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ARNOLD PALMER

UNITED STATES

Height:

5 ft, 10 in

Weight:

185 lbs

Birthday:

09/10/1929

College:Wake Forest University
Turned Pro:1954
Birthplace:Latrobe, PA
Residence:Orlando, FL; Latrobe, PA

Champions Tour - Media Guide

PGA TOUR VICTORIES (62)
1955  Canadian Open.  1956  Insurance City Open,  Eastern Open.  1957  Houston Open,  Azalea Open Invitational,  Rubber City Open Invitational,  San Diego Open Invitational.  1958  St. Petersburg Open Invitational,  Masters Tournament,  Pepsi Championship.  1959  Thunderbird Invitational,  Oklahoma City Open Invitational,  West Palm Beach Open Invitational.  1960  Palm Springs Desert
Golf Classic,  Texas Open Invitational,  Baton Rouge Open Invitational,  Pensacola Open Invitational,  Masters Tournament,  U.S. Open Championship,  Insurance City Open Invitational,  Mobile Sertoma Open Invitational.  1961  San Diego Open Invitational,  Phoenix Open Invitational,  Baton Rouge Open Invitational,  Texas Open Invitational,  Western Open,  British Open Championship.  1962  Palm Springs Golf Classic,  Phoenix Open Invitational,  Masters Tournament,  Texas Open Invitational,  Tournament of Champions,  Colonial National Invitation,  British Open Championship,  American Golf Classic.  1963  Los Angeles Open,  Phoenix Open Invitational,  Pensacola Open Invitational,  Thunderbird Classic Invitational,  Cleveland Open Invitational,  Western Open,  Whitemarsh Open Invitational.  1964  Masters Tournament,  Oklahoma City Open Invitational.  1965  Tournament of Champions.  1966  Los Angeles Open,  Tournament of Champions,  Houston Champions International.  1967  Los Angeles Open,  Tucson Open Invitational,  American Golf Classic,  Thunderbird Classic.  1968  Bob Hope Desert Classic,  Kemper Open.  1969  Heritage Golf Classic,  Danny Thomas-Diplomat Classic.  1970  National Four-Ball Championship.  1971  Bob Hope Desert Classic,  Florida Citrus Invitational,  Westchester Classic,  National Team Championship.  1973  Bob Hope Desert Classic. 
Champions Tour VICTORIES (10)
1980  PGA Seniors' Championship.  1981  U.S. Senior Open.  1982  Marlboro Classic,  Denver Post Champions of Golf.  1983  Boca Grove Classic.  1984  General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship,  Senior Tournament Players Championship,  Quadel Senior Classic.  1985  Senior Tournament Players Championship.  1988  Crestar Classic. 
INTERNATIONAL VICTORIES
(5): 1984 Doug Sanders Celebrity Pro-Am. 1986 Union Mutual Classic. 1990 Senior Skins Game. 1992 Senior Skins Game. 1993 Senior Skins Game.
Other Victories
(19): 1954 U.S. Amateur. 1955 Panama Open, Colombia Open. 1960 Canada Cup [with Sam Snead]. 1962 Canada Cup [with Sam Snead]. 1963 Australian Wills Masters Tournament, Canada Cup [with Jack Nicklaus]. 1964 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship, Canada Cup [with Jack Nicklaus]. 1966 Australian Open, Canada Cup [with Jack Nicklaus], PGA Team Championship [with Jack Nicklaus]. 1967 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship, World Cup [with Jack Nicklaus], World Cup [indiv]. 1971 Lancome Trophy. 1975 Spanish Open, British PGA Championship. 1980 Canadian PGA Championship.
Best PGA TOUR Finishes
1-- Canadian Open, Insurance City Open, Eastern Open, Houston Open, Azalea Open Invitational, Rubber City Open Invitational, San Diego Open Invitational, St. Petersburg Open Invitational, Masters Tournament, Pepsi Championship, Thunderbird Invitational, Oklahoma City Open Invitational, West Palm Beach Open Invitational, Palm Springs Desert Golf Classic, Texas Open Invitational, Baton Rouge Open Invitational, Pensacola Open Invitational, Masters Tournament, U.S. Open Championship, Insurance City Open Invitational, Mobile Sertoma Open Invitational, San Diego Open Invitational, Phoenix Open Invitational, Baton Rouge Open Invitational, Texas Open Invitational, Western Open, British Open Championship, Palm Springs Golf Classic, Phoenix Open Invitational, Masters Tournament, Texas Open Invitational, Tournament of Champions, Colonial National Invitation, British Open Championship, American Golf Classic, Los Angeles Open, Phoenix Open Invitational, Pensacola Open Invitational, Thunderbird Classic Invitational, Cleveland Open Invitational, Western Open, Whitemarsh Open Invitational, Masters Tournament, Oklahoma City Open Invitational, Tournament of Champions, Los Angeles Open, Tournament of Champions, Houston Champions International, Los Angeles Open, Tucson Open Invitational, American Golf Classic, Thunderbird Classic, Bob Hope Desert Classic, Kemper Open, Heritage Golf Classic, Danny Thomas-Diplomat Classic, National Four-Ball Championship, Bob Hope Desert Classic, Florida Citrus Invitational, Westchester Classic, National Team Championship, Bob Hope Desert Classic.
Best Champions Tour Finishes
1-- PGA Seniors' Championship, U.S. Senior Open, Marlboro Classic, Denver Post Champions of Golf, Boca Grove Classic, General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship, Senior Tournament Players Championship, Quadel Senior Classic, Senior Tournament Players Championship, Crestar Classic.
Career Highlights

