Gary Player

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Gary Player

Gary Player on the cover of a 1999 golf instruction video.
Personal Information
Birth	November 1, 1935 Johannesburg, South Africa
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight	150 lb (68 kg)
Nationality	South Africa
Residence	Palm Beach, Florida and Johannesburg, South Africa
College	None
Career
Turned Pro	1953
Tours	PGA Tour (joined 1957) Champions Tour (joined 1985)
Professional wins	163, PGA Tour: 24 Champions Tour: 19 Other: 120
Major Championship Wins (9)
Masters	(3) 1961, 1974, 1978
U.S. Open	(1) 1965
British Open	(3) 1959, 1968, 1974
PGA Championship	(2) 1962, 1972
Awards
PGA Tour Money Winner	1961

Gary Player (born November 1, 1935) is a South African professional golfer generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the game's history.

He was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has logged more than 14 million miles in travel, more than any other athlete ^[1]. Dubbed the Black Knight, Mr. Fitness and the International Ambassador of Golf, Player is a renowned golf course architect with over 250 design projects throughout the world. He operates Black Knight International, which includes Gary Player Design, Gary Player Real Estate, and Gary Player Enterprises, and aspects of which include licensing, publishing, videos, apparel and memorabilia. The Gary Player Stud Farm has received worldwide acclaim for breeding top thoroughbred race horses including 1994 English Derby entry Broadway Flyer. He operates The Player Foundation with its primary objective to promote education around the world. The Foundation built the Blair Atholl Schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, which has educational facilities for over 500 students from kindergarten through grade eight.

Contents 1 Background and family 2 Regular tour career 2.1 Legend of the Black Knight 2.2 The Ten Commandments of Life 3 Major Championships 3.1 Wins (9) 3.2 Results timeline 4 PGA Tour wins (24) 5 Other regular wins 6 Champions Tour wins (19) 7 Other senior wins (13) 8 The Gary Player Group 9 Gary Player Foundation 10 Miscellaneous 11 In the bag 12 See also 13 References 14 External links

[edit] Background and family

Gary Player was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the youngest of Harry and Muriel Player's three children. At the age of eight his mother died from cancer. Although his father was often away from home working in the gold mines, he did manage to take a loan in order to buy a set of clubs for his son Gary to begin playing golf. The Virginia Park golf course in Johannesburg is where Player first began his love affair with golf. At the age of 14 Player played his first round of golf and parred the first three holes. At age 16 he announced that he would be come number one in the world. At age 17 he became a professional golfer.

Player married wife Vivienne on January 19, 1957, four years after turning professional. Together they have six children: Jennifer, Marc, Wayne, Michele, Theresa and Amanda. He is also a grandfather to 18 grandchildren. During the early days of his career Player would travel from tournament to tournament with wife and children in tow.

[edit] Regular tour career

Player is one of the most successful golfers in the history of the sport, ranking first in total professional wins, with at least a hundred and sixty-six, and tied fourth in major championship victories with nine. Along with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus he is sometimes referred to as one of "The Big Three" golfers of his era — from the late 1950s through the early 1970s — when golf boomed in the United States and around the world, greatly encouraged by expanded television coverage. Along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, he is one of only five players to win golf’s "career Grand Slam". He completed the Grand Slam in 1965 at the age of twenty-nine. Player was the second multi-time majors winner from South Africa, following from Bobby Locke, and succeeded by Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

Player played regularly on the U.S. based PGA Tour from the late 1950s. He led the money list in 1961, and went on to accumulate twenty four career titles. He also played an exceptionally busy schedule all over the world, and he has been called the world's most travelled athlete, clocking up more than 14 million miles. He has more victories than anyone else in the South African Open (thirteen) and the Australian Open (seven). He held the record for most victories in the World Match Play Championship, with five wins, from 1973 until 1991 when this feat was equalled by Seve Ballesteros, finally losing his share of the record in 2004, when Ernie Els won the event for a sixth time.

He was the only player in the 20th century to win the (British) Open in three different decades^[2]. Player last won the U.S. Masters in 1978, when he started seven strokes behind the leaders entering the final round and won by one shot with birdies at seven of the last 10 holes for a back nine 30 and a final round 64. One week later, Player came from seven strokes back in the final round to win the Tournament of Champions. In gusty winds at the 1998 Masters, he became the oldest golfer ever to make to the cut, breaking the 25-year-old record set by Sam Snead.

