The name Amen Corner refers to hole Nos. 11, 12 and 13. Amen Corner was first coined more than 60 years ago by Herbert Warren Wind in the April 21, 1958 edition of Sports Illustrated. He wrote that it was composed of the second half of hole No. 11, hole No. 12, and the first half of hole No. 13. Wind was searching for an appropriate name for the location where the critical action had taken place that year.
Saturday evening in 1958, heavy rains soaked the course. For Sunday’s round, a local rule was adopted allowing a player whose ball was embedded to lift and drop it without penalty. Sunday on No. 12, Arnold Palmer hit his ball over the green and the ball embedded in the steep bank behind it.
Being uncertain about the applicability of the local rule, the official on the hole and Palmer agreed that the ball should be played as it lay and that Palmer could play a second ball which he dropped. Palmer holed out for a 5 with the original ball and a 3 with the second ball. The committee was asked to decide if the local rule was applicable and if so, which score would count.
At No. 13, still unsure of what his score was at 12, Palmer sank an 18-foot putt for eagle 3. When he was playing No. 15, Palmer was told his drop at 12 was proper and that his score on the hole was 3, leading to his first major victory.
