34 years old It was his sixth and last major championship win. Arnold Palmer, 34, led after 54 holes by five strokes after three rounds in the 60s (-10). He won by six strokes with a final-round 70 on Sunday, becoming the Masters' first four-time champion. It was his sixth and last major championship win.
He held or co-held all four majors at least once. His record of two wins in 1962 and 1964 has been surpassed by Jack Nicklaus (three), Gary Player (two), and Lee Trevino (one). He finished second seven times, most recently in 1979 when he lost to Steve Jones by one stroke. In between, he was third in 1975, 1977, and 1980. He also finished fourth in 1971, 1973, 1990, 1991, and 1993.
Palmer's overall victory margin was largest after 36 holes, and he had three consecutive 67s from the fourth through the sixth round. He went on to have another good day on Sunday, finishing with a 70 to take the lead for good.
PGA Tour Championship During his career, Arnold Palmer won seven PGA Tour major titles. He was the first golfer to win four Masters, although he never won the PGA Championship. Palmer finished second three times and third once during his career.
His failure to win a single PGA Championship is the only major title that he never captured on the big stage.
Arnold Palmer's legacy as one of golf's all-time greats is unquestionable. His impact on the game itself is also significant - he popularized the use of plastic clubs which has been shown to improve performance and reduce costs.
Palmer founded the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida. The hospital provides healthcare for children from across the United States with life-threatening illnesses who can't be treated at other hospitals. It is the only pediatric medical center dedicated solely to cancer treatment and research.
He also created the Arnold Palmer Invitational, an annual PGA Tour event that is now held at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Orlando, Florida. The original tournament was held each year from 1954 to 1979, when it was replaced by the Buick Open. It returned in 1981 and has been played annually ever since.
Prior to Mickelson's triumph on Sunday, the most recent 40-plus-year-old golfer to win a major was Tiger Woods, who was 43 years, 3 months, and 16 days old when he won the 2019 Masters... oldest golfer to win a major.
| Golfer | Tournament | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Nicklaus | 1986 Masters Tournament | 46 years, 2 months, 23 days |
Tiger was also the youngest Masters champion ever, at the age of 21 years, three months, and fourteen days, and the first African or Asian-born major event winner. The victories in the 2000 U.S. Open and 2001 Masters were by record margins of 15 and 12 shots, respectively. Woods' $1.5 million bonus for winning both events was the largest awarded at that time.
He turned 22 years old on April 30th.
2000 was a great year for golf. We had two new champions: Woods in majors and David Toms in minnows. It's possible to be elite at a young age. I think it's safe to say that nobody expected Woods to win those titles so early in his career.
Here's how he did it: Woods came into both the U.S. Open and the Masters as the clear favorite to win each tournament. He went about their business with a vengeance. In Philadelphia, he set a U.S. Open scoring record with a 16-under-par score. In Augusta, he became the first player to shoot 59 in either the U.S. Open or the Masters (he shot 58 in 1996). He won both tournaments by huge margins, which is no easy feat.
Woods turned 22 years old on April 30th. He won five times that season, including the PGA Championship, which he also won in 1995.
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