#80: AP for AP
Arnold Palmer kicked off the 1960s by winning the first of his five Bob Hope Desert Classics in February of 1960 and he closed out the decade with a December, 1969 win in the Danny Thomas Diplomat Classic. In all, 43 of Palmer’s 62 PGA Tour wins came in the 1960s, including six of his seven majors (the 1958 Masters being the exception).
His Masters victories, the incredible drive to the green that defined his 1960 U.S. Open win at Cherry Hills—regarded as one of the best come-from-behind victories in sports history—both of his British Opens… No PGA tour pro won more than Palmer in the 1960s and his style, both on and off course, defined Palmer for life and is credited with helping to change sports forever. Fittingly, the Associated Press named him “Athlete of the Decade.”
