Gary Player
Personal information
Full name	Gary Player
Nickname	The Black Knight, Mr. Fitness, International Ambassador of Golf
Born	(1935-11-01) 1 November 1935 (age 76) Johannesburg, South Africa
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	150 pounds (68 kg; 11 st)
Nationality	South Africa
Residence	Jupiter Island, Florida, U.S. Colesberg, South Africa
Career
Turned professional	1953
Current tour(s)	PGA Tour (joined 1957) Champions Tour (joined 1985)
Professional wins	165
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour	24 (25th all time)
Champions Tour	19
Other	120 (regular) 14 (senior)
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 9)
Masters Tournament	Won: 1961, 1974, 1978
U.S. Open	Won: 1965
The Open Championship	Won: 1959, 1968, 1974
PGA Championship	Won: 1962, 1972
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1974 (member page)
PGA Tour leading money winner	1961
Southern Africa Tour Order of Merit winner	1976/77, 1979/80
PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award	2012
(For a full list of awards, see here)

Gary Player DMS; OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African professional golfer and widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. Over his career, Player accumulated an impressive nine major championships on the regular tour and six Champions Tour major championship victories, as well as three Senior British Open Championships on the European Senior Tour. At the age 29, Player won the 1965 U.S. Open and became the only non-American to win all four majors, known as the career Grand Slam. Player became only the third golfer in history to win the Grand Slam, following Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen. Since then, only Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have won the Grand Slam. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six decades and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

Player was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has logged more than 25 million kilometers (15 million miles) in travel, which is more than any other athlete.^[1] Nicknamed the Black Knight,^[2] Mr. Fitness, and the International Ambassador of Golf, Player is also a renowned golf course architect with more than 325 design projects on 5 continents throughout the world. He has also authored or co-written 36 golf books.

His business interests are represented by Black Knight International, which includes Gary Player Design, Player Real Estate, and Black Knight Enterprises, aspects of which include licensing, events, publishing, wine, apparel and memorabilia.

The Gary Player Stud Farm has received worldwide acclaim for breeding top thoroughbred race horses, including 1994 Epsom Derby entry Broadway Flyer.

He operates The Player Foundation, which has a primary objective of promoting underprivileged education around the world. In 1983, The Player Foundation established the Blair Atholl Schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, which has educational facilities for more than 500 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. In 2008 it celebrated its 25th Anniversary with charity golf events in London, Palm Beach, Shanghai and Cape Town, bringing its total of funds raised to over US $50 million.^[3]

In 2012 the Gary Player Invitational charity series of events will be staged in Augusta, Georgia after the Masters; in London after The Open Championship; in Shanghai prior to the HSBC Championship and in Durban, South Africa just before the Nedbank Golf Challenge at the Gary Player Country Club.

Background and family[link]

Gary Player swings at the 2009 GPI in Edinburgh, Scotland

Gary Player was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the youngest of Harry and Muriel Player's three children. When he was eight years old 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 become number one in the world. At age 17, he became a professional golfer.

Player married wife Vivienne Verwey (sister of professional golfer Bobby Verwey) on 19 January 1957, four years after turning professional. Together they have six children: Jennifer, Marc, Wayne, Michele, Theresa and Amanda. He is also a grandfather to 21 grandchildren.^[4] During the early days of his career Player would travel from tournament to tournament with wife, six children, nanny and a tutor in tow.

Eldest son, Marc Player, owns and operates Black Knight International, which exclusively represents Player in all his commercial activities, including all endorsements, merchandising, golf course design, and real estate development.

Gary Player is the brother of Ian Player, a notable South African environmental educator and conservationist.^[5]

Regular PGA Tour career[link]

Player is one of the most successful golfers in the history of the sport, ranking third (behind Roberto de Vicenzo and Sam Snead) in total professional wins, with at least 166, and tied for fourth in major championship victories with nine. Along with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus he is often referred to as one of "The Big Three" golfers of his era – from the late 1950s through the late 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 Bobby Locke, then was followed 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 24 career titles. He also played an exceptionally busy schedule all over the world, and he has been called the world's most traveled athlete, clocking up more than 15 million miles. He has more victories than anyone else in the South African Open (13) and the Australian Open (7). He held the record for most victories in the World Match Play Championship, with five wins, from 1973 until 1991 when this feat was equaled by Seve Ballesteros, finally losing his share of the record in 2004, when Ernie Els won the event for a sixth time. Player was ever-present in the top ten of Mark McCormack's world golf rankings from their inception in 1968 until 1981; he was ranked second on those rankings in 1969, 1970 and 1972, each time behind Jack Nicklaus.