Being South African, Player never played in the Ryder Cup in which American and European golfers compete against each other, and he was no longer an eligible player when the Presidents Cup was established to give international players the opportunity to compete in a similar event. However, he was non-playing captain of the International Team for the Presidents Cup in 2003, which was held on a course he designed, The Links at Fancourt in George, South Africa. After 2003 ended in a tie, he was reappointed as captain for the 2005 Presidents Cup, and his team lost to the Americans 15.5 to 18.5. Both Player and Jack Nicklaus have been appointed to captain their respective teams again in 2007 in Canada.

In 1966, Gary Player was awarded the Bob Jones Award, the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and "Gary Player — A Global Journey" exhibition launched by the Hall of Fame as of March, 2006.

[edit] Legend of the Black Knight

A courageous style of play fired by a fiercely competitive nature, an always courteous demeanour and a penchant for black attire on the golf course have given rise to the name by which Gary Player is known throughout the world - The Black Knight. The Black Knight logo identifies all the companies of the Gary Player Group and symbolises the strength of character and fighting spirit that imbues both the man and the Group.

[edit] The Ten Commandments of Life

1. Change is the price of survival
2. Everything in business is negotiable except quality
3. A promise made is a debt incurred
4. For all we take in life we must pay
5. Persistence and common sense are more important than intelligence
6. The fox fears not the man who boasts by night, but the man who rises early in the morning
7. Accept the advice of the man who loves you, though you like it not at present
8. Trust instinct to the end, though you cannot render any reason
9. The heights of great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but that while their companions slept were toiling upward in the night
10. There is no substitute for personal contact

Source: List on Official website

[edit] Major Championships

[edit] Wins (9)

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner(s) Up
1959	The Open Championship	4 shot deficit	E (75-71-70-68=284)	2 strokes	Fred Bullock, Flory Van Donck
1961	The Masters	3 shot lead	-8 (69-68-69-74=280)	1 stroke	Charles Coe, Arnold Palmer
1962	PGA Championship	2 shot lead	-2 (72-67-69-70=278)	1 stroke	Bob Goalby
1965	U.S. Open	2 shot lead	+2 (70-70-71-71=282)	Playoff 1	Kel Nagle
1968	The Open Championship (2)	2 shot deficit	+1 (74-71-71-73=289)	2 strokes	Bob Charles, Jack Nicklaus
1972	PGA Championship (2)	1 shot lead	+1 (71-71-67-72=281)	2 strokes	Tommy Aaron, Jim Jamieson
1974	The Masters (2)	1 shot deficit	-10 (71-71-66-70=278)	2 strokes	Dave Stockton, Tom Weiskopf
1974	The Open Championship (3)	3 shot lead	-2 (69-68-75-70=282)	4 strokes	Peter Oosterhuis
1978	The Masters (3)	7 shot deficit	-11 (72-72-69-64=277)	1 stroke	Rod Funseth, Hubert Green, Tom Watson

¹ Defeated Kel Nagle in 18-hole playoff - Player (71), Nagle (74)

[edit] Results timeline

Tournament	1956	1957	1958	1959
The Masters	DNP	T24	CUT	T8
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	2	T15
The Open Championship	4	T24	7	1
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969
The Masters	T6	1	2	T5	T5	T2	T28	T6	T7	T33
U.S. Open	T19	T9	T6	T8	T23	1	T15	T12	T16	T48
The Open Championship	7	WD	CUT	T7	T8	WD	T4	T3	1	T23
PGA Championship	DNP	T29	1	T8	T13	T33	T3	DNP	DNP	2

Tournament	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
The Masters	3	T6	T10	DNP	1	T30	T28	T19	1	T17
U.S. Open	T44	T27	T15	12	T8	T43	T23	T10	T6	T2
The Open Championship	CUT	7	6	T14	1	T32	T28	T22	T34	T19
PGA Championship	T12	T4	1	T51	7	T33	T13	T31	T26	T23

Tournament	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989
The Masters	T6	T15	T15	CUT	T21	T36	CUT	T35	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	CUT	T26	CUT	T20	T43	DNP	DNP	DNP	CUT	CUT
The Open Championship	CUT	CUT	T42	CUT	CUT	CUT	T35	T66	T60	CUT
PGA Championship	T26	T49	CUT	T42	T2	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

