Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc.

100px Monochrome Sony Pictures logo
Type	Subsidiary of Sony[1]
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	1987 as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.,[2] renamed Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. on August 7, 1991
Headquarters	10202 West Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, United States
Key people	Michael Lynton (Chairman and CEO) Amy Pascal (Co-Chairman) Jeff Blake (Vice Chairman)
Products	Motion pictures Television Production Television Syndication Online games Mobile Entertainment Video on demand Digital distribution
Revenue	US$ 7.3 billion (FY2010)[3]
Operating income	US$ 300 million (FY2010)[3]
Parent	Sony Corporation
Website	http://www.sonypictures.com

Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (SPE) is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony. Its group sales in 2010 has been reported to be of $7.2 billion.^[3][4]

Sony Pictures Entertainment is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).^[5]

History[link]

On September 28, 1989, Sony Corporation obtained an option to purchase all of The Coca-Cola Company's stake (49%) in Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (CPE; Columbia Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures, etc.) for $27 per share. The next day, Sony also announced that it reached an agreement with Guber-Peters Entertainment Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: GPEC; formerly Barris Industries, Inc.) to acquire the company for $200 million when Sony hired Peter Guber and Jon Peters to head CPE. It was all led by Norio Ohga, who was the president and CEO of Sony during that time. On October 31, 1989, Sony completed a friendly takeover bid for the rest of shares (51%) of CPE, which was a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: KPE), and acquired 99.3% of the common stocks of the company. On November 8, 1989, Sony completed the acquisition by a "short-form" merger of its wholly owned subsidiary Sony Columbia Acquisition Corporation into CPE under Delaware law. Sony also completed a tender offer for shares of common stock of the GPEC on November 6, 1989 and acquired the company on November 9, 1989. The acquisition cost Sony $4.9 billion ($3.55 billion for shares and $1.4 billion of long-term debt) and was backed (financed) by 5 major Japanese banks Mitsui, Tokyo, Fuji, Mitsubishi and Industrial Bank of Japan.^[6][7][8] The company was renamed Sony Pictures Entertainment on August 7, 1991.^[9]

Sony has since created numerous other film production and distribution units, such as creating Sony Pictures Classics for art-house fare, by forming Columbia TriStar Pictures (also known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group) by merging Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures in 1998, revitalizing Columbia's former television division Screen Gems, and expanded its growth on April 8, 2005, when a consortium led by Sony and its equity partners acquired the legendary Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in a deal worth nearly US$5 billion.^[10]

On June 4, 2008, SPE's wholly owned group 2JS Productions B.V. acquired Dutch production company 2waytraffic N.V., famous for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and You Are What You Eat for £114.3 million ($223.2 million in US dollars).

On June 3, 2011, SonyPictures.com was hacked, resulting in over a million passwords and e-mail addresses being stolen.^[11][12]

Sony Pictures franchises[link]

This is a list of franchises by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

• I Dream of Jeannie: Based on the television series by Screen Gems with the cartoon series Jeannie in 1973.
• Bewitched: Based on the television series by Screen Gems with a cartoon special Tabitha and Adam and the Clown Family in 1972, a spin-off series Tabitha in 1978, and a movie sequel in 2005.
• The Karate Kid: Five films; one in 1984, 1986, 1989, 1994, and the 2010 remake including the television series The Karate Kid: The Animated Series.
• Spider-Man: Beginning with the 2002 film with two sequels in 2004 and 2007 and a upcoming reboot of the franchise in 2012 including two produced series Spider-Man: The New Animated Series and The Spectacular Spider-Man in conjunction with Marvel Entertainment.
• Stuart Little: Beginning with the 1999 film with two sequels in 2002 and 2006 and one television series Stuart Little: The Animated Series. Based on the novel by E. B. White.
• Wheel of Fortune: Created by Merv Griffin in 1975 and syndicated in September 1983 by King World (now CBS Television Distribution). Including spin-off Wheel 2000. Acquired in 1986 after acquiring Merv Griffin Enterprises.
• Jeopardy!: Created by Merv Griffin in 1964. Including spin-offs (Super Jeopardy!, Rock & Roll Jeopardy!, and Jep!). First piloted in September 1983 with a second pilot on January 1, 1984, until officially premiered in September 1984 all syndicated by King World (now CBS Television Distribution). Acquired in 1986 after acquiring Merv Griffin Enterprises.
• Men in Black: Starting with the 1997 film with a 2002 sequel, and a 2012. Including the cartoon Men in Black: The Series. Based on the Malibu comic created by Lowell Cunningham.
• Ghostbusters: Began with the successful 1984 blockbuster, followed by a 1989 sequel, three animated series: one in 1986, 1988, and 1997, many products including a recent video game released in 2009, and an upcoming third film TBA.
• The Partridge Family: The hit 1970s sitcom including the cartoon series Partridge Family 2200 A.D., the 1999 television movie Come On Get Happy: The Partridge Family Story, and the ultra short-lived series In Search of the Partridge Family in 2004.
• Open Season: Beginning with the 2006 film, with two direct-to-video sequels in 2009 and 2011.
• Underworld: Beginning with 2003 film, with three sequels in 2006, 2009, and 2012, produced by Lakeshore Entertainment.