He was the only player in the 20th century to win the British Open in three different decades.^[6] His first win, as a 23-year-old in 1959 at Muirfield, came after he double-bogeyed the last hole, and broke down in tears thinking he had lost his chance, but none of the remaining players on the course could match the clubhouse lead he had set. In 1974, he became one of the few golfers in history to win two major championships in the same season. Player last won the U.S. Masters in 1978, when he started seven strokes behind 54-hole leader Hubert Green 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 1984, at the age of 48, Player nearly became the oldest ever major champion, finishing just behind Lee Trevino at the PGA Championship. And 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. Player credited this feat to his dedication to the concept of diet, health, practise and golf fitness.^[7]

Player in 2008

Being South African, Player never played in the Ryder Cup in which American and European golfers compete against each other. Regarding the event, Player remarked, "The things I have seen in the Ryder Cup have disappointed me. You are hearing about hatred and war."^[8] 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, but 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 were appointed to captain their respective teams again in 2007 in Canada; the United States won.

Legacy[link]

In 2000 he was voted "Sportsman of the Century" in South Africa. 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. The "Gary Player – A Global Journey" exhibition was launched by the Hall of Fame as of March, 2006.

In 2000, Player was ranked as the eighth greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine.^[9]

In 2002, Player was voted as the second greatest global golfer of all time by a panel of international media, golf magazines and fellow professionals conducted by the leading Golf Asia Magazine.

On 10 April 2009, he played for the last time in The Masters, where he was playing for his record 52nd time. He was the last of The Big Three (Nicklaus, Player & Palmer) to retire from this tournament, a testament to his longevity.

On 23 July 2009, at the age of 73, Player competed in the Senior British Open Championship at Sunningdale Golf Club, 53 years after capturing his maiden European Tour victory at the Berkshire venue.^[10]

Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters announced on 5 July 2011, that Player had been invited to join Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as an honorary starter. The Big Three will be reunited in this capacity starting with the 2012 tournament.^[11]

Professional wins[link]

PGA Tour wins (24)[link]

No.	Date	Tournament	Winning Score	Margin of Victory	Runner(s)-up
1	20 Apr 1958	Kentucky Derby Open	-14(68-68-69-69=274)	3 strokes	Chick Harbert, Ernie Vossler
2	3 Jul 1959	The Open Championship	Even (75–71–70–68=284)	2 strokes	Fred Bullock, Flory Van Donck
3	29 Jan 1961	Lucky International Open	-12 (70-69-68-65=272)	2 strokes	George Bayer, Don Whitt
4	26 Mar 1961	Sunshine Open Invitational	-15 (69-68-67-69=273)	1 stroke	Arnold Palmer
5	10 Apr 1961	Masters Tournament	-8 (69–68–69–74=280)	1 stroke	Charles Coe, Arnold Palmer
6	22 Jul 1962	PGA Championship	-2 (72–67–69–70=278)	1 stroke	Bob Goalby
7	13 Jan 1963	San Diego Open Invitational	-14 (65-65-70-70=270)	1 stroke	Tony Lema
8	8 Mar 1964	Pensacola Open	-14 (71-68-66-69=274)	Playoff	Miller Barber, Arnold Palmer
9	31 May 1964	500 Festival Open Invitation	-11 (70-66-70-67=273)	3 strokes	Doug Sanders, Art Wall, Jr.
10	20 Jun 1965	U.S. Open	+2 (70–70–71–71=282)	Playoff	Kel Nagle
11	13 Jul 1968	The Open Championship	+1 (74–71–71–73=289)	2 stroke	Bob Charles, Jack Nicklaus
12	20 Apr 1969	Tournament of Champions	-4 (69-74-69-72=284)	2 strokes	Lee Trevino
13	5 Apr 1970	Greater Greensboro Open	-13 (70-63-73-65=271)	2 strokes	Miller Barber
14	21 Mar 1971	Greater Jacksonville Open	-7 (70-70-72-69=281)	Playoff	Hal Underwood
15	28 Mar 1971	National Airlines Open Invitational	-14 (69-67-70-68=274)	2 strokes	Lee Trevino
16	26 Mar 1972	Greater New Orleans Open	-9 (73-69-68-69=279)	1 stroke	Dave Eichelberger, Jack Nicklaus
17	6 Aug 1972	PGA Championship	+1 (71-71-67-72=281)	2 strokes	Tommy Aaron, Jim Jamieson
18	9 Sep 1973	Southern Open	-10 (69-65-67-69=270)	1 stroke	Forrest Fezler
19	14 Apr 1974	Masters Tournament	-10 (71-71-66-70=278)	2 strokes	Dave Stockton, Tom Weiskopf
20	26 May 1974	Danny Thomas Memphis Classic	-15 (65-72-69-67=273)	3 strokes	Lou Graham, Hubert Green
21	13 Jul 1974	Open Championship	-2 (69-68-75-70=282)	4 strokes	Peter Oosterhuis
22	9 Apr 1978	Masters Tournament	−11 (72–72–69–64=277)	1 stroke	Rod Funseth, Hubert Green, Tom Watson
23	16 Apr 1978	MONY Tournament of Champions	-7 (70-68-76-67=281)	2 strokes	Andy North, Lee Trevino
24	23 Apr 1978	Houston Open	-18 (64-67-70-69=270)	1 stroke	Andy Bean

