Arguably the most beloved golfer in the history of the game, Arnold Palmer turned 83 this week.
Known as “The King”, Palmer has a resume that includes 62 PGA Tour wins and seven major titles, putting him 5th and tied for 7th all-time respectively, but it’s his connection with the fans that he is most remembered for. Never before or since has a golfer allowed the crowd to feel like such a part of their success. Arnold’s insistence on making every single person he came across feel like his equal led to “Arnie’s Army”, the biggest crowds of any player at each and every event he took part in during his prime.
Palmer’s efforts off the course, most of which have gone unrecognized, are nothing short of miraculous as well. The Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, which is complemented by the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies have aided in saving the lives of countless individuals, something Arnold refuses to take credit for, instead praising the staff and patients for their hard work and dedication.
Palmer is charismatic and caring, daring yet deliberate, and brash but also suave. With those qualities it’s no surprise he ushered in golf for television as we know it today. From the days of inspiring Frank Chirkinian to make him the first TV golf superstar to co-founding the Golf Channel, Arnold’s fingerprints are all over every facet of the game. His tournament, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill (his course) is one of the premier events on the PGA Tour, year-after-year bringing in one of the best fields on Tour.
On Wednesday, Palmer received the Congressional Gold Medal, which along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award in the United States. It is awarded to people who have “performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient’s field long after the achievement.” Not a bad birthday present, and certainly deserving.
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Elsewhere in the golf world, Rory McIlroy was a man on a mission Sunday, out to prove the old notion that the more things change, the more they stay the same. With one of the best leader boards in the history of the game, crowded with names like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Lee Westwood, Dustin Johnson and Jim Furyk, it looked as though we were in for roller coaster ride of an afternoon. Once again though, Rory made it look easy and took won the tournament by two strokes.
The remaining 30 players left in the FedEx Cup playoffs will now enjoy a week off before heading to the Tour Championship next week in Atlanta. Although Rory has dominated thus far, any one of McIlroy, Woods, Nick Watney, Phil Mickelson or Brandt Snedeker will take home the FedEx Cup title and $10 million bonus with a win in the season finale.
On the LPGA Tour, 26 holes weren’t enough to crown a winner in Sunday’s final round at the Kingsmill Championship in Virginia. American Paula Creamer and South Korean Jiyai Shin were all-square after 72 holes, so they headed back to the 18th tee for a playoff.
The pair would tie the hole 8 times in a row until darkness forced play over to Monday morning. Officials made the decision to switch the playoff order up finally, and Shin defeated Creamer on the 16th hole, their first of the morning. The LPGA will now head to England for the Women’s British Open.