On this date in 1954, Arnold Palmer married Winifred Walzer in Virginia. She was the woman he’d met on a Monday and proposed to on a Friday in September 1954, within a couple weeks of winning the U.S. Amateur, and would be the mother of his two daughters.
On this date in 1976, the Pepsi-Cola Mixed Team Championship ended at Doral in Miami, Florida. The winners were JoAnn Washam & Chi Chi Rodriguez with 275. Tied for seventh were Arnold and Sandra Palmer, not related, with scores of 73-73-67-71—284. The format had the team members tee off from corresponding tees for their normal course length, pick the drive they wanted for best strategy, then play alternate shot from there.
On this date in 1983, Arnold Palmer and Laura Baugh Cole shot a final-round 71 at Monte Carlo Country Club in Fort Pierce, Florida, for a four-round total of 281 and tie for sixth place behind the winners Bobby Clampett and Betsy King at the World Mixed Championship, Dec. 15-18. Arnie and Laura had 145-65-71—281 .
The third James Bond movie, “Goldfinger,” premiered on this date in 1964 in London. Starring Sean Connery as the secret agent Bond, the movie has a memorable golf scene between Bond and the villain Auric Goldfinger, in which Bond memorably foils Goldfinger and his caddie, Oddjob, from trying to cheat with some duplicity of his own. Also a lasting impression: Bond caddie Hawker uttering about Goldfinger’s “found” ball in the rough, “If that’s his original ball I’m Arnold Palmer.”
Tied in with the 26th PNC Championship this weekend, on this date in 2012, Arnold Palmer played for the final time in a PGA Tour-associated event when he and grandson Will Wears shot a second-round 76 for 156 to finish 18th in the PNC Father-Son Challenge at Grande Lakes Resort/Ritz-Carlton Golf Club (72, 7,023), in Orlando, Florida. It was his only tour-related event in 2012 and brought to an end a pro career that began in December 1954 with the Miami Open. The PNC winners were Davis Love III-Dru Love, 60-61—121.
On this date in 1949, Julius Boros turned professional and went on to compile a hall-of-fame career winning two U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship.
On this date in 1975, Jane Blalock won the LPGA Colgate Triple Crown at Mission Hills Country Club in Palm Springs, California, taking home $15,000.
On this date in 1956, Arnold Palmer shot a first-round 66 in the Mayfair Inn Open. He would shoot additional rounds of 68-67-71 for 272 and tie for seventh behind winner Mike Fetchick, who shot a record score of 263.
This is the date in 1899 that is traditionally observed as the day George Bryant of Boston patented the wooden golf tee.
On this date 14 years ago, Tiger Woods announced he was taking an indefinite leave from golf “to save his marriage.” The Associated Press report said the move: “was the biggest fallout yet from two shocking weeks filled with allegations of extramarital affairs. ‘I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person,’ Woods said on his Web site. Woods and his wife, Elin, have been married for five years and have a 2-year-old daughter and a 10-month-old son. The announcement came two weeks after Woods crashed his SUV into a tree outside his Florida home, setting in motion a stunning downfall for the world's No. 1 player who for 13 years rarely made news off the golf course.”
On this date in 1966, Arnold Palmer and partner Jack Nicklaus won the PGA National Team Championship, shooting scores of 63-66-63-64—256.
On this date in 1984, Australian great Peter Thomson won the 46th Senior PGA Championship at PGA National with a score of two-under 286, three shots ahead of Don January. It was one of nine titles Thomson won on the senior tour that year alone.
in 2001, the Hyundai Team Matches began on this date with the Champions Tour Semifinals of Tom Watson-Andy North defeating Arnold Palmer-Bruce Fleisher, 5 and 3.
On this date in 1969, Arnold Palmer won the Danny Thomas-Diplomat Classic with a final-round 65 and four-round aggregate of 270. He won $25,000. The previous week he had won the inaugural Heritage Golf Classic, giving him back-to-back victories.
On this day in 2003, Arnold Palmer played for the first time in the then titled Office Depot Father-Son Challenge, with grandson Sam Saunders. The two shot 65-67—132, to place 12th.
On this date in 1982, the Senior PGA Championship finished at PGA National with Don January winning by one shot over Julius Boros.
Arnold and Sandra Palmer weren’t related, but they had fun with the idea and played as partners in the Pepsi-Cola Mixed Team Championship. On this date in 1977, they finished four rounds with 69-69-70-67—275 and tied for third, five behind the winners Hollis Stacy and Jerry Pate.
On this date in 1961, Arnold Palmer shot a final-round 68 for a four-round total of 278 at West Palm Beach Country Club to finish second by four shots to Gay Brewer in the West Palm Beach Open and earn $1,900.
On this date in 1979, Arnold Palmer shot a 66 in the Brazilian Open to tie for third with a 272 total, earning $3,300. Fidel de Luca won in a playoff with Robert De Vicenzo.
On this date in 1973, Jack Nicklaus won the Walt Disney World Open at 13-under-par 275, one stroke ahead of Mason Rudolph. The victory made Nicklaus the first player to reach $2 million in career earnings on the PGA Tour.