PGA Tour playoff record (3-10)

No.	Year	Tournament	Opponent(s)	Result
1	1958	Dallas Open Invitational	Julius Boros, John McMullin, Sam Snead	Snead won with birdie on first extra hole
2	1959	Memphis Open	Al Balding, Don Whitt	Lost to par on second extra hole Balding eliminated on first extra hole with birdie
3	1961	American Golf Classic	Jay Hebert	Lost to birdie on the second extra hole
4	1962	Masters Tournament	Dow Finsterwald, Arnold Palmer	Lost an 18-hole playoff (Palmer:68, Player:71, Finsterwald:77)
5	1962	Memphis Open Invitational	Lionel Hebert, Gene Littler	Hebert won with birdie on first extra hole
6	1963	Palm Springs Golf Classic	Jack Nicklaus	Lost 18-hole playoff (Nicklaus:65, Player:73)
7	1964	Pensacola Open	Miller Barber, Arnold Palmer	Won an 18-hole playoff (Player:71, Palmer:72, Barber:74)
8	1965	U.S. Open	Kel Nagle	Won an 18-hole playoff (Player:71, Nagle:74)
9	1967	Oklahoma City Open Invitational	Miller Barber	Lost to birdie on third extra hole
10	1968	Azalea Open Invitational	Steve Reid	Lost to birdie on second extra hole
11	1971	Greater Jacksonville Open	Hal Underwood	Won with par on second extra hole
12	1971	Kemper Open	Dale Douglass, Lee Trevino, Tom Weiskopf	Weiskopf won with birdie on first extra hole
13	1975	MONY Tournament of Champions	Al Geiberger	Lost to birdie on first extra hole

Major championships are shown in bold.

European Tour and other international wins[link]

In addition to his wins on the PGA Tour, Player won more than 120 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: A record 7 times between 1958 and 1974. Jack Nicklaus won 6 and Greg Norman 5 times.

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

• World Cup: individual title in 1965 and 1977
• Piccadilly World Match Play Championship: 5 times between 1965 and 1974 (The event was 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)
• Trophée Lancôme: 1975

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

Champions Tour wins (19)[link]

• 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.

European Senior Tour and other wins (15)[link]

• 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)
• 2009 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Demaret Division (with Bob Charles)
• 2010 Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf – Demaret Division (with Bob Charles)

The Senior British Open is shown in bold as it is generally recognized as a major and it is now an official Champions Tour event and major. However, it was not an official Champions Tour event as recognized by the US PGA Tour 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 retrospectively designated as Champions Tour wins by the PGA Tour at this time. The Senior British Open is however recognized as a major by all other international bodies, such as the European Tour.

Major championships[link]

Wins (9)[link]

Year	Championship	54 Holes	Winning Score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1959	The Open Championship	4 shot deficit	E (75–71–70–68=284)	2 strokes	Fred Bullock, Flory Van Donck
1961	Masters Tournament	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	Masters Tournament (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	Masters Tournament (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 (+1), Nagle 74 (+4).

Results timeline[link]