1961 Masters

No international player had ever won The Masters until Gary Player’s victory in 1961. He defeated Arnold Palmer and amateur Charles Coe by one stroke, keeping his composure to get up and down from the bunker on the final hole. It was the first of three green jackets for the Black Knight, and the second of his Major Championships. He was half way to the career Grand Slam by age 25.

1962 PGA Championship

The 1962 PGA Championship was played at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Locked in another down to the wire finish, Gary Player won the first of his two PGA Championships by one stroke ahead of runner-up Bob Goalby for the third of his Major titles and the third leg of his career Grand Slam.

1974 Masters

The Black Knight placed in the top 10 at The Masters nine times from 1962-1973. 1974 saw the 38-year-old Player in the prime of his career.  He won the second of his three Masters titles defeating runners-up Dave Stockton and Tom Weiskopf by two strokes. This win jump started Player’s run to 10 professional wins in what was the best year of his career. It was the seventh of his Major titles.

1988 Senior PGA Championship

By the start of the 1988 season Gary Player had been playing on the senior circuit for two full seasons and had eight victories. Significantly, three of those victories were Majors, which was a great thrill for him.

PGA Senior Championship was once again played Palm Beach Gardens in Florida at PGA National’s Champions Course. While the early going belonged to New Zealand lefthander Bob Charles, his relatively quiet 2nd round allowed others in the field to come within reach, including Arnold Palmer in a group of three just three shots behind.

At the end of a very windy 3rd round, Chi Chi Rodriguez and al Geiberger had the lead at 213 and, following a 73 and 72, Gary Player had come within one shot of the leaders. In the final round, he hit one of his best four-irons ever to just inches short of the cup on the 8th, and with the leaders struggling at the 8th and 9th, I never trailed after that. Birdies at the 14th and 16th followed and I ended up winning my second PGA Senior Championship by three shots.

1988 US Senior Open

As good a year as Player had on the Champions Tour in 1987, 1988 was quite unbelievable. In the 12 starts leading up to the US Senior Open, he had won three times and had not been out of the top 10.
In 1988 Medinah was a typically tough USGA layout, with narrow fairways and penal rough. The USGA certainly didn’t go easy on the seniors, Player recalls. So it wasn’t surprising when he opened with a 74, his worse round of the year – and to make matters worse, this put him five shots behind first-round leaders Billy Casper and Walt Zembriski. Luckily there was plenty of golf to be played.

Billy Casper extended his lead to four shots after the second round, but after Player’s third-round 71 they were neck-and-neck going into the last. It was New Zealand’s Bob Charles who made the early charge in the final round and he was three ahead by the 14th, playing superb golf, but three bogeys brought Player and Charles level. Both shot par on the 18th and finished with a tie after 72 holes. Player was able to clinch victory after an 18-hole play-off, and better still, back-to-back US Senior Opens… What a proud moment!