American athlete Arnold Palmer is called one of the most charismatic players. The King of Golf has become a true superstar through his commercials and TV programs. He was the first golfer to earn a million dollars in 1967.
Arnold Daniel Palmer is rightly called one of the greatest golfers in the world. He has won an incredible number of competitions. He was both a TV presenter, film actor and producer when he did his own golf show.
Carier start
In addition, the athlete was able to radically change the established perception of the game, he wrote books about his favorite sport.
The biography of the future champion began in 1929. The child was born in the American town of Latrobe on September 10. The family was coached by a father who gave lessons at a local golf club. From him as a gift, the son received his first set of clubs at the age of three.
The kid really liked the new game. At every opportunity, he tried to enter the field. Growing up, Arnie began to work as a caddy, an assistant to the players, carrying their equipment.
The sports scholarship allowed the graduate to continue his education in college. However, the student interrupted his studies by going to serve in the Coast Guard. He did not leave his favorite game even at the training center. The young man set up a field, and after returning home he took part in an amateur competition and won it. After the triumph, there was a decision to start a career as a professional player.
Palmer won his first prestigious Canadian Open in 1955. Then there were three more competitions in 1956 and four in 1957. Victories followed one another. The athlete won three tournaments in the next two seasons. The annual Masters competition in 1958 was one of the big hits.
Triumph
Golf has been regularly featured on television since 1960. Palmer soon became a national hero. It was then that he received an invitation to take part in advertising campaigns of famous brands.
The idea of promoting products with the help of athletes belonged to Mark McCormack, who organized the agencies "IMG" and "IMG Models". The group of fans who accompanied the star in all competitions was called Arnie's Army. Later, the athlete admitted that at the very beginning of his golf lessons he could not even think that he would become the "commander-in-chief"
Already in the status of a recognized star of the game, Arnold won in 1961 and 1962 at the British Open, won the Masters in 1962 and 1964. Then he began his film career, starring as a cameo in most of the film works. The golfer wrote the first book and founded Arnold Palmer Enterprises with the recognizable colored umbrella as a symbol.
Arnold was named the Athlete of the Decade in 1970 by the Associated Press. The golfer has convincingly confirmed the title by winning the PGA tournaments. The athlete won his tour and championship of the Senior Series in 1980. His career ended with a victory on the field in 1988. Arnold reappeared in front of the fans during the US Open tournament in Pennsylvania. They gave him a real standing ovation, seeing him off. The same was Palmer's meeting in 1995 at the British Open.
Business and Sports
In the sixties, with the light hand of Arnie, the Arnold Palmer cocktail became popular. His golfer asked to make it from iced tea and lemonade to cool off after the match. This combination has not changed over the years. All fans of the athlete began to repeat it.
On an industrial scale, the Arizona Beverages USA company was engaged in the production of the drink in the nineties. The result of her collaboration with Palmer under the name Arizona Arnold Palmer quickly became one of the brand's most popular products. There are no less than a dozen varieties of cocktails.
The athlete did not stop playing golf even after a difficult operation in 1997. He was one of the investors who acquired the Pebble Beach field in California. Arnold himself has designed over 300 golf courses in 25 countries of the world and 37 states.
As a child, Arnold was fond of aviation, he loved to make models out of wood. He ran to the local airport to listen to the stories of the pilots. The player decided to learn how to pilot a plane after a too long journey by car across the country. He called this conclusion the second most important after the start of his career as a professional player. His latest acquisition was a jet plane.
Not without the active participation of Arnie, the Latrobe terminal received a modern runway and acquired an ultra-modern control tower. In 1999, the airport of Westmoreland County in the golfer's homeland was named Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. This event is timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the athlete.
Summarizing
In April 2004 he took part in the last Masters tournament. He decided to finally end his professional career in 2006.
He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on September 30, 2009. In 2010 he was elected Honorary Doctor of Sportsman's Law from the University of St Andrews.
The player's personal life was also happy. Winnie Walzer became his chosen one. After becoming husband and wife, they raised two daughters. After his wife passed away, Arnold remarried in 2005 to Kathleen Gotrop.
Celebrity grandson Sam Saunders continued the work of the famous grandfather, becoming a professional golf player. At 15 he won the club championship at Bay Hill, then played for Clemson University, received an athletic scholarship. The young man became a professional in 2008.
In 2016, on September 25, the famous player passed away.
Arnold's social impact on golf cannot be overstated. He was part of the Big Three, along with Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, who popularized and commercialized the sport.
