The American athlete Arnold Palmer is called one of the most charismatic players. The king of golf has become a true superstar thanks to his participation in advertising and television programs. He was the first golfer to earn $ 19 million in 1967.
Arnold Daniel Palmer is rightly called one of the greatest golfers in the world. He won an incredible amount of competition. He was a TV presenter, and film actor, and producer when he made his own golf show.
Carier start
In addition, the athlete was able to fundamentally change the established perception of the game, wrote books about his favorite sport.
The biography of the future champion began in 1929. The child was born in the American town of Latrobe on September 10. In the family, father was engaged in coaching, giving lessons at a local golf club. From him, as a gift, the son received his first set of clubs in three years.
The kid really liked the new game. At every opportunity, he tried to enter the field. Growing up, Arnie began to work as a caddy, an assistant to the players carrying their inventory.
The sports scholarship allowed the graduate to continue his education in college. However, the student interrupted his studies, going to serve in the Coast Guard. He did not leave his favorite game in the training center. The young man set up the field, and after returning home he took part in the amateur competition and won it. After the triumph, a decision appeared to begin the career of a professional player.
Palmer won his first prestigious Canadian Open tournament in 1955. Then there were three more competitions in 1956 and four in 1957. Victories succeeded one another. The athlete won three tournaments in the next two seasons. The annual Masters competition in 1958 was one of the biggest successes.
Triumph
Television programs regularly began to talk about golf since 1960. Very soon, Palmer became a national hero. It was then that he received an invitation to take part in advertising campaigns with famous brands.
The idea of promoting products with the help of athletes belonged to Mark McCormack, who organized the agencies "IMG" and "IMG Models". The group of fans who accompanied the star in all competitions was called the Arnie Army. Later, the athlete admitted that at the very beginning of his golf lessons he could not think that he would become the “commander in chief”
Already in the status of a recognized star of the game, Arnold won the British Open in 1961 and 1962, and won the Masters in 1962 and 1964. Then he began a film career, starring as a cameo in most of the films. The golfer wrote the first book, and founded the Arnold Palmer Enterprises company with a recognizable colored umbrella as a symbol.
According to the Associated Press in 1970, Arnold was named the Athlete of the Decade. The golfer convincingly confirmed the title by winning the PGA tournaments. The athlete won his tour and Senior Series championship in 1980. His career ended with a victory on the field in 1988. Arnold reappeared before the fans during the US Open Pennsylvania tournament. They gave him a standing ovation, seeing him off. The same was Palmer meeting in 1995 at the British Open.
Business and Sports
In the sixties with an easy hand Arnie became popular cocktail "Arnold Palmer". His golfer asked for iced tea and lemonade to freshen up after the match. This combination has not changed for many years. All fans of the athlete began to repeat it.
On an industrial scale, Arizona Beverages USA launched the drink in the nineties. The result of her collaboration with Palmer under the name "Arizona Arnold Palmer" quickly won the fame of one of the brand's most popular products. At least a dozen varieties of cocktail appeared.
The athlete did not stop golfing even after a difficult operation in 1997. He was one of the investors who acquired the Pebble Beach field in California. Arnold himself designed over 300 golf courses in 25 countries of the world and 37 states.
As a child, Arnold was fond of aviation, loved to make models of wood. He ran to the local airport to listen to the stories of the pilots. The player decided to learn how to pilot a plane after traveling for too long by car across the country. This conclusion he called the second most important after the beginning of the career of a professional player. His latest acquisition was a jet.
Not without the active participation of Arnie, Latrobe Airport received a modern runway and acquired a super-modern control tower. In 1999, the Westmoreland County Airport in the golfer’s homeland was named Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. This event is timed to the 70th anniversary of the athlete.
