Arnold Palmer, American golfing legend, has died at age 87.
Arnold Palmer gives a thumbs up before the ceremonial first tee before the first round of the Masters golf tournament Thursday, April 7, 2016, in Augusta, Ga. Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as “The King,” died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87.
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
FILE – In this July 13, 1952, file photo, British Open champion Arnold Palmer poses with his Claret Jug during the presentation ceremonies at Royal Troon in Ayrshire, Scotland. The British Open is scheduled for July 14–17, 2016, at Royal Troon Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland.
(AP Photo/File)
AP Photo/File
FILE – In this Aug. 14, 1965, file photo, Arnold Palmer hangs his head after a double bogey on the ninth hole during the third round of the PGA Championship it Ligonier, Pa. Palmer is considered among the five best to have never won the PGA Championship.
(AP Photo/File)
AP Photo/File
FILE – In this June 15, 1973, file photo, Arnold Palmer waves his putter and smiles after putting, and missing, a birdie on sixth green in second round of the U.S. Open Golf Championship in Oakmont, Pa. A 3-foot-long ramp invented in the 1930s could have more say about who wins the U.S. Open come Sunday, June 19, 2016, than all the swing coaches, sports psychologists and fitness gurus in the wide world of golf combined. It’s called a “Stimpmeter” in honor of inventor Edward S. Stimpson and in a nice bit of serendipity, the device traces its origins back to storied Oakmont Country Club, site of this season’s second major.
(AP Photo/File)
AP Photo/File
FILE – In this June 18, 1967, file photo, Jack Nicklaus, left, and Arnold Palmer wait in the officials’ tent following the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament in Springfield, N.J.,Nicklaus won the tournament. Nicklaus and Palmer turned golf into a popular spectator sport on television. Nicklaus holds the record with 18 majors while Palmer captured seven in his career.
(AP Photo/File)
AP Photo/File
FILE – This June 19, 1960, file photo shows Arnold Palmer pointing to his name on the press tent scoreboard showing his four-under-par total, for 72 holes, during the National Open golf tournament at the Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colo. Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as “The King,” died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87.
(AP Photo/File)
AP Photo/File
File-This April 16, 1960, file photo shows a grinning Arnold Palmer surrounded by applauding citizens of his native Latrobe,Pa., shaking hands with a couple of enthusiastic boys. Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as “The King,” died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87.
(AP Photo/File)
AP Photo/File
FILE – In this April 12, 1964 file photo, Arnold Palmer, right, slips into his green jacket with help from Jack Nicklaus after winning the Masters golf championship, in Augusta, Ga. Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as “The King,” died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87.
(AP Photo/File)
AP Photo/File
File-This June 19, 1966, file photo shows Arnold Palmer in action during the U.S.Open Golf Championship at Olympic Country Club, San Francisco, Calif. Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as “The King,” died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87.
(AP Photo, File)
AP Photo, File
File-This jan. 28, 1962, file photo shows Arnold Palmer concentrating on his next move during the Lucky International Open at San Francisco’s Harding Park. Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as “The King,” died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87.
(AP Photo, File)
AP Photo, File
File-This March 18, 2001, file photo shows Tiger Woods, left, being helped into his jacket for winning the Bay Hill Invitational by tournament host Arnold Palmer in Orlando, Fla. Woods Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as “The King,” died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87.
(AP Photo/Scott Audette, File)
AP Photo/Scott Audette, File
File- This April 9, 2004, file photo shows Arnold Palmer walking across the Hogan Bridge on the 12th fairway for the final time in Masters competition during the second round of the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Palmer, who made golf popular for the masses with his hard-charging style, incomparable charisma and a personal touch that made him known throughout the golf world as “The King,” died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016, in Pittsburgh. He was 87.
(AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)
AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File
From left, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player pose during the ceremonial first tee before the first round of the Masters golf tournament Thursday, April 7, 2016, in Augusta, Ga.
