Editing Arnold Palmer (section)

==Career==
Palmer's first tour win came during his 1955 rookie season, when he won the [[Canadian Open (golf)|Canadian Open]] and earned $2,400 for his efforts.<ref name="nytime-death"/> He raised his game status for the next several seasons. Palmer's charisma was a major factor in establishing golf as a compelling television event in the 1950s and 1960s, which set the stage for the popularity it enjoys today.<ref name="nytime-death"/> His first major championship win at the [[1958 Masters Tournament]], where he earned $11,250, established his position as one of the leading stars in golf, and by 1960 he had signed up as pioneering sports agent [[Mark McCormack]]'s first client.<ref name="nytime-death"/>

In later interviews, McCormack listed five attributes that made Palmer especially marketable: his handsomeness; his relatively modest background (his father was a greenskeeper before rising to be club professional and Latrobe was a humble club); the way he played golf, taking risks and wearing his emotions on his sleeve; his involvement in a string of exciting finishes in early televised tournaments; and his affability.<ref name="nytime-death"/><ref>{{cite book |title=The Wicked Game: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and the Story of Modern Golf |first=Howard |last=Sounes |author-link=Howard Sounes |year=2004 |publisher=[[William Morrow and Company|William Morrow]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/wickedgame00howa/page/55 55] |isbn=978-0-06-051386-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/wickedgame00howa/page/55 }}</ref>

Palmer is also credited by many for securing the status of [[The Open Championship]] (British Open) among U.S. players. Before [[Ben Hogan]] won that championship in 1953, few American professionals had traveled to play in The Open, due to its extensive travel requirements, its relatively small purse, and the style of its [[Links (golf)|links]] courses (radically different from most American courses). Palmer wanted to emulate the feats of his predecessors [[Bobby Jones (golfer)|Bobby Jones]], [[Sam Snead]] and Hogan in his quest to become a leading American golfer.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-arnold-palmer-snap-story.html |title='Arnold Palmer invented pro golf as it exists today': The sport's greatest ambassador dies at 87 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |first=Chris |last=Dufresne |date=September 25, 2016}}</ref>

In particular, Palmer traveled to [[Scotland]] in 1960 to compete in the British Open for the first time. He had already won both the Masters and U.S. Open and was trying to emulate Hogan's 1953 feat of winning all three tournaments in a single year.<ref name="nytime-death"/> Palmer played what he himself said were the four best rounds of his career, shooting 70-71-70-68. His scores had the English excitedly claiming that Palmer may well be the greatest golfer ever to play the game.<ref name=SI>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1962/07/23/667053/murder-on-a-moor |title=Murder On A Moor |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=July 23, 1962 |first=Alfred |last=Wright}}</ref> British fans were excited about Palmer's playing in the Open. Although he failed to win, losing out to [[Kel Nagle]] by a single shot,<ref name="nytime-death"/> his subsequent Open wins in the early 1960s convinced many American pros that a trip to Britain would be worth the effort, and certainly secured Palmer's popularity among British and European fans, not just American ones.<ref name=SI/>

Palmer was greatly disappointed by his runner-up finish in the 1960 British Open. His appearance overseas drew American attention to the Open Championship, which had previously been ignored by the American golfers.<ref name=abc>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/british-open-organizers-pay-tribute-arnold-palmer-42357596 |title=Player Remembers Palmer's 'Dashing Style' & 'Knowing Smile' |work=ABC News |first=Gerald |last=Imray |date=September 26, 2016}}</ref> Palmer went on to win the Open Championship in 1961 and 1962, and last played in it in 1995. Martin Slumbers, chief executive of [[The R&A]], called Palmer "a true gentleman, one of the greatest ever to play the game and a truly iconic figure in sport".<ref name=abc/> His participation in The Open Championship in the early 1960s "was the catalyst to truly internationalize golf," said European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley.<ref name=abc/>

