Sixty-seven years ago, a relatively unknown 24-year-old paint salesman, seven months removed from a three-year stint in the Coast Guard, became a national hero. Arnold Palmer, the pride of Latrobe, Pa., defeated millionaire investment banker Robert Sweeny, 1 up, to claim the 1954 U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Detroit.

Palmer called that victory the “turning point” of his career because of the confidence he gained from beating the game’s elite amateurs. It made the decision to turn professional later that year much more attainable, and would be the impetus to a legendary career, both on and off the course.

This week, 156 of the game’s best 55-and-over players are returning to the venue that changed Palmer’s life. And as fate would have it, the first round of stroke play of the 66th U.S. Senior Amateur coincides with the very day (Aug. 28) that Palmer hoisted the Havemeyer Trophy.

Through memorabilia, a commemorative lapel pin for players and other tributes, The King’s indefatigable spirit will be omnipresent in Detroit. With all of that nostalgia permeating the Michigan air, here are 3 Things to Know going into stroke play:

Doubling Down

Winning any USGA championship isn’t easy. Doing it in consecutive years is even more challenging. Add the small window of opportunity for U.S. Senior Amateur competitors and you’ll know why it has been 41 years since a player successfully defended this championship. While 14 players have won multiple titles, William C. Campbell remains the last to achieve back-to-back victories (1979-80).

It’s the longest drought among any of the USGA’s individual championships, not including the recently created U.S. Senior Women’s Open (2018). Since Campbell’s feat, R.S. “Bo” Williams (1986, 1989), Clarence Moore (1988, 1992), O. Gordon Brewer (1994, 1996), Bill Shean Jr. (1998, 2000), Kemp Richardson (2001, 2003) and Paul Simson (2010, 2012) have won multiple U.S. Senior Amateur titles. William Hyndman III (1973, 1983) also won his second, remarkably 10 years after his first.

In 2018, defending champion Sean Knapp advanced to the final, only to come up short against Jeff Wilson. Wilson advanced to the semifinals in his title defense in 2019.

With COVID-19 cancelling last year’s championship, 2019 champion Bob Royak, of Alpharetta, Ga., will finally get his opportunity to repeat.

Art of the Long Drive

For those who crave the long ball, one competitor this week might be of interest. Once dubbed by Sports Illustrated as “Vince McMahon in Softspikes,” Art Sellinger turned long-drive contests into mainstream entertainment. Sellinger captured a pair of world long-drive titles – 1986 and 1991 – before creating Long Drivers of America in 1995. Over the next 10 years, he conducted more than 2,100 competitive shows in 30 countries. The circuit took on an even more global appeal when Sellinger sold the operation to NBC/Golf Channel, which renamed it the World Long Drive Association.

But the self-taught golfer was much more than a long-hitting showman. In 1982, he qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur, and he later played at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Now the owner of a club fitting company in the Dallas area, Sellinger, 56, recently regained his amateur status (July 2020) in order to compete in senior events. And on July 29 in Willoughby, Ohio, the Irving, Texas, resident qualified for his first USGA championship in 39 years.

Brotherly Love

There are two U.S. Senior Amateur competitors who not only have athletic DNA, but also famous siblings.

Many golf fans are familiar with Tom Lehman, the veteran professional with 35 worldwide victories, including the 1996 Open Championship. His older brother, James, is a talented golfer in his own right who is set to play in his fourth U.S. Senior Amateur and 12th USGA championship.

James has served as Tom’s agent for many years, while also managing the business affairs for the likes of 2010 U.S. Senior Open champion and two-time Masters champ Bernhard Langer, 1987 U.S. Open champion Scott Simpson, 2002 PGA champion Rich Beem, 1987 Masters champion Larry Mize and PGA Tour member Tom Hoge.

Tim Rypien is another player whose last name might cause fans to do a double-take. His brother, Mark, was a quarterback for 12 seasons in the National Football League, including an MVP performance for Washington in Super Bowl XXVI against Buffalo. Another brother, Dave, played for the Canadian baseball team in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Tim also was a standout baseball player who was drafted out of high school by Montreal and out of junior college by the Toronto Blue Jays, where he rose as high as Double-A Knoxville. He passed on his athleticism to son, Brett, a four-year starting quarterback at Boise State who currently is a backup for the Denver Broncos, and daughters, Keara and Brigid, both of whom played college golf.

Tim, 57, a teacher in Spokane, Wash., didn’t take golf seriously until he turned 23. Since then, he has qualified for three U.S. Mid-Amateurs and now his first U.S. Senior Amateur, where the 10-time club champion at Kalispel (Mont.) Golf Club hopes to advance to match play for the first time in four USGA starts.

David Shefter is a senior staff writer for the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.