Palmer academy's expansion to leave his legacy to world. (Arnold Palmer Golf Academy)

As Arnold Palmer walks up the 18th fairway at St. Andrews July 23, his historic career in the British Open will end.

And while the book is closing on a golf career for the ages, Palmer is just beginning to leave his legacy to golfers around the world.

The Arnold Palmer Golf Academy opened three years ago at Palmer's Bay Hill Club. The next five years will bring the academy - and Palmer's philosophy of golf - to the world.

The academy, which now has sites in Tampa at Saddlebrook Resort and in Las Vegas, is about to embark on a major expansion to "bring the game to the masses," says Brad Brewer, the academy's director.

By the turn of the century, Brewer hopes to have opened 10 free-standing golf academies in the United States, two in Europe and three in the Orient.

The expansion already has started. The Las Vegas academy opened a few months ago.

Brewer traveled to the British Open, not just to watch Palmer play but also to scout out sites for new academies. He is …