The stamp honoring iconic golfer Arnold Palmer, who rose from humble beginnings to help transform an elite pastime into a sport for the masses, will be released Wednesday, March 4.
A native of Latrobe, PA, a working-class steel mill town, the driven and charismatic Palmer (1929-2016) captured his first major title in 1958, notching his first of four Masters Tournament wins.
In 1960, he won his first and only U.S. Open championship, displaying fearless late-tournament play that became his trademark, known as the Palmer Charge.
That same year, his second-place finish at the British Open contributed to a boost in popularity of that tournament among American golfers, and he was also named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year.
During a nearly decade-long stretch beginning in 1958, Palmer led the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) Tour in yearly money winnings four times; won the Vardon Trophy, awarded to the player with the lowest scoring average, four times; and twice earned PGA Player of the Year honors.
His accomplishments also included captaining U.S. Ryder Cup teams in 1963 and 1975, and the six teams of which he was a member won the biennial international completion.
Overall, Palmer won 62 PGA Tour events, the fifth-most of all time, and 92 tournaments worldwide.
The Arnold Palmer Forever stamp features James Drake’s action photograph of Palmer at the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD.
Antonio Alcalá, a USPS art director, designed the stamp, which will be available in panes of 20 at Post Offices and usps.com.