Taking a pause one more time on November 16 to highlight special dates in Masters history, with a focus on four-time winner Arnold Palmer: At the 68th Masters, on April 8-11, 2004, Arnie played his final Masters tournament. It would make another good Palmer book to do his career in the Masters only. The final playing chapter would be this tournament, his 50th straight and final time as a competitor. It seemed much earlier that he had been talking about calling it quits at Augusta, but he may have had 50 in mind all along, a number he reached at age 74. Arnold was regularly scoring in the 80s by now; 83-83 in 2003, 84-84 in 2004. It wasn’t known at the time, but this was his final event on the regular PGA Tour schedule too. He left with a pair of rounds in the 80s: 84-84—168, missing the 36-hole cut by 20 strokes.

Taking a pause this week to highlight special dates in Masters history, with a focus on four-time winner Arnold Palmer: Arnie won his fourth Masters in 1964. Played April 9-12, the 28th Masters worked out the way Palmer wanted to win a major: with a stress-free finish. At age 34, Arnold won by six shots over Dave Marr and Jack Nicklaus and was able to walk up the 18th hole and receive a winner’s reception.

Pausing this week to highlight special dates in Masters history with a focus on four-time winner Arnold Palmer: Arnie won his third green jacket in 1962. Played on April 5-9 , the 26th Masters had the tournament’s usual excitement, this time in a three-way playoff among Palmer, Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald. Arnold shot 31 on the second nine to win the playoff with 68 to Player’s 71 and Finsty’s 77.

Taking a pause this week to highlight special dates in Masters history, with a focus on four-time winner Arnold Palmer: One of Arnie’s biggest career regrets was the 25th Masters, played in 1961 on April 6-10. Leading by a shot with one hole to play, Palmer let his mind wander after a great drive and made a double bogey to place one shot behind Gary Player. Palmer had scores of 68-69-73-71—281 to tie for second.

Taking a pause this week to highlight special dates in Masters history, with a focus on four-time winner Arnold Palmer: In 1960, Arnie won his second Masters on April 7-10, shooting 282, including a 67 in Round 1. His first-place money was $17,500. Ten weeks later, he won the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills in an epic comeback in the final round.

Pausing from the normal history date, this week I focus on the Masters with an emphasis on Arnold Palmer: In 1958, Arnie won his first Masters green jacket on April 3-6, in the 22nd Masters. His scores were 70-73-68-73—284. His first-place money was $11,250.

Taking a pause this week to highlight special dates in Masters history, with a focus on Arnold Palmer, four-time winner: Arnie’s first Masters was April 7-10, 1955, his rookie season. He had scores of 76-76-72-69—293, tied for 10th and picking up $695.83, a nice paycheck for someone still in a six-month moratorium against accepting tour money.

One of the most talented golfers of all-time, Tom Weiskopf, was born on this date in 1942 in Massillon, Ohio. Weiskopf’s most well-known victory was the 1973 Open Championship.

One of the greatest names in golf, Chandler Harper, belonged to the 1950 PGA Championship winner. The Virginia native lived to age 90, dying on this date in 2004.

On this date in 1959, the biennial Ryder Cup Match finished at Eldorado Golf Club in Indian Wells, California. The U.S. took an easy 8½-3½ win behind its captain Sam Snead.

The Ryder Cup Match of 1955 ended on this date at Thunderbird Ranch & Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. The result was an 8-4 U.S. victory, with Chick Harbert captaining a seventh straight American victory.

The Open Championship of 1886 ended on this date at Musselburgh Links in East Lothian, Scotland, with David Brown winning by two shots over Willie Campbell. It was the 26th Open., with 42 golfers playing four nine-hole rounds.

The 9th Ryder Cup ended on this date in 1951 at Pinehurst Resort’s No. 2 Course with the United States defeating Great Britain, 9½-2½, under the guidance of playing captain Sam Snead.

On this national Election Day, a little politics with golf. Jack Westland, a U.S. House of Representatives member from 1953 to 1965, died on this date in 1982 at Pebble Beach, California, at age 77. Westland won the U.S. Amateur in 1952 in a strong amateur career.

The 1947 Ryder Cup Match ended on this date at Portland Golf Club, resuming the series that had been on hold for 10 years due to world conflict. The U.S. won the match, 11-1. Ben Hogan was the U.S. captain, going up against Henry Cotton, a three-time Open Championship winner.

On this date in 1935, nine-time major champion Gary Player was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. If plans play out, he will join Jack Nicklaus in hitting the ceremonial tee shot at the Masters on November 12 in the first round.

On this date in 1968, Arnold Palmer shot a first-round 70 at the Australian PGA. On the next three days he added rounds of 77-75-71—293 to tie for sixth.

On this date in 1965, Clifford Ann Creed won the LPGA Las Cruces Golf Open at Las Cruces Country Club in New Mexico. She shot three under par and beat Donna Caponi by two shots. And in another finish on this date in 1988, Beth Daniel won the Nichirei Ladies Cup U.S.-Japan Team Golf Championship.

It would be interesting to see how Scottish-born Jimmy Thomson would do in today’s big hitter’s era. Born on this date in 1908, Thomson was stocky in the mode of today’s J.B. Holmes and was one of the long hitters on tour, just as Holmes is today. Thomson notably finished runner-up in both the 1935 U.S. Open at Oakmont and 1936 PGA at Pinehurst No. 2.

One of the most celebrated woman golfers in the game’s history was born on this date in 1921. Peggy Kirk was born in Findlay, Ohio. Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2019 in the lifetime achievement category, Kirk experienced success as a player before becoming well known as a teacher, resort owner and golf ambassador. She married Warren Bell in 1953 and was known as Peggy Kirk Bell from then on. A charter member of the LPGA, Bell also received the prestigious Bob Jones Award in 1990 from the USGA.