The
PGA Tour of Australasia was deeply saddened by the loss of one of the greatest players
of all time, Arnold Palmer, who passed away aged 87 in September 2016.

A true superstar,
Palmer won 62 career titles on the PGA Tour, including seven Major
Championships.

More than just a
phenomenal player, Palmer was renowned as a man of the people, drawing huge
crowds and spending countless amounts of time signing autographs for fans.

Palmer was also a
great traveller, making numerous trips to Australia and in the process winning
three times on the PGA Tour of Australasia including the 1963 Wills Masters,
1966 Australian Open and 1972 South Australian PGA Championship.

Like everywhere he
played, Palmer left a special mark on the hearts of Australian golf fans
including one of our own legends, Peter Thomson.

Upon learning the sad
news of Palmer’s passing, Thomson reflected on his memories of his competitor
and friend:

"Arnold was the folkhero of golf," Thomson said. "Not
only was he the greatest personality the game has produced, he was King of the
fairways every time he played.

"We were only two weeks apart in age and great rivals. We certainly had
some wonderful times together. The last time we played together was at an
exhibition at The Australian Golf Club in Sydney on November 24, 2004. The
occasion was the centenary of the Australian Open and Bruce Devlin joined us
for the nine-hole match on the eve of the tournament.

"At last year’s Open Championship at St Andrews, we were rival captains
in the four-hole Past Champions event and, although our team scores were the
same, Arnold’s team won the charity donation by being the older team of the
two.

"St Andrews was a fitting final place for us both to meet. Mary
and I are terribly saddened by the news of his death, and our thoughts are very
much with Kit, his daughters and their families.

"Bless you always, Arnold."

ARNOLD
PALMER
1929-2016
Major championships: 7 (Masters: 1958, ’60, ’62 and ’64; US Open: 1960; British Open:
1961 and ’62)
Professional wins: 95
PGA Tour wins: 62 (fifth most all-time)
Champions Tour wins: 10 (five majors)
PGA Tour of Australasia wins: 3 (1963 Wills Masters; 1966 Australian
Open; 1972 South Australian PGA Championship)
World Cup appearances: 6 (1960, ’62, ’63, ’64, ’66, ’67; U.S. went 6-0)
Amateur victories: 26 (includes 1954 US Amateur)

Inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974