The King turns 80: Images and impact of Arnold Palmer

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PGA TOUR Images

Arnold Palmer, seen here in 1971, won his last PGA TOUR title at the 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic.

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 | 5 | 6 | 7 | CURRENT PHOTO | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18

Winning on and off the course

Palmer in the early 1970s

Palmer, then 43, captured his last PGA TOUR title at the 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic, where he'd won four other times in the past. In fact, Palmer was the first champion at the inaugural event in 1960, beating Fred Hawkins by three strokes in California. The 1970s were relatively quiet for Palmer on the course, but he continued to earn accolades. Wake Forest awarded him an honorary doctorate of law degree and he was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports of Hall of Fame in 1971 during halftime of the Miami football game. The Wake band even spelled out "A-R-N-I-E" in his honor. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 (click here for more) and set a world aviation record in 1976 for circumnavigating the globe in less than 58 hours in a Lear 36. A low point, however, also came in 1976 when his father, Deacon, passed away on the afternoon of Feb. 6, after playing 27 holes of golf at Bay Hill.

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