On this date in 1936, the 19th PGA Championship concluded at Pinehurst Country Club No. 2 with Denny Shute winning his first of two straight PGAs. He defeated Jimmy Thomson in the final, 3 and 2. And 62 years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, we remember how Arnold Palmer had been trying to arrange a golf game with the president. The two would have spoken the same language about vitality, new frontiers to explore, and of course, golf. There had been a mutual hope that the two could schedule a golf outing, but the president’s nagging back ailment prevented one such meeting. Palmer said he had been on his way to Palm Springs one time with the intention of playing with Kennedy, explaining, “We were going to play some golf and the White House called me and said, ‘Arnie, forget it.’ I said why, I want to do it. They said he hurt his back and was going to take some time off and not play for a while, and just couldn’t do it, and that was it.” Kennedy had, in fact, made news in July 1963 when he played golf for the first time in two years due to his back. He played five holes at the Hyannis Port Club in Massachusetts and bogeyed all five.
On this date in 2003, Day 1 of the UBS Warburg Cup III was held on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club in Georgia. Arnold Palmer was U.S. captain against The Rest of the World team and in one of six Foursome matches, Nick Faldo-Tony Jacklin (ROW captain) defeated Palmer-Rocco Mediate, 1 up. On this date in 2004, the UBS Warburg Cup ended on this date in 2004 with the U.S. defeating the Rest of the World, 14-10. U.S. captain Arnold Palmer lost his match to Gary Player, ROW captain, 6 and 5.
On this date in 1994, Arnold Palmer and partner Peter Jacobsen shot a 59 in a scramble format in the final round of the Franklin Funds Shark Shootout at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. The duo finished sixth, six shots behind winners Fred Couples and Brad Faxon. Also, Bobby Locke, one of golf’s all-time greatest putters, was born on this date in 1917 in Germiston, South Africa. He won the Open Championship four times.
On this date in 1989, Arnold Palmer and Peter Jacobsen shot a final-round 61 in a scramble format to tie for ninth in the RMCC Invitational/Greg Norman and earn $31,000. The winners were Curtis Strange-Mark O’Meara. Also, it is usually credited that on this date in 1936, the USGA made its decision to limit the amount of clubs that can be carried to 14.
On this date in 1990, the first Solheim Cup was completed at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Florida with the United States beating Europe, 11½-4½. Kathy Whitworth was the U.S. captain and Mickey Walker led Europe. On this date in 1954, Arnold Palmer turned professional in a public announcement at a Sherman Hotel luncheon in Chicago. He joined the Wilson Sporting Goods Advisory Staff with a contract worth $5,000 per year for three years along with a signing bonus of $2,000. And in 1990, Palmer and Peter Jacobsen shot a 12-under 60 in the RMCC Invitational to finish second.
After the 1883 Open Championship finished in a tie on November 16 at Musselburgh Links, a 36-hole playoff was competed on this date, with Willie Fernie knocking off the defending champion Bob Ferguson, 1 up. On this date in 1973, Arnold Palmer shot a final-round 76 in the eight-round World Open and tied for 25th And in 2002, Palmer finished the UBS Warburg Cup II with the captain victory.
On this date in 1990, in the RMCC Invitational hosted by Greg Norman, Arnold Palmer and partner Peter Jacobsen shot a best-ball 61 in the first round. They followed with an alternate-shot 66 and scramble 60 to finish second by five shots to Fred Couples and Raymond Floyd and win $70,000 each. Play was at Sherwood Country Club (72, 7,025), Thousand Oaks, California. Also, diminutive Corey Pavin, the UCLA star who won the 1995 U.S. Open at the American classic Shinnecock Hills, was born on this date in 1959 in Oxnard, California.
On this date in 2002, the first day of the UBS Warburg Cup was played at the Seaside Course on Sea Island, Georgia. It was a match of U.S. players versus Rest of the World. One Day 1 result was a Foursomes match in which Nick Faldo-Gary Player (ROW captain) defeated Arnold Palmer (U.S. captain)-Curtis Strange, 1 up. Also, another event on this date, in 1981, was World Golf Hall of Fame member Lorena Ochoa was born in Guadalajara, Mexico.
On this date in 1888, tradition says the first six holes at St. Andrews Golf Club, in Yonkers, New York, opened, making it the earliest American course to open, although other clubs have disputed that claim. The members were known as the Apple Dumpling Gang. On this date in 1987, Arnold Palmer shot a second-straight 71 at the Fairfield Barnett Classic and tied for 26th.
On this date in 1966, the United States team of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus won the World Cup at Yomiuri Country Club in Tokyo, Japan. Their scores were 135-135-136-142—548; individually it was Arnold with 66-67-69-73—275 and Nicklaus 69-68-67-69—273. Also, Jay Sigel, one of America’s most decorated amateurs, was born on this date in 1943 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He won two U.S. Amateurs and 11 Pennsylvania Amateurs among many other feats. He passed away earlier this year on April 19, age 82.