Corporate structure[link]

Headquartered in Culver City, California, USA, SPE comprises various studios and entertainment brands, including Columbia Pictures and GSN.

Senior management team[link]

• Michael Lynton
  • Chairman & CEO, Sony Pictures Entertainment
• Amy Pascal
  • Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment
  • Chairman, Motion Picture Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment
• Jeff Blake
  • Vice Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment

List of holdings[link]

Sony Pictures Plaza in Culver City, California

Motion Pictures and Home Entertainment[link]

• Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group With a library of more than 4,000 films (including 12 Academy Award for Best Picture winners), as of 2004 this unit of Sony distributes about 22 films a year under its various studio brands in 67 countries.^[4] The group owns studio facilities in the United States, Hong Kong, Madrid, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Japan. In addition to the below company-owned brands, Columbia TriStar also has a contract to distribute films for independent Revolution Studios and select films by MGM and United Artists.
  • Columbia Pictures: Founded in 1924 by Harry Cohn, Sony acquired the studio in 1989 from The Coca-Cola Company for $3.4 billion.^[6][7]
  • TriStar Pictures Formed in 1982 as a joint venture between Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS. Became part Columbia Pictures Entertainment in December 1987 and the Sony ownership in 1989. Was relaunched in 2004 as a marketing and acquisitions unit with a particular emphasis on genre films.
  • Sony Pictures India, production house established by Sony to release Indian movies and distribute Hollywood movies, released under Columbia Pictures.
  • Sony Pictures Classics (SPC): Specializes in acquiring distribution rights to independent and art films as well as producing lower-budget productions geared to limited audiences.^[4]
  • Sony Pictures Releasing
  • Sony Pictures Releasing International
    • Monumental Pictures: A Russian motion picture studio formed on February 2, 2006 as a joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Russia-based Patton Media Group producing and releasing Russian language films in Russia, the CIS, and Mongolia.
  • Screen Gems: Originally Columbia's animation division and later a television production company best known for TV's Bewitched and The Partridge Family, as well as bringing The Three Stooges short subjects to TV in 1958. Sony revived the Screen Gems brand to develop mid-priced movies (production budget of between $20 million and $50 million) in specific genres such as science fiction, horror, black cinema and franchise films.
  • Triumph Films: The label Sony uses for its low-budget films. Originally a joint venture between Columbia Pictures and Gaumont in 1982.
  • FEARnet A joint venture between SPE, Lions Gate Entertainment, and Comcast for horror, suspense, and thriller movies online.
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: Manufactures and distributes the Sony film library on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, video cassette, and UMD forms to global markets.
  • Sony Wonder: The former kids and family label of Sony Music Entertainment that was moved to SPHE on June 21, 2007.
• Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (SPWA): A Sony division which acquires and produces about 60 films per year for a wide variety of distribution platforms, especially for non-theatrical markets. It is also known as Worldwide SPE Acquisitions, Inc.
  • Destination Films: A "niche" motion picture company purchased by Sony in 2001.
  • Stage 6 Films: A direct to video label created in 2007.
  • Affirm Films: A motion picture label launched in 2008 to release gospel and Christian films.

Television Production and Distribution[link]

• Sony Pictures Television Group: (formerly Columbia TriStar Television Group) The successor-in-interest to Columbia's television division (first Screen Gems, later Columbia Pictures Television, Coca-Cola Television, TriStar Television (A division of Columbia Pictures Television), and Columbia TriStar Television), as of 2004 the unit was producing 60 titles for various television outlets globally. Contains a library that includes more than 35,000 episodes of more than 270 television series and 22,000 game show episodes under the Columbia TriStar Television brand, and the television rights to the Embassy Pictures library (including The Graduate and The Lion in Winter) and also the owner of the television division "Embassy Television"--among most recent notable shows in this library are Seinfeld, King of Queens, Days of our Lives and The Young and the Restless.
  • Adelaide Productions
  • Barris Industries: Formed in 1965 by Chuck Barris as Chuck Barris Productions. Renamed to Barris Industries in 1984. Merged with the Guber-Peters Company in 1988 and renamed as Guber-Peters Entertainment Company in 1989.
  • Barry & Enright Productions (post-scandal), including Jack Barry Productions: Formed in 1947 by Jack Barry and Dan Enright, shut down in 1959, and reformed in 1975. Later renamed Stafford-Enright Productions in 1991.
  • Crackle (formerly known as Grouper Networks): Crackle is a digital platform of Sony Pictures. It hosts videos on YouTube, Hulu, Dailymotion, and its own site, etc.
  • Culver Entertainment
  • ELP Communications (ELPC) and Tandem Licensing Corporation (TLC): The two in-name only units of Sony Pictures Television own the productions' copyrights presented by Norman Lear's companies: Tandem Productions and ELP Communications (series from T.A.T. to ELP Communications). The companies were formed by Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear in 1958 as Tandem Productions. Yorkin ended his partnership with Lear in 1975, but remained with Tandem. Lear and his partner Jerry Perenchio sold Tandem/Embassy Television to The Coca-Cola Company in 1985 and later became Embassy Communications in 1986 (later became ELP Communications in 1988). ELPC and TLC are part of Sony Pictures Entertainment since 1991.
  • Embassy Row: A television and digital production company by Michael Davies known for producing Power of 10, the 2005 version of Chain Reaction, and the current incarnation of The Newlywed Game for GSN. SPT acquired the company on January 14, 2009.
  • Four D Productions: Independent production house founded by Danny Arnold in 1974. Acquired by The Coca-Cola Company in 1986.^[13]
  • GSN: (joint venture with DirecTV)
  • Lean-M Producers Center: A Russian production company founded in 2000 by Timur Weinstein, Vyacheslav Murugov and Oleg Osipov. In 2007, SPTI acquired a majority stake in Lean-M, with an additional 16% on April 13, 2009 ^[14] and the remainder in 2010.
  • Merv Griffin Enterprises: Founded in 1964 by Merv Griffin as Merv Griffin Productions. He sold his company to The Coca-Cola Company in 1986 as Merv Griffin Enterprises and was a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures Entertainment from 1988 to 1991 and Sony Pictures Entertainment from 1991 to 1994.
  • The Minisode Network
  • Sony Movie Channel
  • Stewart Tele Enterprises: Formed in 1964 by Bob Stewart
• Sony Pictures Television International: Formed in 1995 as the worldwide television distribution arm for Sony Pictures Entertainment. Formerly known as Columbia TriStar International Television from 1995 to 2002.
  • Tuvalu Media: A Dutch production company based in Holland, Netherlands. SPT acquired a majority stake in the company in March 2010.
  • 2waytraffic: Acquired by Sony in 2008, this television production company owns a number of formats, most notably including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?.
  • SPE Networks
    • Sony Aath
    • Sony Entertainment Television
    • Animax: Instituted in Japan by Sony in 1998, Animax is the world's largest anime television network,^[15] with respective networks operating across Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, South America and other regions.^[16] However, Animax was cut off from Vietnam cable network in 2010 without any reason
    • AXN: Formed in 1997, AXN is Sony's entertainment television network, which airs across Japan, Asia, Latin America and Europe.

