Page 158 - Cousins - Celebrities, Saints & Sinners

was cracking balls on the practice tee, Littler said: "That's Arnold Palmer. He's going to be a great player
someday. When he hits the ball, the earth shakes."

After winning that match, Palmer quit his job selling paint and played in the Waite Memorial
tournament in Shawnee-on-Delaware, Pennsylvania. There, he met his future wife, Winifred Walzer, and
they remained married for 45 years until her death in 1999.
On November 17, 1954, Palmer announced his intentions to turn pro. "What other people find in poetry,
I find in the flight of a good drive," Palmer said.

Palmer's most prolific years were 1960–1963, when he won 29 PGA Tour events, including five major
tournaments, in four seasons. In 1960, he won the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year
and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. He built up a wide fan base, often
referred to as "Arnie's Army", and in 1967 he became the first man to reach $1 million in career earnings
on the PGA Tour. By the late 1960s Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player had both acquired clear ascendancy in
their rivalry, but Palmer won a PGA Tour event every year from 1955 to 1971 inclusive, and in 1971 he
enjoyed a revival, winning four events.
Palmer won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average four times: 1961, 1962, 1964, and 1967. He
played on six Ryder Cup teams: 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, and 1973. He was the last playing captain
in 1963 and captained the team again in 1975.

Palmer was eligible for the Senior PGA Tour (now PGA Tour Champions) from its first season in 1980,
and he was one of the marquee names who helped it to become successful. He won ten events on the
tour, including five senior majors.

According to Adam Schupak of Golf Week, "No one did more to popularize the sport than Palmer". "His
dashing presence singlehandedly took golf out of the country clubs and into the mainstream. Quite
simply, he made golf cool." Jack Nicklaus said:
Arnold transcended the game of golf. He was more than a golfer or even great golfer. He was an icon.
He was a legend. Arnold was someone who was a pioneer in his sport. He took the game from one level
to a higher level, virtually by himself.
In 2000, Palmer was ranked the sixth greatest player of all time in Golf Digest magazine's rankings, and
by 2008 had earned an estimated $30 million.
Palmer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 and the Congressional Gold Medal in
2009. He was the first golfer to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the second golfer,
after Byron Nelson, to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
During the spring and summer months, Palmer resided in Latrobe, and he spent winters in Orlando
and La Quinta, California. He first visited Orlando in 1948 during a college match. When he took up
residence in Orlando, Palmer helped the city become a recreation destination, "turning the entire state
of Florida into a golfing paradise". That included building one of the premier events on the PGA Tour
there along with his contributing to new hospitals. On hearing about Palmer's death, Tiger Woods said,
"My kids were born at the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies, and his philanthropic work will
be remembered along with his accomplishments in golf."

References:
1. Relative Finder, associated with FamilySearch, and the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS)
2. Wikipedia.org
3. Learn more – The Legend of Arnold Palmer
4. LDS Family Tree #

158