Tournament	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
The Masters	T24	CUT	CUT	60	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	46	CUT
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	CUT	T57	CUT	CUT	CUT	T68	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

Tournament	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
The Masters	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT	CUT
U.S. Open	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
The Open Championship	CUT	CUT	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP
PGA Championship	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP	DNP

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

Player has won over 160 professional events worldwide, including:

[edit] PGA Tour wins (24)

• 1958 (1) Kentucky Derby Open
• 1959 (1) The Open Championship
• 1961 (3) Lucky International, Sunshine Open, The Masters
• 1962 (1) PGA Championship
• 1963 (1) San Diego Open Invitational
• 1964 (2) “500” Festival, Pensacola Open
• 1965 (1) U.S. Open
• 1968 (1) The Open Championship
• 1969 (1) Tournament of Champions
• 1970 (1) Greater Greensboro Open
• 1971 (2) Greater Jacksonville Open, National Airlines Open
• 1972 (2) Greater New Orleans Open, PGA Championship
• 1973 (1) Southern Open
• 1974 (3) The Masters, Danny Thomas Memphis Classic, The Open Championship
• 1978 (3) The Masters, MONY Tournament of Champions, Shell Houston Open

Major championships are shown in bold.

[edit] Other regular wins

In addition to his wins on the PGA Tour, Player won more than 100 other tournaments in "regular", that is non-senior golf.

South Africa Tour (now the Sunshine Tour)
73 wins between 1955 and 1981 including:

• South African Open: 13 times between 1956 and 1983
• South African Masters: 10 times between 1959 and 1976
• South African PGA Championship: 5 times between 1959 and 1976

PGA Tour of Australasia
18 wins between 1956 and 1981 including:

• Australian Open: 7 times between 1958 and 1974

Other
At least 20 other wins between 1955 and 1984, including:

• World Cup: individual title in 1965 and 1977
• World Match Play Championship: 5 times between 1965 and 1974 (played in England, but not an official European Tour event at that time)
• World Series of Golf:1965, 1968 and 1972 (U.S. - not a PGA Tour event at that time)
• Lancome Trophy: 1975

Player also collected wins in North and West Africa, Canada, Japan and Latin America.

[edit] Champions Tour wins (19)

• 1985 (1) Quadel Seniors Classic
• 1986 (3) General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship, United Hospitals Senior Golf Championship, Denver Post Champions of Golf
• 1987 (3) Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship, U.S. Senior Open, PaineWebber World Seniors Invitational
• 1988 (5) General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship, Aetna Challenge, Southwestern Bell Classic, U.S. Senior Open, GTE North Classic
• 1989 (2) GTE North Classic, RJR Championship
• 1990 (1) PGA Seniors' Championship
• 1991 (1) Royal Caribbean Classic
• 1993 (1) Bank One Senior Classic
• 1995 (1) Bank One Classic
• 1998 (1) Northville Long Island Classic

Senior majors are shown in bold. See "Other senior wins" below for Player's wins in the Senior British Open.

[edit] Other senior wins (13)

• 1986 Senior Skins Game (South Africa)
• 1987 Northville Invitational (United States), German PGA Team Championship
• 1988 Senior British Open (European Seniors Tour), Nissan Senior Skins (South Africa)
• 1990 Senior British Open (European Seniors Tour)
• 1991 Nissan Senior Skins (South Africa)
• 1993 Irish Senior Masters (European Seniors Tour)
• 1997 Dai-ichi Seimei Cup (Japan), Senior British Open (European Seniors Tour), Shell Wentworth Senior Masters (European Seniors Tour),
• 2000 Senior Skins Game (U.S. - unofficial event)
• 2005 Nelson Mandela Invitational (Sunshine Tour - unofficial event)

The Senior British Open is shown in bold as it is generally recognised as a major and it is now an official Champions Tour event and major. However, it was not an official Champions Tour event when Player achieved his wins, and in contrast to early wins in regular British Opens by PGA Tour members, which are now included in their official PGA Tour win tallies, wins in early Senior British Opens by Champions Tour members have not been restrospectively designated as Champions Tour wins by the PGA Tour at this time.

