This Day in Golf History: February 25

On this day in 1957, Arnold Palmer shot a 69 at Memorial Park Municipal Golf Course to finish off a first-place performance at the Houston Open. He had a 279 score to win by one over Doug Ford and take home $7,500. Also, Tony Lema, the 1964 Open “champion golfer of the year” on the Old Course, was born on this date in 1934 in Oakland, California. Lema had one of the great personalities in golf history and was known as Champagne Tony for treating the media to a celebratory drink after a victory. Sadly, his full potential was never realized. He died in July 1966 when he and his wife and pilot died in a plane crash on their way from Akron, Ohio, to Illinois.