Other Sony Pictures operations[link]

• Sony Pictures Music Group
• Sony Pictures Family Entertainment Group
• Sony Pictures Consumer Products
• Sony Pictures Digital Productions Inc.^[4][17]
  • Sony Pictures Imageworks
  • Sony Pictures Animation
  • Sony Station
  • Sony Pictures Network
  • Sony Pictures Mobile
  • Sony Pictures Digital Networks
    • SPiN
    • SoapCity
    • Screenblast
    • Advanced Platform Group APG
  • Sony Pictures Europe

• • • Offices located at 25 Golden Square, London, United Kingdom

Entrance to SPE main lot in Culver City

• Sony Pictures Cable Ventures, Inc.
• Sony Pictures Studios: The actual physical buildings, land and movie-making equipment properties in Culver City, California. Includes 22 sound stages, ranging in size from 7,600 to 43,000 square feet (700 to 4,000 m²)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) (SPEJ): The company plans, produces, manufactures, sells, imports, exports, leases, broadcasts and distributes movies, TV programs, videos and audio-visual software in Japan. The company web site says it was established on February 10, 1984,^[18] predating Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures Entertainment by 5 years. SPEJ was formed in 1991 through the merger of Columbia Tristar Japan, RCA Columbia Pictures Video Japan, and Japan International Enterprises.^[19] Based in Tokyo, Japan.
• Sony Pictures Loot: A newly formed group of developers that creates experiences and products for PlayStation Home. Their products include premium personal spaces and decorative ornaments and clothes/costumes for the users personal spaces and avatars. The premium personal spaces have equipment that allows users, if hooked up to a video capture system, make their own machinimas in Home.^[20]
• Sony Pictures Studios Post Production Facilities
• Worldwide Product Fulfillment
• Sony Pictures Technologies
  • Digital Authoring Center provides educational seminars for film-makers preparing stereoscopic productions. Also known as Sony Pictures Digital Authoring Center.
  • Colorworks, established in 2009, provides digital image production services such as digital restoration, digital intermediates, scanning and film recording, digital dailies and asset management

Notes and references[link]

External links[link]

• Official website (English)
• SonyPictures.net (Sony Pictures Global Gateway)
• Sony Pictures Entertainment Museum
• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) at the Internet Movie Database

