He would also win the Ryder, World, and President’s Cups a total of 14 times as a member of the US National Team. He would then play on the Senior PGA Tour and gain 10 more wins, half of those being in Major Championships. Among his other accolades, he is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, a two-time PGA Player of the Year, the 1960 Sport’s Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year, and a 4-time Vardon Trophy winner. He was also awarded the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009 for his dedication to his charities.

​

Palmer developed legions of fans around the world who were part of what is known as “Arnie’s Army.” Palmer was the namesake of the drink that we today have come to know simply as an “Arnold Palmer”, which is a mix of lemonade and iced tea, Palmer’s favorite beverage. He was also the namesake for the Arnold Palmer Invitational Tournament, which has been played in Bay Hill, Florida every year since 2007. Palmer had a widespread influence on a variety of charities, raising millions of dollars for the likes of Prostate Cancer Research and Women and Children’s Hospitals. Arnie’s Army has become a charitable foundation that “provides financial support to institutions and organizations that help children, youth, families, the environment and the communities in which we live”, according to the foundation’s website.

​

Many mourned the legend’s death in the past week, among those being his long-time rival, friend, and fellow golf legend Jack Nicklaus. In an interview with NBC Sports, Nicklaus stated “At this point I don’t know what happened, and I suppose it is not important what happened. What is important is that we just lost one of the incredible people in the game of golf and in all of sports.” Later in the interview, he would sum up what many of us believe in saying “He was the king of our sport and always will be.” The US National Team payed tribute to Palmer in placing his 1975 Ryder Cup golf bag at the first tee at the Ryder Cup. In addition, the US swept the cup for the first time since 1975. It only seemed fitting for one of golf’s greatest legends. Arnold Palmer will surely be missed, but not forgotten.