Legendary golfer Arnold Palmer received the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal at a glittering ceremony in Washington Wednesday.
The congress conferred the 83-year-old golfer with its highest civilian award in "recognition of his service to the country in promoting excellence and good sportsmanship".
"I'm particularly proud of anything that the House and Senate agree on," said Palmer, drawing laughter from the packed U.S. Capitol that included Democrats and Republican leaders. "I'm very humbled. Thank you."
Palmer, who has won more than 80 professional tournaments across the globe and has to his credit seven major championship titles, changed the way the game has been played over the years.
His marked hard-charging style not only earned him respect over the years, but has created fans worldwide. Many rookie and amateur golfers still admire his style and try and inculcate that in their game.
Playing apart, Palmer even helped in building more than 300 golf courses across the world.
At home in the U.S., the Arnold Palmer Medical Center, which houses two hospitals -- one for women, named after his wife Winnie and the other for children that has been named after him, has proved to the world that it's not just sport, but also welfare that keeps him occupied.
"An icon of American sports and a success in all of his endeavors -- a humanitarian, a businessman, a philanthropist," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said ok Nicklaus.
House Speaker John Boehner added: "Arnold Palmer democratized golf. (He) made us think that we, too, could go out and play, made us think we could really do anything. All we had to do was go out and try."
Arnold Palmer became the sixth athlete to earn the prestigious award. The other athletes to receive the Medal are baseball legends Roberto Clemente and Jackie Robinson, Olympic hero Jesse Owens, boxer Joe Lewis and golfer Byron Nelson.
Nicknamed, The King, Palmer, born on September 10, 1929 in Pennsylvania, started playing golf at a young age.
He learned golf from his father, Milford (Deacon) Palmer, who was a greenskeeper at Latrobe Country Club in Latrobe.
Often a young Palmer would accompany his father as he looked after the course.
Later, a golf scholarship helped him earn a seat at the Wake Forest University. Soon he left it to join the U.S. Coast Guard, where he served for three years, but continued to work on his golfing skills.
His victory at the U.S. Amateur championship in 1954 prompted him to turn professional. His first major championship win at the 1958 Masters cemented his position as a leading star of the game.
