FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Before winning several PGA Tour titles and becoming the namesake of a popular drink, golf legend Arnold Palmer started out looking to make a name for himself like any other athlete.
Among the aforementioned achievements and several others include Palmer becoming the first golfer to earn $1 million in PGA Tour career earnings, and in May 1955, he took his first step toward that million-dollar milestone after earning his first official tour money during a PGA Tour event in Fort Wayne.
The year prior, Palmer won the National Amateur championship in Detroit, Michigan, and decided to turn pro, but due to PGA Tour rules at the time, he was ineligible to win prize money from events until completing a 6-month probationary period.
In the 1955 Fort Wayne Open — the penultimate iteration of the event — Palmer finished tied for 25th place and earned $145, which equates to a little more than $1,700 when adjusted for inflation …