v t e Sony Corporation Primary businesses Sony Corporation (electronics & holding of the Sony group) · Sony Music Entertainment (music) · Sony Pictures Entertainment (motion pictures and television) · Sony Computer Entertainment (video games) · Sony Financial Holdings (financial services; 60%) · Sony Digital Audio Disc Corporation Technologies and brands α · Betacam · Blu-ray · BRAVIA · CD · Cyber-shot · Dash · Dream Machine · DVD · Handycam · HDCAM/HDCAM-SR · LocationFree · Memory Stick · MiniDisc · MiniDV · mylo · Reader · S/PDIF · SDDS · SXRD · Sony Tablet · UMD · VAIO · Video8/Hi8/Digital8 · Walkman · Walkman Phones · XDCAM · Xplōd · HMZ-T1 Historical products AIBO · CV-2000 · DAT · Betamax · Sony CLIÉ · Discman · JumboTron · Lissa · Mavica · NEWS · Qualia · Rolly · TR-55 · Trinitron · U-matic · Watchman · WEGA Electronics Sony EMCS · Sony Electronics (subsidiary in the US) · Sony Creative Software · Sony Mobile Communications  · S-LCD (50% minus 1 share) · Sony Mobile Display · Sony Optiarc · Sharp Display Products (7%) · Aiwa (former) Sony Music Entertainment Sony/ATV Music Publishing (50%) · Columbia Records · Epic Records · RCA Records · Sony Music Nashville (Arista Nashville, BNA Records, Columbia Nashville, RCA Records Nashville) · Provident Label Group · Verity Gospel Music Group · Sony Music Latin · Sony Masterworks  · Legacy Recordings  · RED Distribution  · IODA  · Syco Music  · Syco TV  · Syco Film  · Sony Music Australia · Sony Music Japan  · Gracenote · Aniplex · A-1 Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group (Columbia Pictures · Sony Pictures Classics · Screen Gems · TriStar Pictures · Triumph Films) · Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (Destination Films · Stage 6 Films · Affirm Films) · Sony Pictures Television Group (Adelaide Productions · Culver Entertainment · Embassy Row · 2waytraffic · Lean-M  · Gogglebox Entertainment · Victory Television · Silver River Productions · Starling · Huaso · Floresta · Teleset) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment · Sony Wonder · Sony Pictures Family Entertainment Group · Sony Pictures Digital (Sony Pictures Imageworks · Sony Pictures Animation · Sony Pictures Mobile) · Sony Pictures Studios · Sony Pictures Consumer Marketing (Sony Pictures Consumer Products · Sony Pictures Loot) U.S. networks Sony Movie Channel · GSN (40%), joint venture with DirecTV · FEARnet HD (joint venture with Comcast and Lionsgate) · 3net (joint venture with Discovery Communications and IMAX) International networks Sony Entertainment Television (Asia, South East Asia, India, Latin America, South Africa, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Baltic and United Kingdom) · AXN · AXN HD · AXN HD+1 · AXN Asia · AXN India · AXN Pakistan · AXN White · AXN Crime · AXN Black · AXN Mystery · AXN Sci Fi · AXN Spin · Sony Aath · Multi Screen Media · Animax · Animax Asia · Animax India · Animax Pakistan · Animax Korea · Animax Eastern Europe · BeTV · Sony Spin · SET One · SET Max · Sony SIX · Sony MIX · SET PIX · SAB TV · Men&Movies · Movies4Men Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Online Entertainment · PlayStation · PSP · PlayStation Vita · Cellius (49%) · Square Enix (8.25%) · Sony Imagesoft (defunct) Online distribution platforms Sony Entertainment Network (Music Unlimited · Video Unlimited · PlayStation Network) · FEARnet · The Minisode Network · Crackle Financial services Sony Financial Holdings · Sony Life Insurance · Sony Assurance · Sony Bank · Sony Bank Securities Other businesses So-net Entertainment · Sony Broadcast & Professional Research Laboratories · Sony Sendai Other assets Sony Corporation of America (umbrella company in the US) · Other subsidiaries Joint ventures Sony/ATV · FeliCa Networks · Vevo · Cellius (49%) · Sharp Display Products (7.04%) Key personnel Kazuo Hirai · Masaru Ibuka · Nobuyuki Idei · Yasuo Kuroki · Ken Kutaragi · Michael Lynton · Akio Morita · Norio Ohga · Amy Pascal · Howard Stringer  · Nicole Seligman Category ·  Commons ·  Wikinews

Arnold Palmer
Palmer in 1953
Personal information
Full name	Arnold Daniel Palmer
Nickname	The King
Born	(1929-09-10) September 10, 1929 (age 82) Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight	185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
Nationality	United States
Residence	Latrobe, Pennsylvania Orlando, Florida
Spouse	Winifred Walzer (m. 1954-1999) Kathleen Gawthrop (m. 2005)
Career
College	Wake Forest University
Turned professional	1954
Former tour(s)	PGA Tour Champions Tour
Professional wins	95
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	62 (5th all time)
European Tour	2
PGA Tour of Australasia	2
Champions Tour	10
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 7)
Masters Tournament	Won: 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964
U.S. Open	Won: 1960
The Open Championship	Won: 1961, 1962
PGA Championship	T2: 1964, 1968, 1970
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1974 (member page)
PGA Tour leading money winner	1958, 1960, 1962, 1963
PGA Player of the Year	1960, 1962
Vardon Trophy	1961, 1962, 1964, 1967
Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year	1960
Bob Jones Award	1971
Old Tom Morris Award	1983
PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award	1998
Payne Stewart Award	2000
Presidential Medal of Freedom	2004
Congressional Gold Medal	2009

Another photo of Palmer in the United States Coast Guard

Arnold Daniel Palmer (born September 10, 1929) is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955. Nicknamed "The King," he is one of golf's most popular stars and its most important trailblazer, because he was the first superstar of the sport's television age, which began in the 1950s. He is part of "The Big Three" in golf, along with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, who are widely credited with popularizing and commercialising the sport around the world.

Palmer won the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, and in 1974 was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Career outline[link]

Early life[link]

Palmer was born in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He learned golf from his father, Deacon Palmer, who was head professional and greenskeeper at Latrobe Country Club, allowing young Arnold to accompany his father as he maintained the course.^[1] He attended Wake Forest University, on a golf scholarship. He left upon the death of close friend Bud Worsham and enlisted in the United States Coast Guard, where he served for three years and had some time to continue to hone his golf skills. Palmer returned to college and competitive golf. His win in the 1954 U.S. Amateur made him decide to try the pro tour for a while, and he and new bride Winifred Walzer (whom he had met at a Pennsylvania tournament) traveled the circuit for 1955.

