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Matias "Mat" Donisho Palacio Jr. was born in San Francisco on October 9, 1915 and learned golf from his father, Mat Palacio Sr. He attended San Rafael High School where he played baseball and captained the golf team to an undefeated season. He transferred to Saint Ignatius College Preparatory and then attended Marin Junior College. He transferred to USF in the class of 1938, where he played football for the Dons. After graduating in Business Administration in 1942, he enlisted in the United States Army. He was stationed at Lincoln Army Air Field in Lincoln, CA, and in the mid-west, and rose to the rank of Captain.
He won his golf first tournament in 1932, the California State Junior Championship and went on to win the National High School Championship that year. He won the California State Amateur Golf Tournament in 1936, and the Northern California Championship in 1938. He won the Broadmoor Invitational Championship, in Colorado Springs in 1943 and again in 1945. In 1946 he won the Beatrice Open in Nebraska. That same year the family moved to Wichita, Kansas, where he won the Kansas State Championship in 1949. In 1953, they moved to San Rafael, where Mat began selling Buick automobiles at Spenser Buick in San Francisco. He would later work at Don Collins Buick dealer in San Rafael for 20 years. He continued to play in amateur tournaments throughout the state, and worked for the Northern California Golf Association. He won three Senior Tournaments at San Francisco, Spyglass and Meadow Club.
He was inducted to the Hall of Fame at USF in 1969, the California Golf Writers' Hall of Fame, and the Marin County High School Hall of Fame. He received a Lifetime Achievement award in 2004 from the Marin Country Club, and the Grand Masters Award from the Northern California Golf Association.
Photo courtesy of Marin Country Club, Novato, CA.
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