[edit] The Gary Player Group

Owned and operated under the global umbrella of Black Knight International (BKI)has six divisions:

• Golf Course Design: Since the 1980s the quality designs of Gary Player have been established. There are over 40 courses in the US and over 250 worldwide.
• Real Estate Services: Established in March of 2006,the Gary Player Group focuses on high end golf resorts and residential properties.
• Foundation: Remembering the challenges of his youth, Gary Player established his eponymous namesake foundation in 1983 with a mission to provide quality education and a future to underprivileged children globally.
• Enterprises: Gary Player is synonymous with quality. His service portfolio includes brand indorsement, licensing, corporate functions and motivational talks.
• Golf Academy: From individual to corporate gathering, any level of play from age six on up may attend one of the golf academies located around the world.
• Golf Equipment: The Gary Player brand hosts an exclusive selection of golf shoes,putters, wedges, hats, shirts, balls and other golf accessories for the course.

[edit] Gary Player Foundation

Founded in 1983 to meet the growing educational crisis in rural schools. Player wanted to promote dynamic teaching and effective learning. The first project undertaken was at Blair Atholl Farm outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. A primary school, community resource/media centre and upgraded nursury school were built. Having to walk three hours roundtrip to the nearest school as a boy, The Blair Atholl School is a dream come true for Player. In addition to the Blair Atholl Schools, the foundation supports various causes around the world that work to better the lives of underprivileged children. The Foundation has raised over SAR 100 Million and donated monetary sums to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club, Museum of the Treasure Coast, Pleasant City Elementary of Palm Beach and other similarly aligned charities.

In order to support such endeavors as Blair Atholl and underprivileged children's education around the world, the Gary Player Foundation conducts golf tournaments, dinners, auctions and other activities to benefit Foundation projects. The most celebrated of these are the following:

• Gary Player Invitational, Palm Beach, Florida
• Monte Carlo Invitational, Monaco
• Nelson Mandela Invitational, Cape Town, South Africa
• Gary Player Classic, Shanghai, China

[edit] Miscellaneous

• Dubbed the Black Knight (for his preference for black apparel), Mr. Fitness and the International Ambassador of Golf^[3]
• Player bred the racehorse Broadway Flyer which competed in the 1994 Epsom Derby.
• Named Honorary Member of the R&A in 1994.
• Received Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from St. Andrews in 1995.
• Received Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland in 1997
• The WGC-NEC Invitational trophy is named the Gary Player Cup.
• Named Honorary Member of Carnoustie in 1999
• Received Honorary Doctorate in Law, University of Dundee, Scotland in 1999
• South African Sportsman of the Century award in 2000
• Received the 2003 Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Monte Carlo.
• Awarded the Order of Ikhamanga (in gold) by President Mbeki of South Africa for excellence in golf and contribution to non-racial sport in South Africa.
• He was featured on a South African stamp.
• Has designed over 250 golf courses around the world.
• Coined one of the most quoted aphorisms of post-War sport: "The harder you practice, the luckier you get."
• He currently plays on the U.S. Champions Tour.
• He made a cameo appearance in the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, "The Smoking Jacket."
• Supports Scottish football team Rangers
• Has travelled over 14 million miles by air and is "the world's most travelled athlete".
• In 2006 received the Payne Stewart Award
• Played in his 50th Masters Tournament at Augusta National in April 2007, tying Arnold Palmer for most Masters appearances
• Inducted into the African American Sports Hall of Fame in May 2007, with Lifetime Achievement Award

[edit] In the bag

Callaway seems to be Gary Player's preference, as it is all that is in his bag.

• Driver: FT-3 Callaway
• Fairway Woods: Strong 4, 5 and 9 Callaway Steelhead Woods
• Hybrid: Callaway Heavenwood 4H
• Irons: 5-PW X-Tour Callaway
• Sand wedges: 56 Degree and 64 Degree X-Tour Callaway
• Putter: Odyssey Whitehot #1
• Ball: Callaway HX Tour
• Glove: Callaway
• Shoes: Gary Player Collection
• Putter Grip: Odyssey

[edit] See also

• Golfers with most PGA Tour wins
• Golfers with most major championship wins
• Longest PGA Tour win streaks
• Golfers with most Champions Tour wins
• Golfers with most Champions Tour major championship wins
• Big Three

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Gary Player's official site
• Profile on PGA Tour's official site
• Gary Player Profile at Golf Legends
• Gary Player Golf Course Design
• Gary Player Foundation