The King turns 80: Images and impact of Arnold Palmer

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Arnold Palmer, seen here at the Picadilly Match Play Championship (he won in both 1964 and 1967), hits a shot while Gary Player looks on.

Arnold Palmer has spent over 50 years in the public eye, posed for thousands of pictures and authored some of the most memorable moments in golf history.

On Sept. 10, 2009, the King turns 80 and, in honor of his big celebration, we've picked 18 of our favorite Palmer pictures and put together a photo timeline of his career.

ARNOLD PALMER photo gallery: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | CURRENT PHOTO |6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18

The King travels the world

Palmer as an international ambassador (1960s)

Notice Gary Player in the left of this image. Palmer, Player and Jack Nicklaus, known as "The Big Three" in golf, helped spread the sport throughout the world. In addition to his 62 PGA TOUR wins, the King won 11 international titles in South America, Australia and Europe between 1956 and 1980. Despite their heated rivalry -- and all-stars in other sports like Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Jim Brown -- it was Palmer who was named Athlete of the Decade at the end of the 1970s. After all, Palmer was named PGA Player of the Year in 1960 and 1962, plus captured the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average on TOUR in 1961, 1962, 1964 and 1967. In 1981, the PGA TOUR began giving the Arnold Palmer Award to the leading money winner.

More on Palmer

Check out these stories on Arnold Palmer, who turns 80 this week PHOTO ESSAY: There may never be a golfer as photogenic as Arnold Palmer. Need proof? Check out these images of his career. Click here 80 THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT ARNIE: Is it his smile? His untucked shirt? Or that he has a tea named after him? Columnist Melanie Hauser has her top 80. Click here PLAYERS REACT: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Davis Love III, Gary Player, Ben Crenshaw and others discuss their memories of Arnie, and the impact he has made on their careers. Click here BEST MEMORIES: PGATOUR.COM's columnists share their best memories of dealing with the King. Click here FATHER AND SON: PGATOUR.COM's Brian Wacker reveals how Arnie reached out to his father, who was dying of cancer. Click here LETTER FROM ARNIE: Helen Ross shares a note from Arnie that inspired her father in his battle against prostate cancer. Click here INFLUENCE ON GOLF: He isn't just a golfer. He's an icon who transcended the game, created an Army and made golf cool to watch. Click here ARNIE'S NUMBERS: His wins, margins of victory and the rest of his stats. Click here LISTEN TO ARNIE:John Swantek from "Talk of the TOUR" on the PGA TOUR Network visits with Palmer on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Click for audio