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
Arnold Palmer, left, presents the championship trophy to Jason Day, of Australia, after Day won the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, March 20, 2016.
(AP Photo/Willie J. Allen, Jr.)
Arnold Palmer charged across the golf course and into America’s living rooms with a go-for-broke style that made a country-club sport popular for the everyman. At ease with presidents and the public, he was on a first-name basis with both.
He never lost that personal touch. That’s what made him the King.
Palmer died Sunday in Pittsburgh at 87. Alastair Johnston, the CEO of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, said Palmer was admitted to the UPMC Hospital on Thursday for cardiovascular work and weakened over the last few days. Palmer was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, which was caught early.
“Arnold transcended the game of golf,” Jack Nicklaus said. “He was more than a golfer or even great golfer. He was an icon. He was a legend.”
President Barack Obama tweeted: “Here’s to The King who was as extraordinary on the links as he was generous to others. Thanks for the memories, Arnold.”
Palmer’s place in golf history went well beyond his seven major championships and 62 PGA Tour wins. His good looks, devilish grin and hard-charging style of play made the elite sport appealing to all. He arrived about the time television moved into most households.
“If it wasn’t for Arnold, golf wouldn’t be as popular as it is now,” Tiger Woods said in 2004 when Palmer played in his last Masters. “He’s the one who basically brought it to the forefront on TV.”
Palmer also was a pioneer in sports marketing, paving the way for many athletes to reap in millions from endorsements. Some four decades after his last PGA Tour win, he ranked among golf’s highest-earners.
“It is not an exaggeration to say there would be no modern-day PGA Tour without Arnold Palmer. There would be no PGA Tour Champions without Arnold Palmer. There would be no Golf Channel without Arnold Palmer,” PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement.
It was, of course, not just the victories, but how he won. He would hitch up his pants, drop a cigarette and attack the flags. With powerful hands wrapped around the golf club, Palmer would slash at the ball, twist that muscular neck and squint to see where it went.
“When he hits the ball, the earth shakes,” Gene Littler once said.
He was never dull. Consider that Palmer rallied from seven shots behind to win a U.S. Open. He blew a seven-shot lead on the back nine to lose a U.S. Open.
He left behind a gallery known as “Arnie’s Army,” which began at Augusta National with a small group of soldiers from nearby Fort Gordon and grew to include legions of fans from around the globe.
Palmer stopped playing the Masters in 2004 and hit the ceremonial tee shot every year until 2016, when age began to take a toll.
He never won the PGA Championship, one major short of a career Grand Slam. But then, the standard he set went beyond trophies. It was the way he treated people, looking everyone in the eye with a smile and signing every autograph, making sure they were legible. He never liked “The King” label but it stuck.
“I don’t relish it,” he told The Associated Press in 2011. “I tried for a long time to stop that, and there was no point.”
Palmer played at least one PGA Tour event every season for 52 consecutive years, ending with the 2004 Masters. He spearheaded the growth of the 50-and-older Champions Tour, winning 10 times.
He was equally successful in business off with golf course design, a wine collection and apparel that included his famous logo of an umbrella. He bought the Bay Hill Club & Lodge upon making his winter home in Orlando, Florida. In 2007, the PGA Tour changed the tournament’s name to the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Palmer was born Sept. 10, 1929, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the oldest of four children. His father, Deacon, became the greenskeeper at Latrobe Country Club in 1921 and the club pro in 1933.
Palmer joined the PGA Tour in 1955 and captured the Canadian Open for his first title. He won four green jackets at Augusta National, the British Open in 1961 and 1962 and the U.S. Open in 1960.
Palmer’s last PGA Tour win came in 1973 at the Bob Hope Classic. Only four other players won more PGA Tour events _ Sam Snead, Nicklaus, Woods and Ben Hogan.
Palmer’s first wife, Winnie, died in 1999. They had two daughters, and grandson Sam Saunders plays on the PGA Tour. Palmer married Kathleen “Kit” Gawthrop in 2005.