Rise to superstardom[link]

Palmer won the 1955 Canadian Open in his rookie season, and raised his game status for the next several seasons. Palmer's charisma was a major factor in establishing golf as a compelling television event in the 1950s and 1960s, setting the stage for the popularity it enjoys today. His first major championship win at the 1958 Masters Tournament cemented his position as one of the leading stars in golf, and by 1960 he had signed up as pioneering sports agent Mark McCormack's first client. In later interviews, McCormack listed five attributes that made Palmer especially marketable: his good looks; his relatively modest background (his father was a greenskeeper before rising to be club professional and Latrobe was a humble club); the way he played golf, taking risks and wearing his emotions on his sleeve; his involvement in a string of exciting finishes in early televised tournaments; and his affability.^[2]

Palmer is also credited by many for securing the status of The Open Championship (British Open) among U.S. players. After Ben Hogan won that championship in 1953, few American professionals had travelled to play in The Open, due to its travel requirements, relatively small prize purses, and the style of its links courses (radically different from most American courses). Palmer was convinced by his business partner Mark McCormack that success in the Open -– to emulate the feats of Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Sam Snead and Hogan before him –- would truly make him a global sporting star, not simply a leading American golfer. In particular, Palmer travelled to Scotland in 1960, having already won both the Masters and U.S. Open, to try to emulate Hogan's feat of 1953, of winning all three in a single year. He failed, losing out to Kel Nagle by a single shot, but his subsequent Open wins in the early 1960s convinced many American pros that a trip to Britain would be worth the effort, and certainly secured Palmer's popularity among British and European fans, not just American ones.

Palmer won seven major championships:

• The Masters: 1958, 1960, 1962, 1964
• U.S. Open: 1960
• The Open Championship: 1961, 1962

Palmer's most prolific years were 1960–1963, when he won 29 PGA Tour events, including five major tournament victories, in four seasons. In 1960, he won the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. He built up a wide fan base, often referred to as "Arnie's Army", and in 1967 he became the first man to reach one million dollars in career earnings on the PGA Tour. By the late 1960s Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player had both acquired clear ascendancy in their rivalry, but Palmer won a PGA Tour event every year from 1955 to 1971 inclusive, and in 1971 he enjoyed a revival, winning four events.

Palmer won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average four times: 1961, 1962, 1964, and 1967. He played on six Ryder Cup teams: 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1971, and 1973. He was the last playing captain in 1963, and captained the team again in 1975.

Palmer was eligible for the Senior PGA Tour (now the Champions Tour) from its first season in 1980, and he was one of the marquee names who helped it to become successful. He won ten events on the tour, including five senior majors.

Palmer won the first World Match Play Championship in England, an event which was originally organized by McCormack to showcase his stable of players. Their partnership was one of the most significant in the history of sports marketing. Long after he ceased to win tournaments, Palmer remained one of the highest earners in golf due to his appeal to sponsors and the public.

Palmer gives President Bush golf tips before being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

In 2004, he competed in The Masters for the last time, marking his 50th consecutive appearance in that event. After missing the cut at the 2005 U.S. Senior Open by 21 shots, he announced that he would not enter any more senior majors. Since 2007, Palmer has served as the honorary starter for the Masters.^[3] He retired from tournament golf on October 13, 2006, when he withdrew from the Champions Tours' Administaff Small Business Classic after four holes due to dissatisfaction with his own play. He played the remaining holes but did not keep score.^[4] Palmer's legacy was reaffirmed by an electrifying moment during the 2004 Bay Hill Invitational. Standing over 200 yards from the water-guarded 18th green, Palmer, who is known for his aggressive play, lashed his second shot onto the green with a driver. The shot thrilled his loyal gallery and energized the excitable Palmer. He turned to his grandson and caddie, Sam Saunders, and gave him a prolonged shimmy and playful jeering in celebration of the moment.

Golf businesses[link]

Palmer has had a diverse golf-related business career, including owning the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, which is the venue for the PGA Tour's Arnold Palmer Invitational (renamed from the Bay Hill Invitational in 2007), helping to found The Golf Channel,^[5] and negotiating the deal to build the first golf course in the People's Republic of China. This led to the formation of Palmer Course Design in 1972, which was renamed Arnold Palmer Design Company when the company moved to Orlando Florida in 2006. Palmer's design partner was Ed Seay. The Palmer-Seay team has designed over 200 courses around the world. Since 1971 he has owned Latrobe Country Club, where his father used to be the club professional. The licensing, endorsements, spokesman associations and commercial partnerships built by Palmer and McCormack are managed by Arnold Palmer Enterprises.

