Mylan Classic to Honor Arnold Palmer

Officials from the Mylan Classic and Washington County Chamber of Commerce announced recently that the Web.com Tour tournament will host a private charity dinner in honor of Western Pennsylvania's most prominent and respected native son, Arnold Palmer. 

The event, presented by Golf Galaxy and Horizon Properties, will be held Tuesday, July 30 at Southpointe Golf Club and will pay tribute to Palmer's accomplishments both on and off the golf course with all proceeds from the dinner benefiting charity. 

Jim Rohr, executive chairman of The PNC Financial Services Group, and Ed Stack, chairman and CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods, will co-chair the dinner. 

Invitations to this prestigious fundraising event will be extended to Palmer's friends and family members, tournament sponsors and supporters. Also, during the Mylan Classic a selection of Palmer’s memorabilia will be on display for spectator viewing.

Palmer is recognized as a world-famous golf immortal and sportsman, highly-successful business executive, prominent advertising spokesman, skilled aviator, talented golf course designer and consultant, 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 success has inspired generations of athletes, philanthropists and business executives, while his generosity continues to touch the lives of individuals worldwide.

Palmer's popularity and success coincided with the tremendous golf boom of the latter half of the 20th century and grew to heights few ever anticipated. Palmer has received many awards and accolades. 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. Sixty-two of his victories came on the PGA TOUR, starting with the 1955 Canadian Open. He amassed four Masters Championships (1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964), one U.S. Open Championship (1960) and twice won The Open Championship (1961, 1962). Of the majors, only the PGA Championship eluded him. He finished second in the PGA three times.

His achievements include being elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame (1974), PGA Player of the Year (1960, 1962), PGA TOUR Lifetime Achievement Award (1996), and Sports Illustrated Man of the Year (1960). Palmer was also the first golfer to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in 2004 and the second golfer to receive the Congressional Gold Medal, passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in 2009.

Besides the 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.

In addition to Palmer’s illustrious career both on and off the golf course, he proudly served in the Coast Guard from 1950 to 1953. In honor of the country’s brave servicemen and women, the Mylan Classic will again offer complimentary admission to the tournament from Aug. 1 to Aug. 4 for all veterans, active, retired, reserve military and their dependents.

The Mylan Classic is the only event in Pennsylvania on the Web.com Tour’s schedule. 

It will be held July 29 to Aug. 4 at Southpointe Golf Club in Cecil. The event will draw a unique 144-player field consisting of Web.com Tour professionals and amateur standouts from as many as 20 countries.