Sad news.
On Sunday, golf champion Arnold Palmer passed away while awaiting cardiac surgery at a Pittsburgh-based hospital. He was 87-years-old.
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It’s no question that Mr. Palmer was one of the greatest athletes of all time as he won over 90 golf tournaments — including the U.S. Open in 1960, four Masters, etc. So it’s no wonder Arnold was known simply as “The King”. Not to mention, the Pennsylvania native was one of the first three people to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and also helped start the The Golf Channel. Oh, and Palmer was the first golfer to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom back in 2004 (and was later given the Congressional Gold Medal too).
The King was also known for his athletic rivalry with Jack Nicklaus. Although, it seems as though the two golfers were actually the closest of friends as Jack commented on the entrepreneur’s passing on Twitter:
I just got the news at about 8:45 that Arnold had passed. I was shocked to hear that we lost a great friend (continued) pic.twitter.com/skehUsQgww
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) September 26, 2016
Talk about leaving behind a legacy!
However, Arnie came from humble beginnings as he learned to play golf from his father who was a head professional/greenskeeper at a local country club. He went on to study at Wake Forest College on an athletic scholarship. Palmer also served in the U.S. Coast Guard for three years!
Nonetheless, Arnold’s legacy will live on as he leaves behind his second wife Kit, his two daughters, and his six grandchildren. In fact, one of his grandchildren is Sam Saunders who plays on the PGA Tour.
R.I.P. Arnold!
[Image via WENN.]
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