The King in Hawaii

Arnold Palmer is playing in the Turtle Bay Championship, a tournament on the Champions Tour, in the photo above and in the photos on the following pages.

At the time these images were taken, Palmer was 76 years old, and it had been 17 years since his last victory on the Champions Tour (which happened at the 1988 Crestar Classic). His career as a tournament golfer was very close to being over.

Putting Practice

Palmer works on his putting on a practice green during a practice day prior to the tournament's start.

His appearance in this Hawaii tournament in 2005 was one of eight Palmer made that year on the Champions Tour. In 2006 he made only two starts, and those were the final two starts of his tour career.

Palmer at 76

This is a good candid shot of Arnold Palmer at age 76.

That Palmer Finish

Even at age 76, Arnold Palmer was instantly recognizable for that seemingly wild finish to his drives, as he slashed at the ball. His style as a golfer was often described as "swashbuckling," and his willingness to blast at the ball was part of what drew fans to Palmer in his earliest days on the PGA Tour.

Smiling Arnie

Arnold Palmer flashes a smile during a practice day prior to the start of the 2005 Turtle Bay Championship on the Champions Tour.

Bunker Practice

No matter how old Arnie got, he always worked to improve his golf game. Even in years much later than this, when Palmer played in the Masters Par-3 Tournament in his late 80s, he was still practicing to get ready for the occasion and try to improve his results.

In his younger days, Arnold Palmer was known as a great putter. During his best years on the PGA Tour, when he was winning his majors, Palmer was an aggressive, fearless putter with the wrist-popping method in vogue at the time. Jack Nicklaus often said that Palmer in his prime was one of the greatest putters he'd ever seen.

Arnold Palmer signs an autograph for a young fan in 2005. As noted on a previous page, Palmer played only a handful more tournaments after this, and retired from tournament golf after a mere two Champions Tour starts in 2006.

The Turtle Bay Championship itself didn't last much longer than 2005. The tournament, which was founded in 1987, was discontinued after the 2008 event.