On this date in 1954, at the 9th Annual Bill Waite Memorial Tournament, Palmer and partner Tommy Sheehan of Detroit defeated George Rowbotham (Philadelphia) and Ben Smith (Detroit), 4 and 3, in the better-ball final at Shawnee-on-Delaware, Pa. This was the tournament he was playing when he met future wife Winnie.
It was on this day in 1929 that the one and only most popular golfer in history, Arnold Palmer, was born the first child to Milfred and Doris Palmer in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. And also on this date in 2009, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, a statue was unveiled of him at Laurel Valley Golf Course, Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
On this date in 1962, Arnold Palmer finished play in the first World Series of Golf. Palmer played in three WSOGs, an unofficial 36-hole event involving the winners of the year’s major championships, held at Firestone Country Club, par-70, 7,165-yard South Course, Akron, Ohio. The first WSOG was played on September 8-9, 1962, with the results: Jack Nicklaus 66-69—135, $50,000; Arnold Palmer 65-74—139, $12,500; Gary Player 69-70—139, $12,500.
On this date in 1977, Palmer shot a 65 in the B.C. Open’s first round. He would add 69-75-74 to shoot 283 and tie for 22nd ($1,780). The 65 was his lowest round of the ‘77 season, in which he entered 20 tournaments, failed to win, and had a scoring average of 72.49.
As the 94th anniversary of Arnold Palmer’s birthday approaches, on this date in Palmer History the Chrysler Cup ended in 1986 on the TPC at Avenel Course in Potomac, Maryland, with the Palmer-captained U.S. team beating the Internationals, 68.5 to 31.5. It was a Ryder-Cup style event involving senior tour players. It was during this inaugural event that Arnold aced the 187-yard No. 3 hole two days in a row using the same 5-iron. in practice rounds. His match results in 1986 included: Day 1, Four-Ball, Arnold Palmer (U.S. captain)-Gene Littler defeat Gary Player (International captain)-Bob Charles, 1 up; Day 2, Singles Match, Palmer (U.S.) defeated Harold Henning, 1 up; Day 3, Singles Stroke, Palmer (U.S.) defeated Peter Thomson, 71-73; Day 4, Stroke Play, Palmer 35-34-69, T-1. Winning team members received $50,000 each.
On this date in 1913, the 19th U.S. Amateur Championship was won by Jerry Travers, in a 5-and-4 victory over John G. Anderson at the outstanding Garden City Golf Club on Long Island, New York.
On this date in 1925, the 29th U.S. Amateur Championship was won by Bobby Jones in a match with fellow Atlantan Watts Gunn. Jones won, 8 and 7, at venerable Oakmont Country Club to win for the second straight time.
On this date in 1932, the 15th PGA Championship was won by Olin Dutra at Keller Golf Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, when he defeated Frank Walsh in the 36-hole final, 4 and 3. Dutra was 19 under par over 196 holes covering five matches.
On this date in 1973, the underappreciated Billy Casper finished at 20-under-par 264 to win the Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open by one shot over Australian Bruce Devlin. It was a milestone 50th PGA Tour victory for Casper.
On this date in 1940, the PGA Championship at Hershey Country Club had an epic battle between two golf legends when Byron Nelson won his first PGA by defeating Sam Snead, 1 up, in the 36-hole final.
On this date in 1893, the Open Championship concluded at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland with native Willie Auchterlonie winning by two shots over amateur Johnny Laidlay.
At least two U.S. Amateur championships concluded on this date. In 1968, Bruce Fleisher had a score of 284 to edge Marvin (Vinny) Giles III by one shot at Scioto C.C., Columbus, Ohio, and in 1980, Hal Sutton defeated Bob Lewis, 9 and 8, at the Country Club of North Carolina, in Pinehurst. Fred Couples had been the match-play qualifying medalist with a score of 139.
At least a pair of U.S. Amateur results were finalized on this date. In 1969, Steve Melnyk shot 286 to win by five over Marvin (Vinny) Giles at Oakmont; in 1987, Billy Mayfair defeated Eric Rebmann, 4 and 3, at Jupiter Hills Club (Hills Course), in Florida.
On this date in 1908, Fred McLeod won an 18-hole playoff with Willie Smith, 77-83, to capture the U.S. Open Championship at the Myopia Hunt Club in Hamilton, Massachusetts. The two had tied at the end of regulation with 72-hole scores of 322.
At least two U.S. Amateur championships ended on this date. In 1988, Eric Meeks defeated Danny Yates, 7 and 6, on the Cascades Course at the Virginia Hot Springs G. & T.C., Hot Springs, Va. And in 1994, Tiger Woods won by knocking off Trip Kuehne, 2 up, at TPC at Sawgrass (Stadium Course), Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
On this date in 1995, Tiger Woods won his second of three straight U.S. Amateurs by defeating George (Buddy) Marucci Jr., 2 up, at Newport (R.I.) C.C.
On this date in 2012, New Zealander Lydia Ko, at age 15, became the youngest winner of an LPGA Tour event when she won the Canadian Women’s Open at Vancouver Golf Club, winning by three over Inbee Park. She was the first amateur to win on tour since 1969.
On this date in 1946, Ben Hogan won the PGA Championship at Portland (Ore.) Golf Club with a 6-and-4 victory over Ed (Porky) Oliver. It was his first of nine majors; he would win a second PGA in 1948.
Jack Nicklaus was the first winner of the Tournament Players Championship in 1974, but on this date in 1975, Al Geiberger came out on top at Colonial C.C. in Memphis. Geiberger led from start to finish to win by three strokes ahead of runner-up Dave Stockton.
On this date in 2009, the United States won a third straight Solheim Cup, at Rich Harvest Farms, taking the match with a final score of 16-12. The U.S. won 8 of 12 singles matches on the final day.