One of Arnold Palmer's most recent products is a branded use of the beverage which combines sweet iced tea with lemonade. ^[6]

Legacy[link]

In 2000, Palmer was ranked the sixth greatest player of all time in Golf Digest magazine's rankings.^[7]

According to Golf Digest, Palmer made $1,861,857 in 734 PGA Tour career starts over 53 years; he earned an estimated $30 million off the course in 2008.^[8]

Palmer was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009.^[9] He was the first golfer to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the second golfer, after Byron Nelson, to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

In addition to Palmer's impressive list of awards, he has been bestowed the honor of kicking off the Masters Tournament since 2007. From 2007 to 2009, Palmer was the sole honorary starter. In 2010, longtime friend and competitor Jack Nicklaus was appointed by Augusta National to join Palmer.^[10] In 2012, golf's The Big Three reunited as South African golfer Gary Player joined for the ceremonial tee shots as honorary starters for the 76th playing of the Masters Tournament.^[11]

Personal[link]

Palmer now resides near his golf course, Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Country Club and Lodge, in Orlando, Florida which was originally designed by Dick Wilson.

Palmer's grandson, Sam Saunders, is a professional golfer. Saunders grew up playing at Bay Hill, and won the Club Championship there at age 15. He attended Clemson University on a golf scholarship and turned pro in 2008. Saunders stated that Palmer's family nickname is "Dumpy".^[12]

An avid pilot for over 50 years, Palmer thought he would pilot a plane for the last time on January 31, 2011. He flew from Palm Springs, California to Orlando, Florida in his Cessna Citation X.^[13] His pilot's medical certificate expired that day and he chose not to renew it. However, public FAA records show he was issued a new third class medical in May 2011.

Amateur wins (26)[link]

• 1946 WPIAL Championship, PIAA Championship
• 1947 WPIAL Championship, PIAA Championship, Western Pennsylvania Junior, Western Pennsylvania Amateur
• 1948 Southern Conference Championship, Sunnehanna Invitational, Western Pennsylvania Junior
• 1950 Southern Intercollegiate, Western Pennsylvania Amateur, Greensburg Invitational
• 1951 Western Pennsylvania Amateur, Worsharn Memorial
• 1952 Western Pennsylvania Amateur, Greensburg Invitational
• 1953 Ohio Amateur, Cleveland Amateur, Greensburg Invitational, Mayfield Heights Open, Evergreen Pitch and Putt Invitational
• 1954 U.S. Amateur, Ohio Amateur, All-American Amateur, Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, Bill Waite Memorial

Amateur major wins (1)[link]

Year	Championship	Winning Score	Runner-up
1954	U.S. Amateur	1 up	Robert Sweeny Jr.

Results timeline[link]

DNP = Did not play
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

Source:^[14]

Professional wins (95)[link]

PGA Tour wins (62)[link]