On this date in 1967, Arnold Palmer won the individual title at the World Cup at Club de Golf Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico, with scores of 68-70-71-67—276. It was his first individual title in six tries. As an added feat, he and teammate Jack Nicklaus were the team champion as well with scores of 140-141-140-136—557. Also, Lucas Glover, a one-time major champion of the 2009 U.S. Open, was born on this date in 1979 in Greenville, South Carolina.
Multi-major champion Jon Rahm was born on this date in 1994 in Barrika, Spain. He won the 2021 U.S. Open and 2023 Masters. On this date in 1966, Arnold Palmer shot a 66 in the first round of the World Cup, held at Yomiuri Country Club, Tokyo. That gave him and U.S. team partner Jack Nicklaus a two-man score of 135 and a tie for second place, one shot behind Canada.
On this date in 1889, the Open Championship ended at Musselburgh Links with Willie Park Jr. winning for the second time after beating Andrew Kirkaldy by five shots in a 36-hole playoff, 158-163. And on this date in 1962, the American team of Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead won the Canada Cup.
On this date in 1967, Arnold Palmer played the first round of the 15th World Cup, originally called the Canada Cup. Palmer shot a four-under-par 68 at the Club de Golf Mexico, in Mexico City. He and partner Jack Nicklaus had a first-day 140 total to lead by one shot over Argentina. Also on this date, Arnie won the 1963 Australian Wills Masters. And a pair of single-major winners of the Open Championship, who many observers felt had immense potential for greatness, were born on this date. In 1971, 2001 champion David Duval was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and in 1942, the 1973 champion golfer of the year, Tom Weiskopf, was born in Massillon, Ohio.
On this date in 1973, Arnold Palmer shot a 73 in the first round of the endurance test known as the World Open in Pinehurst. The World Open lasted eight rounds over two weekends. Palmer would shoot 73-70-77-75-73-68-74-76—586, tie for 25th and earn $2,867.43. In 1962 on this date, Palmer shot a first-round 68 in the Canada Cup to finish T-2 in the individual standings, and in 2011, he struck his final hole-in-one, at Bay Hill, on the 163-yard seventh hole of the Charger Course using a 5-iron. In the round he shot 79 to beat his age by three. Also, Chandler Harper, who sported one of the best monikers for a tour pro and won the 1950 PGA Championship, died on this date in 2004 at age 90.
On this date in 1959, the 13th Ryder Cup ended at the Eldorado GC in Palm Desert, California, with the Sam Snead-led U.S. team winning 8½-3½ over Great Britain and its captain Dai Rees.
On this date in 1955, the 11th Ryder Cup Match ended at Thunderbird Ranch & C.C. in Palm Springs, California, with the United States winning 8-4 over Great Britain. Chick Harbert was the captain in this seventh straight American victory; Dai Rees led GB. On this date in 1966, Arnold Palmer shot a final-round 68 at the Dunlop International and tied for first but lost a playoff. Palmerr shot scores of 78-75-73-68—294, but lost to Bob Stanton in a two-hole, sudden-death playoff at Kensington (72, 6,758), Sydney, Australia. Palmer won $1,120.
Walter Hagen won his fourth straight PGA Championship on this date in 1927, winning at Cedar Crest Country Club in Dallas in a thrilling 1-up victory over Joe Turnesa. It was the 10th playing of the PGA Championship and Hagen’s fifth overall PGA. In 1967 on this date, Arnold Palmer finished tied for 19th at the Hawaiian Open at four-over-par 72-74-74-72—292. The winner at a score of 284 was Dudley Wysong in a playoff, at Waialae C.C. in Honolulu. Arnie picked up $1,150.
On this date in 1951, the Ryder Cup ended at Pinehurst Resort with the U.S. defeating Great Britain, 9½-2½. Sam Snead was the playing captain for the Americans; Arthur Lacey was the non-playing leader for Great Britain. On this date in 1965, Arnold Palmer’s article on “Why I Want My Daughters to Play Golf” was published in a European publication. Also, in 1977, Palmer shot a second-round 66 with partner Leonard Thompson at the Disney World Nat’l Team Ch., but the pair missed the cut by four.
On this date in 1957, Arnold Palmer won the San Diego Open, scoring rounds of 65-68-68-70—271. His first-place money: $2,800. In 1974, Palmer shot a final-round 67 with partner Lanny Wadkins in the Disney World National Team Ch. and tied for 25th. Also, Jack Westland, the 1952 U.S. Amateur winner, died on this date in 1982 at Pebble Beach, California. He won 12 other major amateur golf events and went on to serve 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.