Arnold Palmer timeline

1929               
Born in Labrobe, Pa., to Milfred and Dorris Palmer.

1933
His father gives him his first self of golf clubs.

1938
At age 9, regularly plays with the older caddies on Latrobe Country Club’s nine-hole course.

1941
Becomes a caddie at age 11 at Latrobe Country Club.

1942
Plays in his first official tournament, at Shannopin Country Club.

1947
Enters Wake Forest University as a freshman.

1948
Makes his first PGA TOUR start—as an amateur. Misses the cut at the Greater Greensboro Open after shooting rounds of 78-76.

1949
Makes his first PGA TOUR cut, finishing 54th at the Dapper Dan Open in Pittsburgh while still an amateur.

1950
Joins the U.S. Coast Guard. 

1953
The Palmers purchase their first home, in Latrobe, Pa.

1953
Plays in his first major championship, missing the cut at the U.S. Open.

1954
Wins the 1954 U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Detroit, earning invitations to the following year’s Masters Tournament and U.S. Open.

1954
Turns pro and signs an endorsement deal with Wilson Sporting Goods.                                                    

1954
Married Winifred Walzer.

1955
Plays in his first major championship. At the Masters Tournament, ties for 10th.

1955
Wins his first professional and first PGA TOUR title, the Canadian Open in Toronto, defeating Jack Burke, Jr. by four strokes.

1956
The Palmers welcome their first daughter, Peggy to the family.

1956
Wins multiple titles for the first time in his career—at the Insurance City Open and the Eastern Open.

1956
Captures his first, non-PGA TOUR international title when he travels to Latin America and wins the Panama Open and the Colombia Open.

1958
Wins his first Masters Tournament—and his first major championship—edging Doug Ford by a stroke. 

1958
Gets into his first playoff, against Howie Johnson, at the Azalea Open, an overtime Johnson wins. Goes on to record an overall 14-10 PGA TOUR playoff mark.

1958
The Palmers’ second daughter, Amy, is born.

1958
Leads the money list for the first time ($42,608).

1959
Shoots his lowest PGA TOUR 18-hole round, a final-round 62 to storm past Jimmy Demaret and Ken Venturi for the Thunderbird Invitational title.

1960
Signs to have pioneering sports agent Mark McCormack represent him.

1960
Appears on episodes of “Masquerade” and “The Perry Como Show” and appears on the cover of Time as a player who is “boldly ushering in” a new era of golf.

1960
Incorporates Arnold Palmer Enterprises.

1960
Wins both the Masters and the U.S. Open—and six other PGA TOUR events—and goes on to win the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year.

1961
Sports Illustrated names him its Sportsman of the Year. Named as the Dapper Dan Man of Year in Pittsburgh, Pa. 

1960
Joins Sam Snead in winning the Canada Cup later renamed the World Cup.

1961
Wins the Baton Rouge Open for a second consecutive year, capturing both tournaments by seven strokes.

1961
Appears poised to successfully defend his Masters Tournament title but a double bogey on Augusta National’s closing hole Sunday leaves him a stroke behind Gary Player.

1961
Wins The Open Championship for the first time, beating Great Britain’s Dai Rees at Royal Birkdale.

1961
Represents the U.S. for the first time in the Ryder Cup and records a 3-0-1 record in his four matches.

1962
Wins the Masters Tournament for a second time in three years.

1962
Loses an 18-hole playoff against Jack Nicklaus at the U.S. Open.

1962
Successfully defends his Open Championship, winning by six strokes at Royal Troon. His 276 is the lowest 72-hole score in the history of the event.

1963
Leads the TOUR in earnings for a fourth time and captures seven tournament titles but suffers playoff disappointment at the U.S. Open for a second consecutive year, losing to Julius Boros in the 18-hole overtime.

1963
Captains the U.S. Ryder Cup team for the first of two terms, the Americans routing Great Britain, 23-9.

1963
Joins Jack Nicklaus for the first time in representing the U.S. at the World Cup, with the duo winning the first of three Cups together.

1964
Wins his fourth and final Masters Tournament, cementing his position as one of the greatest to ever play in the event. Defeats Jack Nicklaus and Dave Marr by six shots.

1964
Wins the inaugural Piccadilly World Match Play Championship at Wentworth Club in England, defeating Great Britain’s Neil Coles, 2 and 1.

1965
Plays an exhibition against Jack Nicklaus at a golf course in Orlando, Fla. He loves the place and later purchases the course and renames it the Bay Hill Club and Lodge.

1965
Calls two penalties on himself at the PGA Championship at Laurel Valley Golf Club near his home. In the first round, he allows two marshals to remove a bridge railing that interferes with his swing. In the second round, he calls a penalty on himself after he knocks a rock out of the way with his backswing during a practice stroke.