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner(s)-up
1	Aug 20, 1955	Canadian Open	-23 (64–67–64–70=265)	4 strokes	Jack Burke, Jr.
2	Jul 1, 1956	Insurance City Open	-10 (66–69–68–71=274)	Playoff	Ted Kroll
3	Jul 29, 1956	Eastern Open	-11 (70–66–69–72=277)	2 strokes	Dow Finsterwald
4	Feb 25, 1957	Houston Open	-9 (67–72–71–69=279)	1 stroke	Doug Ford
5	Mar 31, 1957	Azalea Open Invitational	-6 (70–67–70–75=282)	1 stroke	Dow Finsterwald
6	Jun 9, 1957	Rubber City Open Invitational	-12 (71–66–67–68=272)	Playoff	Doug Ford
7	Oct 30, 1957	San Diego Open Invitational	-17 (65–68–68–70=271)	1 stroke	Al Balding
8	Oct 20, 1958	St. Petersburg Open Invitational	-12 (70–69–72–65=276)	1 stroke	Al Balding, Dow Finsterwald
9	Apr 6, 1958	Masters Tournament	-4 (70–73–68–73=284)	1 stroke	Doug Ford, Fred Hawkins
10	Jun 29, 1958	Pepsi Championship	-11 (66–69–67–71=273)	5 strokes	Jay Hebert
11	Jan 25, 1959	Thunderbird Invitational	-18 (67–70–67–62=266)	Playoff	Jimmy Demaret, Ken Venturi
12	May 11, 1959	Oklahoma City Open Invitational	-15 (73–64–67–69=273)	2 strokes	Bob Goalby
13	Nov 29, 1959	West Palm Beach Open Invitational	-7 (72–67–66–76=281)	Playoff	Gay Brewer, Pete Cooper
14	Feb 7, 1960	Palm Springs Desert Golf Classic	-22 (67–73–67–66–65=338)	3 strokes	Fred Hawkins
15	Feb 28, 1960	Texas Open Invitational	-12 (69–65–67–75=276)	2 strokes	Doug Ford, Frank Stranahan
16	Mar 6, 1960	Baton Rouge Open Invitational	-9 (71–71–69–68=279)	7 strokes	Jay Hebert, Ron Reif, Doug Sanders
17	Mar 13, 1960	Pensacola Open Invitational	-15 (68–65–73–67=273)	1 stroke	Doug Sanders
18	Apr 10, 1960	Masters Tournament	-6 (67–73–72–70=282)	1 stroke	Ken Venturi
19	Jun 18, 1960	U.S. Open	-4 (72–71–72–65=280)	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
20	Aug 7, 1960	Insurance City Open Invitational	-14 (70–68–66–66=270)	Playoff	Bill Collins, Jack Fleck
21	Nov 27, 1960	Mobile Sertoma Open Invitational	-14 (68–67–74–65=274)	2 strokes	Johnny Pott
22	Jan 15, 1961	San Diego Open Invitational	-17 (69–68–69–65=271)	Playoff	Al Balding
23	Feb 12, 1961	Phoenix Open Invitational	-14 (69–65–66–70=270)	Playoff	Doug Sanders
24	Feb 26, 1961	Baton Rouge Open Invitational	-22 (65–67–68–66=266)	7 strokes	Wes Ellis
25	Apr 30, 1961	Texas Open Invitational	-10 (67–63–72–68=270)	1 stroke	Al Balding
26	Jun 25, 1961	Western Open	-13 (65–70–67–69=271)	2 strokes	Sam Snead
27	Jul 14, 1961	The Open Championship	-4 (70–73–69–72=284)	1 stroke	Dai Rees
28	Feb 4, 1962	Palm Springs Golf Classic	-18 (69–67–66–71–69=342)	3 strokes	Jay Hebert, Gene Littler
29	Feb 11, 1962	Phoenix Open Invitational	-15 (64–68–71–66=269)	12 strokes	Billy Casper, Don Fairfield, Bob McCallister
30	Apr 9, 1962	Masters Tournament	-8 (70–66–69–75–68=280)	Playoff	Dow Finsterwald, Gary Player
31	Apr 29, 1962	Texas Open Invitational	-1 (72–70–72–69=273)	1 stroke	Joe Campbell, Gene Littler, Mason Rudolph, Doug Sanders
32	May 6, 1962	Tournament of Champions	-12 (69–70–69–68=276)	1 stroke	Billy Casper
33	May 13, 1962	Colonial National Invitation	+1 (67–72–66–76=281)	Playoff	Johnny Pott
34	Jul 13, 1962	The Open Championship	-12 (71–69–67–69=276)	6 strokes	Kel Nagle
35	Aug 12, 1962	American Golf Classic	-4 (67–69–70–70=276)	5 strokes	Mason Rudolph
36	Jan 7, 1963	Los Angeles Open	-10 (69–69–70–66=274)	3 strokes	Al Balding, Gary Player
37	Feb 12, 1963	Phoenix Open Invitational	-11 (68–67–68–70=273)	1 stroke	Gary Player
38	Mar 10, 1963	Pensacola Open Invitational	-15 (69–68–69–67=273)	2 strokes	Harold Kneece, Gary Player
39	Jun 16, 1963	Thunderbird Classic Invitational	-11 (67–70–68–72=277)	Playoff	Paul Harney
40	Jul 1, 1963	Cleveland Open Invitational	-9 (68–73–65–73=279)	Playoff	Tommy Aaron, Tony Lema
41	Jul 29, 1963	Western Open	-11 (71–68–66–68=273)	Playoff	Julius Boros, Jack Nicklaus
42	Oct 6, 1963	Whitemarsh Open Invitational	-7 (70–71–66–74=281)	1 stroke	Lionel Hebert
43	Apr 12, 1964	Masters Tournament	-12 (69–68–69–70=276)	6 strokes	Dave Marr, Jack Nicklaus
44	May 18, 1964	Oklahoma City Open Invitational	-11 (72–69–69–67=277)	2 strokes	Lionel Hebert
45	Apr 25, 1965	Tournament of Champions	-11 (66–69–71–71=277)	3 strokes	Chi Chi Rodriguez
46	Jan 31, 1966	Los Angeles Open	-11 (72–66–62–73=273)	3 strokes	Miller Barber, Paul Harney
47	Apr 18, 1966	Tournament of Champions	-5 (74–70–70–69=283)	Playoff	Gay Brewer
48	Nov 20, 1966	Houston Champions International	-9 (70–68–68–69=275)	1 stroke	Gardner Dickinson
49	Jan 29, 1967	Los Angeles Open	-2 (70–64–67–68=269)	5 strokes	Gay Brewer
50	Feb 19, 1967	Tucson Open Invitational	-15 (66–67–67–73=273)	1 stroke	Chuck Courtney
51	Aug 13, 1967	American Golf Classic	-4 (70–67–72–67=276)	3 stroke	Doug Sanders
52	Sep 24, 1967	Thunderbird Classic	-5 (71–71–72–69=283)	1 stroke	Charles Coody, Jack Nicklaus, Art Wall, Jr.
53	Feb 14, 1968	Bob Hope Desert Classic	-12 (72–70–67–71–68=348)	Playoff	Deane Beman
54	Sep 15, 1968	Kemper Open	-12 (69–70–70–67=276)	4 strokes	Bruce Crampton, Art Wall, Jr.
55	Nov 30, 1969	Heritage Golf Classic	-1 (68–71–70–74=283)	3 strokes	Dick Crawford, Bert Yancey
56	Dec 7, 1969	Danny Thomas-Diplomat Classic	-18 (68-67-70-65-270)	2 strokes	Gay Brewer
57	Jul 26, 1970	National Four-Ball Championship PGA Players (with Jack Nicklaus)	-25 (61–67–64–67=259)	3 strokes	Bruce Crampton & Orville Moody, Gardner Dickinson & Sam Snead, George Archer & Bobby Nichols
58	Feb 14, 1971	Bob Hope Desert Classic	-18 (67–71–66–68–70=342)	Playoff	Raymond Floyd
59	Mar 14, 1971	Florida Citrus Invitational	-18 (66–68–68–68=270)	1 stroke	Julius Boros
60	Jul 25, 1971	Westchester Classic	-18 (64–70–68–68=270)	5 strokes	Gibby Gilbert, Hale Irwin
61	Aug 1, 1971	National Team Championship (with Jack Nicklaus)	-27 (62–64–65–66=257)	6 strokes	Julius Boros & Bill Collins, Bob Charles & Bruce Devlin
62	Feb 11, 1973	Bob Hope Desert Classic	-17 (71–66–69–68–69=343)	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller

