Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour a great sportsman, the king of golf, Mr. Arnold Palmer. Mr. Palmer passed away last Sunday, September 25.
Golfers and fans around the world, including millions of Canadians, remember him fondly as members of “Arnie's Army”.
Mr. Palmer's first victory on the Professional Golf Association Tour was in Toronto in 1955, winning the Canadian open. Twenty-five years later, his last PGA win was another Canadian open in Edmonton. These were just two of his 62 PGA and 92 total career victories, which included seven majors and six Canada cups.
He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and the PGA of America Golf Hall of Fame.
His business acumen as president of Arnold Palmer Enterprises succeeded in the design and building of hundreds of golf courses worldwide, a golf clothing line, clubs, and even the “Arnold Palmer”, a popular drink mixture of lemonade and iced tea, to name a few.
He was the original chair of the Golf Channel, providing great exposure of the game, and his philanthropic efforts were tremendous.
Our condolences to his family, friends and fans. May he rest with many eagles.