Arnold palmer had plenty of faith in his golf game when he arrived at the Country Club of Detroit for the 1954 U.S. Amateur Championship. But he was considered a dark horse at best in a field crowded with plenty of older, wiser, wealthier players whose resumes far outstripped that of a 24-year-old paint salesman a few months out of Wake Forest. These were men whose ranks he contemplated joining; if he couldn't find the means to finance turning pro, a life as both businessman and competitive amateur golfer sounded pretty good. A week and 178 holes of golf later, on Aug. 28,1954, Palmer's prospects looked decidedly different.
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