Source:^[15]

Other wins (18)[link]

• 1955 Colombian Open
• 1956 Panama Open
• 1958 Long Island Open
• 1960 Canada Cup (with Sam Snead)
• 1962 Canada Cup (with Sam Snead)
• 1963 Australian Wills Masters Tournament, Canada Cup (with Jack Nicklaus)
• 1964 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship (England, but not a European Tour event at that time), Canada Cup (with Jack Nicklaus)
• 1966 Australian Open, Canada Cup (with Jack Nicklaus), PGA Team Championship (with Jack Nicklaus)
• 1967 Piccadilly World Match Play Championship (England, but not a European Tour event at that time), World Cup (with Jack Nicklaus)
• 1971 Lancome Trophy (France, but not a European Tour event at that time)
• 1975 Spanish Open (European Tour), Penfold PGA Championship (European Tour)
• 1980 Canadian PGA Championship

Senior PGA Tour wins (10)[link]

• 1980 (1) PGA Seniors' Championship
• 1981 (1) U.S. Senior Open
• 1982 (2) Marlboro Classic, Denver Post Champions of Golf
• 1983 (1) Boca Grove Seniors Classic
• 1984 (3) General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship, Senior Tournament Players Championship, Quadel Seniors Classic
• 1985 (1) Senior Tournament Players Championship
• 1988 (1) Crestar Classic

Senior majors are shown in bold.

Other senior wins (5)[link]

• 1984 Doug Sanders Celebrity Pro-Am
• 1986 Union Mutual Classic
• 1990 Senior Skins Game
• 1992 Senior Skins Game
• 1993 Senior Skins Game

Major championships[link]

Wins (7)[link]

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1958	Masters Tournament	Tied for lead	−4 (70–73–68–73=284)	1 stroke	Doug Ford, Fred Hawkins
1960	Masters Tournament (2)	1 shot lead	−6 (67–73–72–70=282)	1 stroke	Ken Venturi
1960	U.S. Open	7 shot deficit	−4 (72–71–72–65=280)	2 strokes	Jack Nicklaus
1961	The Open Championship	1 shot lead	−8 (70–73–69–72=284)	1 stroke	Dai Rees
1962	Masters Tournament (3)	2 shot lead	−8 (70–66–69–75=280)	Playoff 1	Gary Player, Dow Finsterwald
1962	The Open Championship (2)	5 shot lead	−12 (71–69–67–69=276)	6 strokes	Kel Nagle
1964	Masters Tournament (4)	5 shot lead	−12 (69–68–69–70=276)	6 strokes	Dave Marr, Jack Nicklaus

¹ Defeated Gary Player & Dow Finsterwald in 18-hole playoff – Palmer (68), Player (71), Finsterwald (77)

Results timeline[link]

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary of performances[link]

• Starts – 142
• Wins – 7
• 2nd place finishes – 10
• Top 3 finishes – 19
• Top 5 finishes – 26
• Top 10 finishes – 38
• Longest streak of top-10s in majors – 6

Champions Tour major championships[link]

Wins (5)[link]

Year	Championship	Winning Score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1980	PGA Seniors' Championship	+1 (72-69-73-75=289)	Playoff1	Paul Harney
1981	U.S. Senior Open	+9 (72-76-68-73=289)	Playoff2	Billy Casper, Bob Stone
1984a	General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship (2)	−6 (69-63-79-71=282)	2 strokes	Don January
1984	Senior Players Championship	−12 (72-68-67-69=276)	3 strokes	Peter Thomson
1985	Senior Players Championship (2)	−14 (67-71-68-68=274)	11 strokes	Miller Barber, Lee Elder, Gene Littler, Charles Owens

^a This was the January edition of the tournament.
¹ Palmer won this with a birdie on the first playoff hole.
² Won in an 18-hole playoff, Palmer shot a (70) to Stone's (74) and Casper's (77).

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Golf portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Arnold Palmer

• Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History
• Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf (video game)
• Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• Golfers with most major championship wins
• Most PGA Tour wins in a year
• Longest PGA Tour win streaks
• Most wins in one PGA Tour event
• Golfers with most Champions Tour wins
• Golfers with most Champions Tour major championship wins
• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards
• Arnold Palmer (drink)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Arnold Palmer at the PGA Tour official site
• Arnold Palmer at the European Tour official site
• Arnold Palmer – Profile at Golflegends
• Arnold Palmer Invitational – PGA Tour event
• Arnold Palmer Design Company
• Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
• Bay Hill Club and Lodge – Palmer's winter home course
• Latrobe Country Club – Palmer's summer home course
• Arnold Palmer Tee – Palmer's namesake half iced tea and half lemonade drink