1966
Suffers through one of his most disappointing losses, leading Billy Casper by seven shots with nine holes to play in the final round of the U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. He goes on to lose an 18-hole playoff to Casper the following day.

1966
Finishes construction on the first course he designed, Indian Lake Golf Course, in Central City, Pa.

1967
Opens the first Arnold Palmer’s Indoor Golf School in Park Ridge, Ill.

1967
Plays in his final World Cup, representing the U.S. Joins partner Jack Nicklaus to win the team title by 13 strokes and wins the International Trophy that goes to the player with the low medal score.

1968
Is mentioned in Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” cartoon for the first time.

1968
Becomes the first TOUR player to earn $1 million in his career.

1969
Breaks the Latrobe Country Club course record he set when he shoots a 12-under 60—a round that includes three eagles and two bogeys.

1969
Named the Associated Press’ Athlete of the Decade for the 1960s.

1969
Earns the William D. Richardson Award from the Golf Writers Association of America.

1970
Awarded an honorary LL.D. (doctorate of laws) from Wake Forest University.

1970
Hosts “The Tonight Show” as a replacement for vacationing Johnny Carson. He interviews tennis’ Rod Laver and U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew.

1970
Teams with Jack Nicklaus to win the National Four-Ball, defeating the teams of George Archer-Bobby Nichols, Gardner Dickinson-Sam Snead and Bruce Crampton-Orville Moody by three strokes.

1971
Wins the USGA’s Bob Jones Award.

1971
Becomes president and majority owner of the Latrobe Country Club when he buys his share from the Latrobe Steel Co.

1971
Is inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony of the Wake-Forest-Miami football game.

1971
Sees his streak of 12 consecutive Ryder Cup match victories come to an end when Peter Oosterhuis beats him in singles, 3 and 2, at Old Warson Country Club in St. Louis. 

1971
Teams with Jack Nicklaus to successfully defend the duo’s National Four-Ball Championship by six shots.

1972
Forms Palmer Course Design after selling Arnold Palmer Golf Co. to Professional Golf Company for $3.4 million.

1973
Wins his final PGA TOUR event, the Bob Hope Desert Classic, beating Johnny Miller by two strokes.

1973
Smokes his final cigarette during a party at the Bay Hill Club, ending a two-and-a-half-pack-a-day habit that began at age 16.

1974
Inducted into the first class of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

1975
Captains the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup for a second time. Watches his team defeat Great Britain-Ireland, 21-11.

1975
Wins a pair of European titles, taking Spanish Open and the British PGA Championship.

1976
The Golf Writers Association of America honors him with the Charlie Bartlett Award, given to a player with a commitment to charitable giving.

1976
Pilots his Learjet 36, the Yankee 200, named for America’s bicentennial, on an around-the-world flight with fellow aviators Bill Purkey and Jim Bir. They begin in Denver and fly for 57 hours, 25 minutes and 42 seconds, with refueling stops in Boston, Wales, France, Iran, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Philippines, Wake Island and Honolulu, establishing a world record. During the stop in Sri Lanka, he rides an elephant as part of his welcoming parade.

1976
Finishes the year without recording a top-10 finish for the first time since turning pro. Best finish is a tie for 15th at the PGA Championship.

1977
In his first official act as a private citizen, U.S. President Gerald Ford flies to Pebble Beach to serve as Palmer’s amateur partner at the Bing Crosby Pro-Am.

1977
On invitation from the Atlantic Fleet, he assists in landing a Navy fighter jet on the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. He calls it one of his greatest aviation thrills.

1978
Opens his PGA TOUR season with a fifth-place performance at the Phoenix Open.

1978
Receives the Herb Graffis Award from the National Golf Foundation for exemplary contributions in player development and growth of the game.

1980
Enters the PGA of America Hall of Fame.

1980
At age 50, two-putts from 20 feet to win the Labatt’s International Golf Classic, making his first triumph since the 1975 British PGA Championship.

1980
Wins the first of 10 Champions Tour titles, capturing the PGA Seniors’ Championship. Half of his wins after turning 50 are in Champions Tour majors.

1981
The Palmers become grandparents for the first time when Emily is born.

1981
Wins the U.S. Senior Open at Oakland Hills Country Club in Michigan for his first Champions Tour major title. Becomes the first player to claim both a U.S. Open and a U.S. Senior Open.

1982
Shoots a final-round 67 to win the Denver Post Champions of Golf in Colorado.

1984
Constructs China’s first golf course, the Chung Shan Hot Springs in Zhongshan.

1985
Wins the Senior Tournament Players Championship at Canterbury Golf Club near Cleveland by 11 strokes, establishing an all-time Champions Tour record for largest margin of victory. It’s a record that stands for 12 years until Hale Irwin breaks it by one shot at the PGA Seniors’ Championship.

