Arnold Palmer won seven major championships in his career: four Masters, two British Opens and one U.S. Open. Here is a look at the biggest wins in Palmer’s career.
The Masters • 1958
Data
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta, Ga.
Score: 284 (-4), 1-stroke win
Next closest: Doug Ford, Fred Hawkins
The story
“Young Arnold Palmer,” as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette led with the next morning, was 28 when he won his first major. It was a win to remember for many, not just Palmer. Renowned Sports Illustrated golf writer Herbert Warren Wind coined the now-ubiquitous term “Amen Corner” for Augusta’s 12th and 13th holes, the former of which saw Palmer involved in a controversial ruling. At the 12th — and in the final round, no less — Palmer appealed to officials for a relief because of what he believed was an embedded ball before making double-bogey. He replayed the hole, shot par,and later on word came down that officials would accept his 3 rather than his 5. Those two strokes proved to be the difference. For his efforts, the fifth-year pro from Latrobe earned $11,250, the first five-figure prize in Masters history.
The Masters • 1960
Data
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta, Ga.
Score: 282 (-6), 1-stroke win
Next closest: Ken Venturi
The story
Two years after his first major win, Palmer did it again at the same place, and even shot two strokes better this time. Again, it was a one-stroke victory, and again, some controversy — but mostly clutch. Dow Finsterwald, who finished third, was penalized two strokes — the same number he finished behind Palmer in the end — after the second round, a self-reported violation for practicing putting on the green after a hole. But no one could deny Palmer’s poise as he birdied the final two holes to edge Venturi, who was also right there in the mix in 1958 when he finished tied for fourth two strokes behind Palmer after leading through the first round. Two years later, Palmer led wire-to-wire, only the second to do so and first in 19 years. This Masters also was the second appearance and first time making the cut for a hotshot 20-year-old named Jack Nicklaus.
U.S. Open • 1960
Data
Cherry Hills Country Club
Englewood, Colo.
Score: 280 (-4), 2-stroke win
Next closest: Jack Nicklaus
The story
Two months after winning his second Masters, Palmer would capture his third major and only U.S. Open crown in one of the golf world’s more memorable tournaments. Not only did Palmer, 30, storm back after trailing by seven strokes (it was eight through three rounds) and shoot 65 in the final round, but he also beat out promising youngster Jack Nicklaus, on the upswing of his career, and 47-year-old veteran Ben Hogan, on the decline of his own. Palmer, then, was perhaps at his pinnacle, winning back-to-back majors in which he played some of his best golf down the stretch. It is still the biggest final-round comeback in the history of the U.S. Open, an event he would never win again but would finish runner-up four more times, all in the next seven years.
British Open • 1961
Data
Royal Birkdale Golf Club
Southport, England
Score: 284 (-4), 1-stroke win
Next closest: Dai Rees
The story
Already a two-time Masters champion, this was only Palmer’s second Open appearance, coming off a runner-up finish the year before. He shot 70, 73, 69, 72 to become the first American winner of the Claret Jug since Ben Hogan eight years before. It was another comeback victory, and this time in rainy weather that followed windy and wet conditions the previous three days, even forcing the cancellation of play on Friday. That all made his third- and final-round performances, both on Saturday, and tournament score all the more impressive.
The Masters • 1962
Data
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta, Ga.
Score: 280 (-8), playoff win
Next closest: Gary Player
The story
After winning in Augusta in 1958 and 1960, Palmer figured he’d make it an every-other-year kind of tradition. And, of course, it came in historic fashion. With Palmer, Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald tied after 72 holes, they went to the first three-way playoff in Masters history. Player was the defending champ, and Finsterwald had his own narrow miss in 1960. But Palmer had nearly won four consecutive Masters, finishing third in 1959 and tied for second in 1961, and he wasn’t about to let another one slip away. He shot 68 in Monday’s playoff round, besting Player’s 71 and Finsterwald’s 77 before a crowd of 16,000, per the next day’s Post-Gazette.
British Open • 1962
Data
Royal Troon Golf Club
Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland
Score: 276 (-12), 6-stroke win
Next closest: Kel Nagle
The story
Palmer made it two years in a row at golf’s oldest major, and two major wins in 1962. For the first time, he cruised to a relatively easy victory. Palmer shot 71, 69, 67, 69, pulling away from the Australian Nagle in the third round Friday morning before cementing his championship in the afternoon. “I’ve never played four rounds of golf like these in my whole life,” he told The Associated Press after setting what was then the lowest four-round score in Open history. His 67 also was the lowest round at Troon’s Old Course at the time.
The Masters • 1964
Data
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta, Ga.
Score: 276 (-12), 6-stroke win
Next closest: Dave Marr, Jack Nicklaus
The story
It took another two years, but Palmer wasn’t done at Augusta. In what would be his final major championship, Palmer, 34, shot under 70 in each of the first three rounds. He finished with a 70 and withstood Jack Nicklaus’ final-round 67 to become the first player to win four Masters. Palmer’s $20,000 prize was nearly double that of 1958, and it was his first major win since 1962 and first win at any tournament in six months. It would be his last hurrah in a sense, but it was certainly a satisfying triumph, and he told the AP it was “probably the single most exciting tournament win in my life.”
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