The best golfer from every U.S. state

Pennsylvania: Arnold Palmer

When Arnold Palmer passed away in Sept. 2016, the golf world undoubtedly was saddened as a whole. Few have impacted a sport in the way that Palmer was able to give, give and give some more to the game of golf throughout his playing career and once those days were over. He was an absolute legend of the sport and of the sporting world as a whole. And it’s a no-brainer that the Latrobe native is the best to ever come out of the state of Pennsylvania.

Many don’t know that Palmer was briefly away from golf in what could’ve been the beginning of his prime. After earning a golf scholarship to Wake Forest, Palmer left and joined the U.S. Coast Guard for three years, serving his post from 1951-54. While he still played during his service, it wasn’t until the end of it that his focus was renewed. Once out though, he wasted little time making an impact as he won the 1954 U.S. Amateur, which influenced his decision to turn pro later that year.

His first win came as a rookie on the PGA Tour as he won the 1955 Canadian Open. That, of course, was just the beginning for the man known as The King. He would go on to win 61 more times throughout his time on the PGA Tour, good for the fifth most all time. What’s more, he also won The Masters four times (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964), The Open twice (1961, 1962) and the U.S. Open once (1960). As great as Palmer was, he never added the PGA Championship title to win the career slam. But considering everything he accomplished, I doubt anyone truly cares about that.