One of the game’s most unassuming major champions was born on this date in 1923. Art Wall Jr. was born in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Six years older than Arnold Palmer, Wall battled his fellow Pennsylvanian in amateur and college golf and carried on their tussles on the pro tour. It was Wall who took advantage of Palmer’s final-round blowup in the 1959 Masters with a 74 by shooting 66 and winning by a shot over Cary Middlecoff and two over Palmer. But Palmer would get his revenge the following year by winning at Augusta and having Wall put the green jacket on him. Wall was also notable for having said he’d had 40 holes-in-one in his career.
An American golfer who was on the cusp of doing marvelous things in golf was born on this date in 1955. Scott Hoch turns 65 today, born in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has 11 PGA Tour victories but was about to win the 1989 Masters and really raise his level but he missed a short but tough putt on the 10th hole in a playoff with Nick Faldo. The Englishman then made birdie on the next hole to win and Hoch never had as good a chance as he did that year to win a major. He did play on the 1997 and 2002 Ryder Cup teams for the U.S.
On this date in 2003, the Presidents Cup finished in a 17-17 tie at the Links at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club. The match stayed a tie and was deemed concluded after Ernie Els and Tiger Woods played three holes of a playoff and remained deadlocked as darkness encroached.
On this date in 1936, the PGA Championship ended at Pinehurst Country Club, No. 2 Course. Denny Shute defeated Jimmy Thomson, 3 and 2, to win his first of two straight PGAs.
On this date in 2004, the UBS Warburg Cup ended, with the U.S. defeating the Rest of the World, 14-10. U.S. captain Arnold Palmer lost his match to Gary Player, ROW captain, 6 and 5.
This date was a sad family event for the Arnold Palmer family in 1999. His wife, Winnie, died from a malignant tumor in the abdomen lining. Just over a week after winning the U.S. Amateur in 1954, Palmer had a chance encounter with Winifred (Winnie) Walzer on Monday, September 6, at the Shawnee Inn at the 9th Annual Bill Waite Memorial Tournament organized by bandleader Fred Waring in the Pocono Mountains. Arnold asked her to marry him at dinner on Friday, which would have been his 25th birthday. They were married on Monday, Dec. 20, 1954, in Virginia. She died in Latrobe, age 65, and a private memorial service was held two days later at Unity Chapel near Latrobe. She and Arnold had two daughters: Margaret (Peggy), born February 26, 1956, and Amy, born August 4, 1958. For their parents, their marriages produced four granddaughters, two grandsons, nine great grandchildren.
It is usually credited that on this date in 1936, the USGA made its decision to limit the amount of clubs that can be carried to 14.
On this date in 1990, the first Solheim Cup ended at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida. The United States beat Europe, 11½-4½, led by golf great Kathy Whitworth as captain. The European captain was Mickey Walker.
On this date in 1883, Bob Ferguson and Willie Fernie played a 36-hole playoff at Musselburgh Links and Fernie beat the defending champion by one stroke, 158-159, to win the 24th Open Championship.
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.