Sports Then and Now

Arnold Palmer’s fame and success transcended golf.

In recent years, golf has become increasingly popular, mainly in countries such as America, Australia and Great Britain. In this article, we are going to talk about the richest golfers and how they have accumulated their net worth. Moreover, you will learn more about their achievements in professional career.

10. Sir Nick Faldo

This charming Brit has had a fascinating career which saw him win six major tournaments. The knighted gentleman is worth $60 million. Nowadays, He generates his money covering the sport news for CBS Sports.

9. Ernie Els

His estimated net worth is $75 million and was acquired through golfing, designing golf courses and a winery he owns, the Ernie Els Wines. The Big Easy, as he is known in the golfing community, has held the #1 spot for 788 weeks during his career. He also holds the record for most weeks in the top 10.

8. Vijay Singh

When you hear the country Fiji, people usually link it with rugby and Fiji’s national team. One Fiji native, however, chose a different sport and in his career he has won three major tournaments.Moreover, he was ranked #1 for two consecutive years in the 2014 & 2015 seasons. Vijay Singh’s net worth is $75 million and this ranks him #8 on out list.

7. Fred Couples

The American has 63 professional wins, including the 1992 Masters Tournament. His great career has managed to accumulate $105 million in the Fred Couples’s bank account. Currently, Fred spends his time playing on the senior’s circuit or in designing golf courses.

6. Phil Mickelson

Mikelson’s stellar career saw him win 5 majors and ranks him second on the PGA Tour’s list of all-time career earnings. Interestingly enough, he actually makes more money from endorsements and in 2011, he was the second-highest paid athlete in the US. His estimated net worth is $180 millions

5. Gary Player

Gary Player is the International Ambassador of Golf, and in his tremendous career, that spreads over 6 decades, he has won 165 professional tournaments including the Grand Slam. The South African has also made money from writing books about golf, designing golf courses and other business ventures. His astonishing career has left him well-off with a net worth of $200 million. Read the rest of this entry →

Arnold Palmer won seven golf majors and finished second 10 times.

While other golfers enjoyed more success on the links, it can easily be argued that no golfer did more to raise the profile of professional golf as a global sport than Arnold Palmer, who passed away Sunday at the age of 87.

Originally from Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Palmer played golf at Wake Forest University and won the 1954 U.S. Amateur Championship.

He turned professional in 1955 and the 25-year-old rookie quickly displayed his ability by claiming the Canadian Open championship. In 1958 he earned his first major with a one-stroke victory at the Masters and went on to be the PGA Tour money leader for the year.

After again winning the Masters in 1960, he claimed his only U.S. Open title with an epic performance at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado.

At a time when the third and fourth (final) rounds were played on the same day, Palmer entered the final round trailing leader Mike Souchak by seven strokes. Also ahead of him were golfing legend Ben Hogan and amateur Jack Nicklaus, both three strokes off the lead.

Arnold’s Army began to grow during the afternoon as he peppered the course with great golf shots while his opponents started to struggle amidst his charge. Palmer registered a final round 65 (six under par) and ended the tournament two strokes ahead of Nicklaus and four ahead of Souchak and five others.

It would prove to be the only U.S. Open victory for Palmer as he lost three other times in a playoff.

Later in 1960, Palmer began growing his international legacy by traveling to Scotland to play in the British Open at a time when few Americans participated in the tournament. Though his hopes of winning the golf grand slam ended with a one-stroke loss to Kel Nagle, Palmer planted the seeds for future American success in the legendary tournament. Read the rest of this entry →

The O.J. Simpson White Bronco chase on June 17, 1994 captivated a nation though it didn’t break any speed records.

This past Thursday sports broadcasters spent a great deal of time discussing what a great sports day it was with the start of the U.S. Open Golf Tournament, World Cup Soccer Championships and the fourth game of the NBA Finals. Certainly an exciting day for sports fans and broadcasters alike, but nothing like a day whose twentieth anniversary we celebrate this week.

