This week on the Todays Lines Golf Legends Profiles we look at the career of the late Arnold Palmer whose swashbuckling ways and style of play made him a fan-favorite throughout his career.
Let’s take a closer look at his career and analyze why he would’ve been the wisest bet at any top-rated sportsbook.
The Early Years
Arnold Palmer was introduced to golf by his father Milfred, who was head professional and greenkeeper at the Latrobe Country Club where the duo was allowed to work and play together on the course.
Palmer took a golf scholarship at Wake Forest College before his life took a difficult turn at a young age when he suffered the bereavement of a close friend, upon which, Palmer enlisted in the Coast Guard for three years.
Once he finished his secondment, Palmer was straight back into golf, winning the U.S. Amateur of 1954, which led to him turning professional in the fall.
Arnold Palmer’s Professional Career
Palmer wasted no time in the paid ranks, winning his first PGA Tour event during his rookie season, the prestigious Canadian Open. For the following decade, Palmer did much to raise the profile of professional golf as a television sport.
1958 saw Palmer win his first major championship, the 1958 Masters Tournament, and two years later he would become Mark McCormack’s first client, who would go on to become the founder and CEO of the famous IMG (International Management Group).
Palmer Became the First Marketable Golfer
Palmer’s ability to take calculated risks at the most pressurized moments of golf tournaments made him hugely popular with fans and extremely marketable for outside sponsorships. He was the pioneer for the modern corporate golfing cash-laden environment that professionals have been able to enjoy in recent years.
His popularity meant he was in much demand around the globe during the later years of his PGA Tour career when he was passed his best, as he was known as the “man who made golf cool!” That demand never waned, and he remained one of the sport’s highest earners off the course throughout his career.
Palmer’s Achievements
Arnold Palmer would accumulate seven major championships:
- The Masters Tournament – 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964
- The U.S. Open – 1960
- The Open Championship – 1961 and 1962
Over the span of six decades, Arnold Palmer would win 62 PGA Tour titles in an eighteen-year period from 1955.
Upon his retirement from golf in 2007 until his passing in 2016 (aged 87), Palmer would be the honorary starter at the Masters Tournament. He played at Augusta National with his great rival and friend Jack Nicklaus.
The Senior Years
The PGA Tour Champions Tour was founded in 1980, and Palmer won a further ten tournaments, including five Senior Major Championships. But more importantly, he raised the profile of the new concept of a tour for over fifties from its inception.
The Famous Palmer Cardigan
The Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill is one of the most famous PGA Tour stops and the top professionals have long queued up to try and win the prestigious event. In fact, Tiger Woods won it on an amazing eight occasions.
The Bay Hill course is also owned by the great man and the winner receives a red cardigan that Palmer was famous for wearing as one of the first fashion-conscious golfers ever.
This year saw world #1 Scottie Scheffler win for a second time to illustrate the esteem the event is held in by the modern players, all grateful for the part Palmer played in growing their sport.
The Arnold Palmer Legacy
Having discussed the Arnold Palmer Invitational played on the great man’s real estate, that will always be a part of his legacy.
It is fair to assume that Arnold Palmer will always be seen as one of the pioneers of professional golf, bringing it to the public with a new air of enjoyment and entertainment.
The only legacy of professional golf that can match Palmer’s is that of the great Severiano Ballesteros who raised its profile in Europe, and like Palmer, he was the ultimate entertainer, able to play the most creative and remarkable shots under the greatest of pressure while winning the sport’s biggest championships.
Arnold Palmer will always be known for playing with a smile and a cigarette in hand, bringing a cool Hollywood vibe to professional golf for the first time.
