PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – Golf and Palm Springs icon Arnold Palmer will host the 50th anniversary of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, to be played Jan. 19-25, 2009.
Palmer has not only played the tournament 42 of its 50 years, he also won five of his 62 PGA TOUR titles there, including his last, and he’s as much a staple of the Coachella Valley as the tournament itself.
“We can’t think of a more appropriate person to help us celebrate our 50th year of this wonderful event,” said Bob Hope Chrysler Classic President Dave Erwin. “In addition to his success as a player here, Arnold’s classic style and unmatched connection to his adoring fans helped us reach such an honorable milestone. We feel privileged to have him as our host for this special year and know that Bob would agree.”
“It was very special to me when I was asked to serve as the host of next year’s 50th anniversary Bob Hope Chrysler Classic,” said Palmer, who won the inaugural event in 1960. “I enjoyed some of my greatest success in the Hope in the early years and have loved the Palm Springs area ever since I first went there. I consider it a great honor to follow in the footsteps of Bob Hope as host of this wonderful tournament, which has been a mainstay on the PGA Tour for so many years. I thought the world of Bob Hope and spent many priceless hours with him on and off the golf course.”
]]>Palmer has strong ties to Pittsburgh going back to his amateur days and teen years when he was competing in events of the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association. He has received many honors over the years from Pittsburgh organizations and is a member of Oakmont Country Club. His golf at Oakmont is an important part of his personal history in the game.
“I have wanted to do something useful with these clubs for a long time. I can’t think of anything that would serve that purpose better than to put them in the hands of The First Tee for its wonderful programs,” said Palmer. “I am very happy with the decision to give them to The First Tee of Pittsburgh, where I am proud to serve as honorary chairman. I grew up and played virtually all of my golf in my early years in Western Pennsylvania.”
]]>NORMAN, Okla. — Arnold Palmer will be honored with the GCAA Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual Hall of Fame Banquet Jan. 14 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Fla. In addition, Palmer will become only the third non-coach inducted into the GCAA Hall of Fame.
“I am certainly looking forward to receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Golf Coaches Association of America,” said Palmer. “I consider it a particular honor inasmuch as my golf at Wake Forest played a major role in leading me into my career in professional golf. I have kept in close touch with collegiate golf through the years and was very pleased to lend my name to the Palmer Cup when it was founded a decade ago.”
Besides the magnificent performance record, Palmer’s magnetic personality and unfailing sense of kindness
and thoughtfulness to everybody with whom he comes in contact have endeared him to millions throughout
the world and led to the informal formation of the largest non-uniformed “military” organization in existence -- Arnie’s Army. Seven of his victories came in what the golfing world considers the four major professional championships. He won the Masters Tournament four times, in 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964; the U.S. Open in spectacular fashion in 1960 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver and the British Open in 1961 and 1962. He came from seven strokes off the pace in the final round in that U.S. Open win and finished second in four other Opens after that. Among the majors, only the PGA Championship eluded him. He finished second in the PGA three times. Palmer was also a two-time NCAA medalist, in 1948 and 1949, while at Wake Forest.
In the eyes of many golf-loving Americans, Arnold Palmer is the greatest. Now, at least in the eyes of one prestigious panel of award-bestowing experts, so is his website.
ArnoldPalmer.com was recently named one of the Web Marketing Association’s Best Web Sites of 2007. The Palmer site, which is anchored by a daily timeline item harkening back to a corresponding news item from Palmer’s vivid and colorful past, was one of just 96 winners selected from 2,400 entries from more than 40 countries.
]]>Ed Seay loved life and lived it to the fullest. He was a highly respected mentor and leader to those he worked with. He is survived by his wife, Lynn, and adult children Mason Seay and Tracy Raymond.
More information on Mr. Seay's career, as well as video clips of him discussing his work, is available at the ASGCA Architects Gallery.