Apr. 12, 1964 - Arnold Palmer became today the first to win the Masters golf title four times, and he made it look easy. With a final round of 70, he won by six strokes with a 72-hole aggregate of 276, only two shots over the record set by Ben Hogan in 1953.
Palmer, who started the day with a five-stroke lead, played the 6,980-yard, par-72 Augusta National Gold Club course under little pressure. He triumphed in 1958 and 1960 by a stroke. He won two years ago after a playoff with Dow Finsterwald and Gary Player.
The triumph brought him a sizable purse, $20,000. He thus increased is earnings to $506,497 since joining the pro tour in 1955 and became the first golfer to exceed half a million in official United States competition. The most spectacular challenge to Palmer came from Jack Nicklaus, who finished in a tie for second with Dave Marr.
Palmer said this was the “most satisfying” tournament triumph he has ever experienced. “I was pretty unhappy when I began this year,” he confessed. “Although I’d won seven tournaments in 1963, I didn’t win a major championship. People were talking. I decided that my real mission this year was to win one of those championships. The Masters came first, and I’m awfully excited to have won it again. I don’t know if I’ll ever get that professional grand slam I so much want [Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA], but at least you’ve got to admit I’m alive. I feel I played as well from tee to green here as I’ve ever done.”
“And cigarettes bothered me too,” Palmer continued. “I hadn’t played well since I quit smoking. They had to be making a difference in my game. How much difference? Could I win without smoking? Winning here proved to me that I could.”
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