Professional golfer Arnold Daniel Palmer (born September 10, 1929; died September 25, 2016) of the United States is largely considered one of the finest and most flamboyant players in the sport’s history. He had a long history of success on both the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions, beginning in 1955.
What was Arnold Palmer’s Net Worth?
Arnold Palmer was an American professional golfer and entrepreneur who was a net worth of $700 million. He is often regarded as a true golfing legend. What’s more astounding is that Arnold amassed a fortune of over $1.3 billion from his various endorsements and business activities over the course of his career (after adjusting for inflation).
Arnold Palmer Early Life
On September 10, 1929, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the world was introduced to Arnold Daniel Palmer. Young Palmer learned the game from his father, who ran the Latrobe Golf Club as head professional and greenskeeper. While on a golf scholarship to Wake Forest University, he dropped out after the death of his best friend.
Soon after, in 1951, Palmer joined the United States Coast Guard, where he remained until 1954. When his time in the Coast Guard was up, he went right back to school and picked up golf again at a high level.
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Professional Golf Career
Palmer turned pro after winning the 1954 U.S. Amateur in Detroit. He won the 1955 Canadian Open, collecting $2,400. He won $11,250 at the 1958 Masters Tournament, his first major. Mark McCormack became his first client in 1960.
Palmer helped make golf a popular televised event in the 1950s and 1960s. His agent, McCormack, said his attractive looks, modest origins, golfing talents, willingness to take risks and exhibit emotions, and affability made him appealing.
Despite finishing second at the 1960 British Open, he gained many British and European followers. Many American golfers decided to fly to London for the British Open after seeing him play. He won the Open Championship in 1961 and 1962 before retiring in 1995.
Palmer won seven major championships in his career: Masters Tournament (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964); U.S. Open (1960); The Open Championship (1962). (1961, 1962). Between 1960–1963, he won 29 PGA Tour events. He won every PGA Tour tournament from 1955 until 1971.
He also played 50 straight Masters Tournaments till 2004. In 1967, he became the first PGA tour player to earn $1 million. He was a Masters’s honorary starter from 2007 till his death.
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Arnold Palmer Personal Life
Palmer’s 45-year marriage to Winnie Walzer (1934-1999) was a happy and successful union. They ended up having two little girls together. In 1999, she died from ovarian cancer-related complications. Grandson Sam Saunders is a PGA Tour player like his grandfather Arnold Palmer.
He received a golf scholarship to Clemson University in South Carolina and turned professional in 2008. In 2005, Palmer tied the knot with Kathleen Gawthrop, his second wife. Palmer decided to get his pilot’s license in order to get over his personal fear of flying. During nearly 55 years in the air, he accumulated nearly 20,000 total flight hours across a wide range of aircraft types.
Palmer established the nonprofit organization Arnie’s Army to aid children and young adults. The Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies Center, the Howard Philips Center for Children and Families, the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, and the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve were all created under the Foundation’s watchful eye.