The primary sports elements on June 17, 1994 were basically the same as twenty years later, but the story lines in some cases were a bit more compelling. Then, of course, what makes that particular day unlike any other sports day was an un-scripted and un-expected event that transcended sports and captured the attention of the entire country.

Even though the United States wasn’t playing until the next day, June 17th was the most important day to that point in U.S. Soccer history with the opening ceremonies of the first World Cup ever held in the United States. President Bill Clinton, Diana Ross, Opera Winfrey and Daryl Hall were among those who participated in the festivities at Soldier Field in Chicago.

While many hoped the World Cup would usher a new era of interest for soccer in America, half a country away in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, the second round of the U.S. Golf Open included the end of an era for an American sports treasure.

Playing in the U.S. Open for the final time, Pennsylvania native Arnold Palmer said goodbye to the national stage on that Friday afternoon by shooting a final round 81 to finish 16 stokes over par. The 1960 U.S. Open Champion had played his first Open at Oakmont in 1953 and on that Friday afternoon 41 years later had an emotional conclusion to his magical career. Read the rest of this entry →

Arnold Palmer set fashion trends in golf with his short sleeve polo and slacks.

Throughout the ages popular professional golfing figures have been firmly sticking to or openly defying the strict dress codes enforced on the golf course. Check out this run down of golf’s greatest conformers and rebels before deciding which way you swing with golf fashion and then picking up some great clothing for your next round at Bunker Mentality.

Arnold Palmer, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s professional golf, has won numerous titles for his incredible golfing skills. He is also, however, remembered for his preferred dress of a short sleeve polo shirt and khaki trousers which, whilst originally frowned upon for its rather dressed down and casual look, soon become the standard golfing attire of the day. His fashion choice made such an impact that in fact this style of dressing has remained as the staple for the past fifty years and is still commonly seen on courses across the globe today.

Payne Stewart was a pro golf player from America who has eleven PGA titles to his name. His take on the traditional 20’s style golf fashion of knickers, high socks and a newsboy cap combined with garish eighties prints led him to become easily recognizable on the course. Half traditional conformist, half contemporary rebel he meshed these seemingly opposite sides of a coin together to create his own unique golf style. He was truly an individual who was never afraid to wear exactly what he wanted and that kind of confidence is killer.
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95 million people watched the "chase" of O.J. Simpson's Ford Bronco.

Depending on your age, there are certain days and moments in United States and World history that even decades later you remember specific details about where you were, who you were with and what you were doing. Days such as November 22, 1963 (shooting of John F. Kennedy) and September 11, 2001.

For many Americans, especially sports fans, June 17, 1994 is one of those days.

Just based on the planned sports schedule for the day, it was going to be a busy day in the sports world.

The list of events included:

– The opening game of the first soccer World Cup held in the United States

– The final U.S. Open round for Arnold Palmer

– The victory parade for the 1994 NHL Champion New York Rangers

– A full Major League Baseball schedule including a game in which Ken Griffey, Jr. blasted his 30th home run

– The fifth game of the NBA Championship

But, as an awesome 30 for 30 broadcast for the first time last night on ESPN reminds us, the nation was captivated that day by a “chase” across a Los Angeles freeway that ended with the arrest of a then-beloved sports hero. It is estimated that as many as 95 million people watched the television coverage of O.J. and the white Ford Bronco on that summer night. Read the rest of this entry →

Arnold Palmer was the first American in the modern era to regularly play in the British Open.

The absence from The Open Championship (often referred outside of England as The British Open) of Tiger Woods last year and the decision by Phil Mickelson not to make the trek across the pond this year harkens back to a time when it was common practice for the top Americans to skip golf’s oldest championship.

Of course, both Woods (knee surgery) and Mickelson (family illness) have legitimate reasons for not competing in the only major tournament not played in the United States. However, had it not been for a decision nearly 50 years ago by popular American golfer Arnold Palmer to compete in The Open, it is possible that the list of great Americans not playing in the tournament would be significantly longer.

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