Arnold Palmer died two weeks before yesterday.
In 1974, he was named to the first class of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The 44-year-old was a year removed from what would be his 62nd and final PGA Tour win at the 1973 Bob Hope Classic, and his prime was in the rear-view mirror. A four-time Masters champion, Palmer went 5 under in the final round of the 1974 edition to finish 2 over par for a share of eleventh place.
He finished fifth at the US Open during a tough tournament. His total score was 292 -- five strokes behind Hale Irwin, who won while going 7 over -- including a high 76 in the final round. Palmer had finished third and fourth in the previous two years and would finish in the top ten for the last time in 1975, placing ninth.
At the PGA Championship, a second-round 75 on a par-70 helped bring Palmer to 9 over par and a tie for 28th place, which was an improvement over his missing the cut the previous year. Outside the majors, he was consistent at the Western Open and wound up tied with three other players for fifth. That was his only top-ten finish of the year other than the US Open.
Another note: in 1974, Palmer bought a Cadillac dealership in Charlotte, and one former employee reports the golfer treated everyone well there.
After that year, he played in PGA Tour events for 30 years more. Such was his legacy.
