This Day in Arnold Palmer History: March 5

On this date in 1964, Arnold Palmer shot a 69 in the first round of the Pensacola Open; he would later add: 68-68-69 for 274 to tie Gary Player and Miller Barber for first. In a playoff, Player would shoot 71 to win while Palmer had 72 and Barber 74. Also, Dale Douglass was a minor figure on the PGA Tour, no disrespect intended. He was born on this date in 1936 in Wewoka, Oklahoma, and won three PGA events. But Douglass did a major deal as a senior player. He won the 1986 U.S. Senior Open and the lifetime exemption allowed him to take a couple longevity records away from Arnold Palmer. Arnie had played in 25 straight U.S. Senior Opens, with one victory in 1981. When he stopped in 2005 he held all the longevity records but Douglass overtook him when he stopped playing in 2011. Douglass has most appearances with 26 to Arnie’s 25 and most consecutive starts with 26 to 25.