Palmer won seven [[men's major golf championships|major championships]]:
* [[Masters Tournament]]: [[1958 Masters Tournament|1958]], [[1960 Masters Tournament|1960]], [[1962 Masters Tournament|1962]], [[1964 Masters Tournament|1964]]
* [[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Open]]: [[1960 U.S. Open (golf)|1960]]
* [[The Open Championship]]: [[1961 Open Championship|1961]], [[1962 Open Championship|1962]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theopen.com/Heritage/PreviousOpens#!/1961/Royal%20Birkdale |title=90th Open – Royal Birkdale 1961: Palmer takes the Open after a late challenge by Rees |publisher=The Open |access-date=September 28, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theopen.com/Heritage/PreviousOpens#!/1962/Royal%20Troon |title= 91st Open – Royal Troon 1962: Palmer's victory signals a new era |publisher=The Open |access-date=September 28, 2016}}</ref>

Palmer's most prolific years were 1960–1963, when he won 29 PGA Tour events, including five major tournaments, in four seasons. In 1960, he won the [[Hickok Belt]] as the top professional athlete of the year and ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' magazine's "[[Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year|Sportsman of the Year]]" award. He built up a wide fan base, often referred to as "Arnie's Army", and in 1967 he became the first man to reach $1{{nbsp}}million in career earnings on the PGA Tour. By the late 1960s [[Jack Nicklaus]] and Gary Player had both acquired clear ascendancy in their rivalry, but Palmer won a PGA Tour event every year from 1955 to 1971 inclusive, and in 1971 he enjoyed a revival, winning four events.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-09-09 |title=Remembering The King: The lesser-known tales of Arnold Palmer |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/27576607/lesser-known-tales-arnold-palmer |access-date=2024-02-07 |work=ESPN |first=Bob |last=Harig}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Cave |first=Ray |title=Sportsman of the Year: Arnold Palmer |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1961/01/09/sportsman-of-the-year-arnold-palmer |access-date=2024-02-07 |magazine=Sports Illustrated Vault |date=January 9, 1961}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Arnold Palmer |url=https://achievement.org/achiever/arnold-palmer/ |access-date=2024-02-07 |website=Academy of Achievement}}</ref>

For each of his wins at the Masters, Palmer's caddie was [[Nathaniel "Iron Man" Avery]]; at the time, Augusta National required all golfers to use the club's own caddies.<ref name="caddie-network">{{cite web|first1=Ward|last1=Clayton|access-date=2022-12-12|title=Iron Man Avery, Arnold Palmer's caddie for all four Masters wins, finally has a grave stone some 3+ decades after his death|url=https://www.thecaddienetwork.com/iron-man-avery-arnold-palmers-caddie-for-all-four-masters-wins-finally-has-a-grave-stone-some-3-decades-after-his-death/|date=2020-11-11|website=Caddie Network}}</ref>

Palmer won the [[Vardon Trophy]] for lowest scoring average four times: 1961, 1962, 1964, and 1967. He played on six [[Ryder Cup]] teams: 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, and 1973.<ref name="nytime-death"/> He was the last playing captain in 1963, and captained the team again in 1975.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.golfchannel.com/media/arnie-lee-trevino-remembers-his-ryder-cup-captain/ |title=Arnie: Trevino remembers his Ryder Cup captain |work=Golf Channel |access-date=September 28, 2016}}</ref>

Palmer was eligible for the Senior PGA Tour (now [[PGA Tour Champions]]) from its first season in 1980, and he was one of the marquee names who helped it to become successful. He won ten events on the tour, including five [[senior major golf championships|senior majors]].<ref name="nytime-death"/>

Palmer won the first [[Volvo World Match Play Championship|World Match Play Championship]] that was held in England. The event was originally organized by McCormack to showcase his stable of players. Their partnership was one of the most significant in the history of sports marketing. Long after he ceased to win tournaments, Palmer remained one of the highest earners in golf due to his appeal to sponsors and the public.<ref name=bio>{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/arnold-palmer-9432357#pro-career |title=Arnold Palmer Biography |website=biography.com}}</ref>

