Arnold Palmer, one of the most successful and important golfers in the history of the sport, died on Sunday evening. He was 87 years old.
Palmer was undergoing tests for a cardiac surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Shadyside Hospital in Pennsylvania when he passed away. He was admitted to the hospital on Thursday for preparatory tests for the heart surgery scheduled for Monday.
Highly regarded among fans and everyone in the golf world, the sportsman was referred to as “golf’s greatest ambassador” by the US Golf Association.
During his long career with the PGA, he captured seven major championships and won 62 PGA Tour events. Overall, he was the victor of more than 90 tournaments. He was also the first golfer to earn $1 million on the course and he has an iconic drink named in his honor.
Palmer’s style is credited with bringing his sport to the masses and his business acumen for using television to bring golf into living rooms in America and around the world. His golfing legacy did not just stay with him through his decades on the course; it continued to grow, even into his retirement.
But as an outpouring of grief arrives from fans and colleagues alike, it has become clear that it is not Palmer’s immeasurable contribution to the game that will be his greatest legacy.
Palmer was immensely popular among spectators. Himself the son of a groundskeeper, his demeanor on the course and off showed that the golfer was determined to leave the course better than he found it and this included all those standing next to him.
He was also beloved by his competitors and by the golfers whose careers would be shaped by his influence.
Tiger Woods tweeted, “Thanks Arnold for your friendship, counsel and a lot of laughs. Your philanthropy and humility are part of your legend.
Jack Nicklaus, a fierce competitor and even fiercer friend of Palmers’ wrote, “We just lost one of the incredible people in the game of golf and in all of sports. Arnold transcended the game of golf. He was more than a golfer or even great golfer. He was an icon. He was a legend.”
Nicklaus also said that Palmer was “one of my best friends, closet friends, and he was for a long, long time. I will miss him greatly.”
Palmer even had a fan in President Barack Obama, who enjoys a round of golf on occasion. The president tweeted a photo of himself and Palmer during a White House visit. He included a caption that said, “Here’s to The King who was as extraordinary on the links as he was generous to others. Thanks for the memories, Arnold.”
A young man when he began golfing in the 1950s, Palmer retired in 1994. Yet, he continued to play both on the course and off long after that. At 64, the USGA allowed him to play in the U.S. Open for the last time. He missed the cut, but upon arriving in the media center on site, the press greeted him with a standing ovation.
Palmer played his 50th Masters in 2004 and his presence was well known in senior events. In fact, he remained so popular that even in 2016, at 86 years old, he was recognized as the fifth-highest paid golfer in the game after Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickleson, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. This was reflected in his comfortable lifestyle; the golfer owned multiple houses equipped with cell boosters throughout the U.S.—in particular, in his beloved Orlando.
Arnold Palmer is survived by Kit, his second wife and by his two daughters, Peggy Wears and Amy Saunders, as well as his six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.