Palmer's ascendance came in 1960, at age 30, when he hit one of the most famous shots in history, driving the 346-yard par-4 1st hole in the final round of the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills outside Denver. That shot set-up a two-putt birdie, gave birth to the Palmer Charge and was the first blow in a final-round 65 that allowed Palmer to surge from behind and win by two over Nicklaus and four over Hogan.
Perhaps Palmer's most memorable tournament, and one of the greatest golf showdowns of all time, occurred at the 1960 U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club near Denver.
On the final day of the event, Palmer was seven shots behind the leader -- an otherwise insurmountable lead.
What'll happen if I shoot 65?" Palmer asked a friend before he teed off for the final round.
"Nothing," said Pittsburgh sportswriter Bob Drum, "You blew your chance."
"Like hell I did," Palmer replied. "A 65 gives me 280, and 280 wins the Open."
That day, Palmer drove the green on the 346-yard first hole. He birdied six of the seven opening holes. He shot a 65, edging out an amateur prodigy named Jack Nicklaus by two shots to win his only Open title.
Palmer spent the rest of his life reviewing the costs of that win, which he believed contributed to his ultimately futile efforts to win a second U.S. Open despite being in contention many times. He started to dial back the aggressiveness that had made him so dangerous. He revered what he called "our national championship." He regarded that Open win as the most significant of his career, in part because of how much his own father valued it. When he started playing the British Open in 1960, Palmer revived interest in that championship at a time when many U.S. professionals couldn't be bothered with making the trip.
Just one year after this 1957 video, between 1958 and 1964, he won seven major titles, including the Masters four times, the U.S. Open once and the British Open two years in a row.