[[File:ArnoldPalmerMedalOfFreedom.jpg|thumb|Palmer gives President [[George W. Bush]] golf tips before being awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], 2004]]
In 2004, he competed in the [[Masters Tournament]] for the last time, marking his 50th consecutive appearance in that event.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.augusta.com/masters/story/news/latest-news/masters-legend-arnold-palmer-dies?quicktabs_homepage_tabs=0 |title=Masters legend Arnold Palmer dies |publisher=Augusta.com |first=John |last=Boyette |date=September 25, 2016}}</ref> At his death, he and Jack Nicklaus were the only two Masters champions to be regular members of Masters organizer [[Augusta National Golf Club]] (as opposed to the honorary membership the club grants to all Masters champions).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/17639539/arnold-palmer-dies-87 |title=Arnold Palmer dies at 87 of complications from heart problems |work=ESPN |date=September 25, 2016 |access-date=September 26, 2016 |quote=Palmer won the Masters in 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964 and is one of two champions – along with Jack Nicklaus – who are members of Augusta National.}}</ref>

From 2007 until his death, Palmer served as an honorary starter for the Masters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.augusta.com/stories/2009/04/10/mas_518006.shtml |title=Palmer still gets thrill |publisher=Augusta.com |date=April 10, 2009 |access-date=June 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330160852/http://www.augusta.com/stories/2009/04/10/mas_518006.shtml |archive-date=March 30, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He retired from tournament golf on October 13, 2006, when he withdrew from the Champions Tours' [[Administaff Small Business Classic]] after four holes due to dissatisfaction with his own play. He played the remaining holes but did not keep score.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-GLF-Champions-Tour-Palmer.html?_r=1&oref=slogin |title='Arnie's Army' Gets Last Look at Legend |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=October 14, 2006}}</ref>

===Golf businesses===
Palmer had a diverse golf-related business career, including owning the [[Bay Hill Club and Lodge]] in [[Orlando, Florida]], which is the venue for the PGA Tour's [[Arnold Palmer Invitational]] (renamed from the Bay Hill Invitational in [[2007 PGA Tour|2007]]), helping to found [[The Golf Channel]],<ref name="nytime-death"/><ref>{{cite book |title=Arnold Palmer: Memories, Stories, and Memorabilia from a Life on and Off the Course |first=Arnold |last=Palmer |publisher=Stewart, Tabori and Chang |year=2004 |page=[https://archive.org/details/arnoldpalmermemo00palm/page/73 73] |isbn=978-1-58479-330-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/arnoldpalmermemo00palm/page/73 }}</ref> and negotiating the deal to build the first golf course in the People's Republic of China. This led to the formation of Palmer Course Design in 1972, which was renamed Arnold Palmer Design Company when the company moved to Orlando, Florida, in 2006.<ref name="nytime-death"/> Palmer's design partner was Ed Seay.

Palmer designed more than 300 golf courses in 37 states, 25 countries, and five continents (all except Africa and Antarctica),<ref name=golfweek>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.golfweek.com/2016/09/25/arnold-palmer-passes-away-at-87/ |title=Golf's most beloved figure, Arnold Palmer, dies at 87 |magazine=Golfweek |first=Adam |last=Schupak |date=September 25, 2016}}</ref><ref name="nytime-death"/> including the golf course at [[Henry Fok]]'s Zhongshan Hot Springs Hotel, which was one of the first golf courses built in China since the founding of the People's Republic of China.<ref name=":Chatwin">{{Cite book |last=Chatwin |first=Jonathan |title=The Southern Tour: Deng Xiaoping and the Fight for China's Future |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]] |year=2024 |isbn=9781350435711 |pages=58}}</ref> In 1971, he purchased [[Latrobe Country Club]] (where his father used to be the club professional) and owned it until his death.<ref name="nytime-death"/> The licensing, endorsements, spokesman associations and commercial partnerships built by Palmer and McCormack are managed by Arnold Palmer Enterprises. Palmer was also a member of the [[American Society of Golf Course Architects]].

