Who better than Arnold Palmer to get a child out of the rough?

Arnold Palmer is many things to many people - a world famous golf immortal and sportsman, a highly-successful business executive, a prominent advertising spokesman, a skilled aviator, a talented golf course designer and consultant, and a devoted family patriarch and a man with a down-to-earth common touch that has made him one of the most popular and accessible public figures in history.

His popularity and success grew with the tremendous golf boom in the latter half of the 20th Century to heights few ever anticipated, and has been recognized in countless ways over the years. Certainly his popularity and success went handin- hand, a fact given recognition when he was named "Athlete of the Decade" for the 1960s in a national Associated Press poll. Before, during and after that great decade, the famous golfer amassed 92 championships in professional competition of national or international stature. His victory streak began in 1955 with the Canadian Open, and went on to include 62 others from the U.S. PGA Tour.

Seven of his victories came in what the golfing world considers the four major professional championships. He won the Masters Tournament four times, in 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964; the U.S. Open in spectacular fashion in 1960 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver and the British Open in 1961 and 1962. He came from seven strokes off the pace in the final round in that U.S. Open win and finished second in four other Opens after that. Among the majors, only the PGA Championship eluded him. He finished second in the PGA three times. Aside from his magnificent performance record, his magnetic personality and unfailing sense of kindness and thoughtfulness to everybody with whom he comes in contact have endeared him to millions throughout the world and led to the informal formation of the largest nonuniformed "military" organization in existence -- Arnie's Army.

Arnold's springboard to professional fame and fortune came in 1954 with his victory in the U.S. Amateur Championship. He turned professional just a few months later. His hottest period was a four-year stretch from 1960 to 1963 when he landed 29 of his titles, collecting almost $400,000 with each win - a time when the purses were minute by today's standards. During this time, Arnold was the leading money-winner in three of those years and represented the U.S. twice in the prestigious Ryder Cup Match, serving in 1963 as the victorious captain.

Today, Arnold is president of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, a multi-division structure encompassing much of his global commercial activity that is centered in Cleveland. He has been involved in automobile and aviation service firms over the years and still is the principal owner of a car dealership in his hometown of Latrobe, PA.

In the 1980s, Arnold held a pivotal role in a fundraising drive that led to the creation of special healthcare facility in - Orlando, FL. On September 10, 1989 (Arnold Palmer's 60th birthday) Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children & Women opened. What started as a dream and the passion of a handful of physicians and supporters quickly became a jewel of the community. The hospital grew to house the regional referral center for high-risk pregnancies, the nation's third busiest Labor & Delivery department, the region's largest neonatal intensive care unit, a world-renowned Congenital Heart Institute, and many other pediatric specialties. Needless to say, Arnold Palmer Hospital exceeded all expectations. Due to the overwhelming demand for the services and the tremendous growth of the central Florida community, plans were made to expand the hospital. On May 30, 2006, the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies opened. The new hospital, located across the street from the original hospital and connected by an overhead walkway, was named in honor of the work and passion of Mrs. Palmer who passed away in 1999. With the opening of Winnie Palmer Hospital, obstetrics, gynecology and neonatal services were moved across the street to allow for the growth of pediatric services in the newly renamed Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children. Together these two hospitals make up the Arnold Palmer Medical Center and represent one of the largest facilities in the country dedicated to the care of babies, children and women.