1986
The Palmers break ground on what will become Orlando’s Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.

1986
At the Chrysler Cup team event outside Washington, D.C., he aces the 182-yard third hole at TPC Avenel during the pro-am. The next day, he makes another hole-in-one moments after a TV crew said to him, “We’re here to film you getting a hole-in-one.”

1988
Makes a birdie putt worth $60,000 on the third playoff hole that elevates him to victory at the Senior Skins Game.

1988
Wins his final Champions Tour title, the Crestar Classic, at Hermitage Country Club in Richmond, Va.

1989
Plays in the U.S. Senior Open at Laurel Valley Golf Club not far from his Latrobe, Pa. home. Ties for 56th.

1989
Makes five consecutive first-round birdies at the PGA Championship at Kemper Lakes in Illinois. He goes on to make the cut.

1989
The Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, featuring 255 beds, opens in Orlando.

1989
Completes design on his first Australian course—The Pines on the Gold Coast.

1990
Addresses the U.S. Congress on the occasion of the 100th birthday of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. 

1991
Makes his second-to-last PGA TOUR cut, at the Nestle Invitational at his Bay Hill Club and Lodge. In the rain-shortened event, he shoots rounds of 72-71-70 to tie for 24th.

1992
Establishes a major annual fundraiser, with benefits going to the Latrobe Area Hospital in his native Pennsylvania.

1992
Cards the 16th hole-in-one of his career, and last in competition, in the opening round of the GTE Northwest Classic.

1993
Makes his final PGA TOUR cut, at the Nestle Invitational on his home course in Orlando. Ties for 71st.

1993
The White House and President Bill Clinton honor him with the National Sports Award.

1994
Not far from his home, plays in his final U.S. Open, missing the cut at Oakmont Country Club.

1994
Plays in his final PGA Championship, the only major he never wins. He misses the cut at Tulsa’s Southern Hills Country Club.

1995
At St. Andrews’ Old Course, plays in his final Open Championship and misses the cut.

1996
He captains the U.S. Presidents Cup team and leads the American contingent to victory.

1997
Undergoes successful surgery for prostate cancer.

1998
The PGA TOUR bestows its Lifetime Achievement Award on him.

1999
Co-authors his autobiography, A Golfer's Life, with James Dodson.

1999
Winnie dies after a battle with cancer.

2000
By playing in the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January, he records the distinction of having played in PGA TOUR events in seven decades, going back to his first PGA TOUR start in 1948 (Greater Greensboro Open). Misses the cut in Palm Springs.

2000
Reaches a milestone in July when he plays in his 1,000th combined PGA TOUR and Champions Tour event.

2000
Betters his age for the first time when he fires a 3-under-par 69 in the second round of the FleetBoston Classic.

2001
Shoots his age (71) in the fourth round of Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Becomes the first player in his 70s to shoot his age or better on TOUR since 77-year-old Jerry Barber fired a 71 in the second round of 1994 Buick Invitational.

2002
As captain, guides the U.S. team to a title in the inaugural UBS Cup against a European team

2003
Captains the U.S. team to victory for the second consecutive year in the UBS Cup at Sea Island, Ga.

2004
Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President George W. Bush.

2004
Plays in his 50th and final Masters Tournament.

2004
Captains the U.S. team for a final time at the UBS Cup.

2005
Marries Kathleen “Kit” Gawthrop in Hawaii.

2005
Doesn’t play in a PGA TOUR event for the first time in his career.

2006
Partners with long-time design colleague Ed Seay to form the Arnold Palmer Design Company.

2006
Plays his final round of competitive golf at the Champion Tour's Administaff Small Business Classic outside Houston. Withdraws after four holes but completes the round as a thank you to the fans in attendance. Announces post-round that “there's just no thoughts of any more tournament golf.”

2007
The long-time PGA TOUR event held at his Bay Hill Club and Lodge is renamed the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

2007
Begins serving as the Masters Tournament’s Honorary Starter. Augusta National Golf Club invited Jack Nicklaus to join him in 2010, with Gary Player joining the group in 2012. Every year, “The Big Three” hits ceremonial tee shots that begin each tournament.

2009
U.S. President Barack Obama awards him the Congressional Golf Medal.

2009
Throws out the first pitch at a Pittsburgh Pirates’ game.

2009
The Arnold Palmer Medical Center in Orlando, Fla., is named the PGA TOUR Charity of the Year.

2010
Teams with Gary Player and 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, raises more than $15.1 million, the most-ever by a golf tournament in a single day.

2016
Dies the evening of Sunday, September 25, at age 87.