One of golf’s most beloved legends, Arnold Palmer, has died at the age of 87 from complications with heart problems, his family confirmed Sunday.
Palmer attended Wake University on a golf scholarship. By the time he was 24 he won the 1954 U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Detroit. He said that victory “was a turning point in my life. It gave me the confidence I could compete at the highest level of the game.”
Palmer went on to win 62 titles on the PGA tour, his last coming at the 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic. He also won four victories at the Masters, two at the British Open and one at the U.S. Open. He was inducted in to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
Besides the game of golf, he is also known for his favorite drink – the simple mix of iced tea and lemonade that bears his name. His other accomplishments include raising hundreds of millions for charities.
In 2012, Palmer received the Congressional Gold Medal, becoming only the sixth athlete to receive that honor. He was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004. This gave him two of the highest honors the U.S can give to a civilian.
Former President George W. Bush, who presented Palmer with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, captured Palmer’s impact in a statement Sunday night, which read in part:
“For all who love the game of golf and love to see it played, there has never been a sight quite like Arnold Palmer walking down the fairway toward the 18th green. The announcer Vin Scully once said, ‘In a sport that was high society, Arnold Palmer made it “High Noon””