2011: Again served as the Honorary Starter, along with Jack Nicklaus, at the Masters Tournament. 2010: Teamed with Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus at The Olde Farm GC in Virginia in The Big 3 for Mountain Mission Kids sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. The 19-hole scramble event, benefiting the Mountain Mission School, raised more than $15.1 million, the most-ever by a golf tournament in a single day. 2006: Teed it up in the Constellation Energy Classic in September and then made his last official appearance in a TOUR event at the Administaff Small Business Classic in October. Withdrew from the Houston-area event during the first round with a back problem while playing the fourth hole at Augusta Pines. Played the final 14 holes as a marker and then announced at the conclusion of the round that "there's just no thoughts of any more tournament golf." 2004: Celebrated his 50th year in professional golf.

Finished second to Tom Watson at the Wendy's Champions Skins Game, earning five skins and $140,000 at Wailea. Lost out on a golden opportunity for victory on the final hole of regulation when, with five skins and $260,000 on the line, he missed an 8-foot birdie putt. Overall performance was still his best since winning the 1993 event.

Played in his 26th consecutive Bay Hill Invitational and then made final appearance in the Masters Tournament, his 50th straight year at Augusta National.

Served as captain of the U.S. team once again at the UBS Cup competition. 2003: Matched his age three times (seventh, eighth and ninth times in his career) and also bettered his age (second time in his career) during the campaign.

Shot one better than his age in the opening round of the SBC Championship when he carded a 73. Later matched his age in the same event when he closed with a 74 in San Antonio.

Earlier in the year he had matched his age with an opening-round 73 at the MasterCard Championship in Hawaii and a first-round 73 at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf in Savannah, GA.

Made his 23rd consecutive appearance in the U.S. Senior Open at the Inverness Club in Toledo.

Made two starts on the PGA TOUR, including the Bay Hill Invitational and a record-tying 49th appearance at the Masters.

Captained the United States team to victory for the second consecutive year in the UBS Cup Matches at Sea Island, GA. 2002: Matched his age in the final round of the Napa Valley Championship when he shot a 1-over 73. It was the first time he shot his age since opening with a 1-under 71 at the 2001 Senior PGA Championship at Ridgewood CC in New Jersey. Accomplishment in Napa made him the eighth and final player to shoot or better his age on the Champions Tour during the season. 2001: Became just the third player in PGA TOUR history to shoot his age when he fired a 1-under-par 71 in the fourth round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.

Shot his age again on the Champions Tour when he opened with another 1-under-par 71 in May at the Senior PGA Championship at Ridgewood CC in New Jersey. 2000: Reached a milestone in July when he played his 1,000th TOUR event at The Instinet Classic.