In 1997, Palmer and fellow golfer [[Tiger Woods]] initiated a civil case in an effort to stop the unauthorized sale of their images and alleged signatures in the memorabilia market. The lawsuit was filed against Bruce Matthews, the owner of Gotta Have It Golf, Inc. and others. Matthews and associated parties counter-claimed that Palmer and associated businesses committed several acts, including breach of contract, breach of implied duty of good faith and violations of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.<ref>{{cite web |title=Palmer v. Gotta Have It Golf Collectibles, Inc. |url=http://leagle.com/decision/20001395106FSupp2d1289_11249.xml/PALMER%20v.%20GOTTA%20HAVE%20IT%20GOLF%20COLLECTIBLES,%20INC. |work=106 F.Supp.2d 1289 (2000) United States District Court, S.D. Florida. June 22, 2000 |access-date=May 24, 2014}}</ref> On March 12, 2014, a Florida jury ruled in favor of Gotta Have It on its breach of contract and other related claims. The same jury rejected the counterclaims of Palmer and Woods, and awarded Gotta Have It $668,346 in damages.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Batterman |first1=L. Robert |title=Tiger Woods Misses the Cut in Golf Memorabilia Dispute |url=http://www.natlawreview.com/article/tiger-woods-misses-cut-golf-memorabilia-dispute |access-date=May 24, 2014 |work=[[National Law Review]] |date=May 17, 2014 |first2=Michael |last2=Cardozo |first3=Robert E. |last3=Freeman |first4=Howard L. |last4=Ganz |first5=Wayne D. |last5=Katz |first6=Joseph M. |last6=Leccese |agency=Proskauer Rose LLP}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Gotta Have It Golf, Inc. v. Arnold Palmer Enterprises, Inc., No. 03-19490 (Fla. Cir. Ct. Jury Verdict)|url=https://casetext.com/case/palmer-v-gotta-have-it-golf-collectibles-inc |date=March 12, 2014}}</ref>

One of Palmer's most recent products (mass-produced starting in 2001) is a branded use of the beverage known as the ''[[Arnold Palmer (drink)|Arnold Palmer]]'', which combines sweetened iced tea with lemonade.<ref name="nytime-death"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arnoldpalmer.com/BUSINESS/ap_enterprises.aspx |title=Arnold Palmer Enterprises |access-date=June 1, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120525070747/http://www.arnoldpalmer.com/BUSINESS/ap_enterprises.aspx |archive-date=May 25, 2012 }}</ref>

===Automotive businesses===
As a member of the Lincoln-Mercury Sports Panel, in the early 1970s Palmer was a brand ambassador for [[Lincoln Motor Company|Lincoln-Mercury]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/golf/hobbies/feature-2020-09-23-all-hail-the-king-remembering-arnies-work-as-pitchman-for-cadillac |title=All hail the King! Remembering Arnold Palmer's work as pitchman for Cadillac |magazine=Sports Illustrated |first=Chris |last=Ritter |date=September 23, 2020 |access-date=August 15, 2022}}</ref> In 1974, Palmer, along with partners Mark McCormack and [[Don Massey (car dealer)|Don Massey]], purchased a [[Cadillac]] dealership in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]]. Over the years, Palmer would acquire several other dealerships in several states including a [[Buick]]-Cadillac store in his hometown of Latrobe.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.autonews.com/article/20160927/OEM02/160929839/golf-icon-arnold-palmer-also-was-an-auto-industry-player |title=Golf icon Arnold Palmer was also an auto industry player |newspaper=[[Automotive News]] |first=Stephanie |last=Hernandez McGavin |date=September 27, 2016 |access-date=May 15, 2019}}</ref>  The Latrobe dealership, known as Arnold Palmer Motors, closed in 2017 after 36 years in business and several months after his death.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.triblive.com/local/westmoreland/arnold-palmer-motors-near-latrobe-will-close-dec-1-after-36-years |title=Arnold Palmer Motors near Latrobe will close Dec. 1 after 36 years |website=TribLive.com |first=Joe |last=Napsha |date=November 1, 2017 |access-date=May 15, 2019}}</ref>