No one swung a golf club quite like seven-time majors champion Arnold Palmer, and now the U.S. Postal Service is immortalizing The King’s swing on a nationwide postage stamp.
The stamp, which will be included in the 2020 catalog, features James Drake’s action photograph of Palmer at the 1964 U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club. Art Director Antonio Alcala designed the stamp, which will be issued as a Forever stamp.
Palmer won 62 times on PGA Tour from 1955-73. He died on Sept. 25, 2016. He was 87.
Palmer is the second native of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to be honored with a USPS stamp in as many years. Last year, TV personality Fred “Mister” Rogers was featured on a stamp.
The U.S. Postal Service said it is honoring Palmer “for his positive impact and compelling story, rising from humble beginnings to become a globally revered champion. … With drive and charisma, he helped transform a game once seen as a pastime for the elite into a sport enjoyed by the masses.”
“To have my father celebrated in this way is a true honor,” Amy Saunders, Palmer’s daughter and chairwoman of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation, said in a statement. “It’s something I think he would be proud of as both an individual and as an American, and it’s a wonderful way to preserve his legacy.”
The USPS hasn’t yet announced the issue date for the Palmer stamp.
Palmer is the third male golfer honored with a USPS postage stamp. Bobby Jones, a 13-time majors winner and co-founder of the Masters, was featured on a stamp in 1981, and again in 1988 on a “Celebrate the Century” stamp for his 1930 Grand Slam, in which he won the U.S. Open, U.S. Amateur, British Amateur and Open Championship.
Francis Ouimet, who won the 1913 U.S. Open and is widely considered as the father of amateur golf, was featured on a stamp in 1987.
In 1981, the USPS issued a stamp featuring female golfer Babe Zaharias, a gold medalist in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics and a 10-time LPGA major champion.