Bettered his age for the first time when he fired a 3-under-par 69 in the second round of the FleetBoston Classic. One week earlier had matched his age with a final-round 70 at the Novell Utah Showdown, the first time he had shot his age since posting a final-round 66 at the 1995 GTE Northwest Classic. Also matched his age with a 71 at the Vantage Championship. Joined Jack Nicklaus and Byron Nelson as the first recipients of the Payne Stewart Award presented at The TOUR Championship. 1997: Underwent surgery for prostate cancer in mid-January and made his first start after the surgery at the PGA TOUR's Bay Hill Invitational in late March. 1996: Captained the United States team to victory in The Presidents Cup near Washington, D.C. 1995: Shot his age for the first time in the final round of the GTE Northwest Classic in Seattle, carding a 66 on his birthday.

Made triumphant return to St. Andrews for his final British Open appearance on the 35th anniversary of his first Open Championship in 1960. 1994: Played in his last U.S. Open at Oakmont CC near Pittsburgh, 40 years after competing in his first one. Played in his final PGA Championship at Southern Hills. 1993: Pocketed $190,000 at the Senior Skins Game and was the event's leading money-winner for a second straight year.

Was the designated honoree at The Memorial at Muirfield Village. 1992: Racked up $205,000 in winning the Senior Skins Game at Mauna Lani.

Carded the 16th hole-in-one of his career, and last in competition, in the opening round of the GTE Northwest Classic. 1988: Had his finest earnings year as a Champions Tour player, placing 17th on the final money list with $185,373.

Recorded his last official win near Richmond, claiming the Crestar Classic title in wire-to-wire fashion by four strokes over Lee Elder, Larry Mowry and Jim Ferree. 1986: Made holes-in-one on consecutive days at the par-3 third hole at the TPC Avenel during the Chrysler Cup pro-am competition, a first for a professional player. 1985: Ran away from the field with an 11-shot win at the Senior Tournament Players Championship at Canterbury GC near Cleveland, and established an all-time record for largest margin of victory, not broken until Hale Irwin's 12-shot win at the 1997 PGA Seniors' Championship. 1984: His three victories during the campaign were the most in any single season of his Champions Tour career and marked the first time since 1971 that he claimed a trio of titles in a year.

Won a pair of Champions Tour major championships: the PGA Seniors' Championship by two strokes over Don January, and the Senior Tournament Players Championship where he bested Peter Thomson by three shots.

Also edged Orville Moody and Lee Elder by one at the Quadel Seniors Classic near the end of the campaign. 1983: Ended a 15-month victory drought by capturing the season-ending Boca Grove Senior Classic. 1982: Collected a pair of titles, the first coming at the Marlboro Classic by four strokes over Billy Casper and Bob Rosburg.

Added the Denver Post Champions of Golf title when he held off Bob Goalby by a stroke. 1981: Became the first player to claim both a U.S. Open and U.S. Senior Open title with his playoff victory over Bob Stone and Billy Casper at Oakland Hills CC near Detroit. 1980: Playoff victory over Paul Harney at the PGA Seniors' Championship made him the first of only 10 men to claim the first official Champions Tour event he entered.

Debuted on the circuit at the unofficial World Seniors Invitational, finishing as runner-up to Gene Littler in Charlotte.
Personal

Maintains active business schedule with golf course design, construction and development.

Principal owner of Bay Hill Club and Lodge, site of Arnold Palmer Invitational, which was re-named in his honor for 2007 tournament.

Golf course design company, Arnold Palmer Design Company, is located at the Bay Hill Club.

Consultant to Golf Channel.

Pilot of considerable renown who set one aviation record.

Received Francis Ouimet Award from Francis Ouimet Caddie Scholarship Foundation in Boston in January 1997.

Received 1999 Donald Ross Award from the American Society of Golf Course Architects and Patriot Award from Congressional Medal of Honor Society in 2000.

First former champion to become a member at Augusta National GC, joined by Jack Nicklaus in 2001.

Arnold Palmer Award given to season's top money-winner on PGA TOUR and Champions Tour.

Latrobe, PA airport named after him in honor of 70th birthday.

Family named Golf Family of the Year for 1999 by the National Golf Foundation.

Received Presidential Medal of Freedom at The White House in 2004 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.

Arnold Palmer Medical Center in Orlando, FL, was named the 2009 PGA TOUR Charity of the Year.

Received an honorary doctor of law degree from the University of St. Andrews on the eve of the 2010 British Open.

Has 13 different streets in the United States named for him.
PGA TOURPlayoff Record
14-10
Champions TourPlayoff Record
2-1
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