Gary Player - The Legend

PLAYER’S WIN 50 YEARS AGO PAVED THE WAY FOR INTERNATIONAL GOLFERS

Apr 19, 2011 | Filed Under: General News   

AUGUSTA, GA. South Africa’s Gary Player arrived at Augusta National 50 years ago and beat America’s most-popular golfer at its most-popular event.
In time, the win would spur a global movement in golf that’s now commonplace.

That 1961 victory over Arnold Palmer made Player the first international golfer to win the Masters, a tournament that this year features 52 international players among the 99 entered, including seven from Player’s homeland.

“It’s remarkable,” said Player, 75. “A small country like South Africa to have this many and now for Charl Schwartzel to become the third to win The Masters.”
And, with nine-time major champion Player leading the way, South Africans have won more majors (21) since the Second World War than any country outside the United States.
But Player’s win a half century ago — his first of three Masters wins — would pull more than one nation behind him.

“It really changed the way the world looked at golf,” two-time U.S. Open winner Andy North said. “That was the start of golf becoming much more global. In today’s world, and particularly this year’s Masters, you’d be shocked if maybe a foreign player didn’t win.”

Player’s willingness to play all over the world inspired international players to regularly compete in the U.S.
“He was the pioneer for the travelling golfer,” said New Zealand’s Frank Nobilo, a longtime Tour player and Golf Channel analyst.

And his talent and competitiveness affected people. During the final round of the 1978 Masters, Spain’s Seve Ballesteros was paired on his 21st birthday with the 42-year-old Player. Player shot 64 to erase Hubert Green’s seven-shot lead and win by a stroke.

Player recalled Tuesday that Ballesteros told him: “Gary. You teach me how to win Masters.”
Augusta National’s hilly, wide-open layout is suited for a power game, which means the 5-foot-6, 150-pound Player had to maximize his potential.

“Pound for pound, Gary Player is probably the best player to ever play the game,” said Jack Nicklaus.

A fitness fanatic, Player still does 1,000 sit-ups daily, combined with weight training.
“I’m 75 now and I could still beat 50 per cent of the young boys off the street in a fitness contest,” said Player.

Player’s dedication to his body helped him generate enough power to pair with a brilliant short game, featuring the best bunker play in the game’s history.
The combination produced remarkable results. With his 1965 win at the U.S. Open, Player had captured all four major championships — the Grand Slam — by age 29.

In the era of Palmer and Nicklaus, Player — the final member of “The Big Three” — was their equal, winning 165 times worldwide, including 24 times on the PGA Tour in the USA.

But being a pioneer required sacrifice for a man living in another hemisphere. Player is believed to be the world’s most travelled athlete, having clocked more than 24 million kilometres of travel.
Unlike today’s top golfers, though, Player didn’t have a private jet for him and his family.

“I used to come over in coach with six children,” he said. “No jets, flying at 27,000 feet where the storms are, 40 hours, stopping four or five times to come play.

“Imagine that.”

Player arrived Sunday at Augusta National following a 37-hour trek from Johannesburg.
“I felt whacked,” said the part-time Jupiter Island, Fla., resident. “Of course, I’m a lot older now. I said to myself, ‘How did we do that?’ But I did.”

Player always has done what he has to do, but also what isn’t expected of a man of his stature.
“Gary Player is the most famous person in South Africa right next to Nelson Mandela,” said 2008 Masters winner and fellow South African Trevor Immelman, who has known Player since Immelman was five years old. “He’s transcended the sport down there.”

Player may keep busy designing courses in Brazil, India, Morocco and China, promoting education for the underprivileged and raising thoroughbred horses, but he always has time for the players from South Africa, whom he views as his progeny.

“He still keeps an eye on everyone,” said Charl Schwartzel, another South African on Tour. “When you win a tournament, it’s such a high. To get a phone call from Gary Player makes it just a little bit more special.”

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