Arnold Palmer

Palmer, Arnold, 1929-, American golfer, b. Latrobe, Pa. The son of a professional golfer, he won three regional titles in his youth. Turning professional after winning the 1954 U.S. amateur championship, he won the 1955 Canadian Open. Palmer won the Masters tournament in 1958, 1960, 1962, and 1964, becoming the first four-time winner; the U.S. Open in 1960; and the British Open in 1961 and 1962. A great fan favorite, followed enthusiastically by "Arnie's Army," he had a noted long-term rivalry with Jack Nicklaus. In 1967 he became the first golf professional to win more than $1 million.

Bibliography

See his A Golfer's Life (1999, with J. Dodson); I. O'Connor, Arnie & Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry (2008).