Gary Player (born November 1, 1935) is a South African Professional golfer.
He coined one of the most quoted aphorisms of post-War sport: "The harder you practice the luckier you get."
Currently plays on the Champions Tour, displaying all his old desire, determination and competitiveness.
Championships Won
He has won over 160 world wide championships, including:
Major Championships
(TOTAL: 9) Three Masters (1961, 1974, 1978), three British Opens (1959, 1968, 1974), two PGA Championships (1962, 1972) and the US Open (1965).
Senior Major Championships
(TOTAL: 9) Three Senior PGA Championship s (1986, 1988, 1990), two Senior US Open s (1987, 1988), three Senior British Open s (1988, 1990, 1997) and the Senior Players Championship (1987).
(TOTAL: 24) 1958 Kentucky Derby Open. 1959 British Open Championship. 1961 Lucky International, Sunshine Open, Masters. 1962 PGA Championship. 1963 San Diego Open. 1964 “500” Festival, Pensacola Open. 1965 US Open. 1968 British Open. 1969 Tournament of Champions. 1970 Greater Greensboro Open. 1971 Greater Jacksonville Open, National Airlines Open. 1972 New Orleans Open, PGA Championship. 1973 Southern Open. 1974 Masters, Danny Thomas-Memphis Classic. 1974 British Open. 1978 Masters, Tournament of Champions, Houston Open.
Other Championships
(TOTAL: 108) 1959, 1968 and 1974 British Opens; winner of the South African Open 13 times between 1956-1983; seven-time winner of the Australian Open; five-time World Match Play Championship; individual titles in 1965 and 1977 World Cup of Golf; winner of World Series of Golf in 1965, 1968 and 1972; 1957 Australian PGA Championship; 1972 and 1974 Brazilian Open; 1976 South African Dunlop Masters; 1980 Chile Open; 1984 Johnnie Walker tournament (Spain); 1994 Skills Challenge.
US PGA Champions Tour
(TOTAL: 19) 1985 Quadel Seniors Classic. 1986 General Foods PGA Seniors Championship, United Hospital Classic, Denver Post Champions. 1987 Mazda Senior TPC, US Senior Open, PaineWebber World Seniors Invitational. 1988 General Foods PGA Seniors Championship, Aetna Challenge, Southwestern Bell Classic, US Senior Open, GTE North Classic. 1989 GTE North Classic, RJR Championship. 1990 PGA Seniors Championship. 1991 Royal Caribbean Classic. 1993 Bank One Senior Classic. 1995 Bank One Senior Classic. 1998 Northville Long Island Classic.
Other Senior Championships
(TOTAL: 12) 1988, 1990, 1997 British Senior Open, 1986, 1988 and 1991 Nissan Senior Skins, 1987 Northville Invitational, Long Island, NY, German PGA Team Championship, Captain, Chrysler Cup, 1993 Irish Senior Masters. 1997 Dai-ichi Seimei Cup (Japan), Shell Wentworth Senior Masters, London, England, 2000 Senior Skins Game, Mauna Lani, Hawaii.
Achievements
Leading money winner on the PGA TOUR in 1961...Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974...South African Sportsman of the Century award...2000 PGA Tour Ambassador of Golf Award...NEC World Championship of Golf Trophy named the Gary Player Cup...Over $14 million in combined worldwide earnings...Celebrated his 50th anniversary as a professional in 2003...Named Honorary Member of Carnoustie Golf Course in 1999...Named Honorary Member of the R&A in 1994...Player bred racehorse Broadway Flyer competed in the 1994 English Derby...Entered his 47th consecutive British Open in 2001...Received Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from St. Andrews in 1995...Was presented the Hilton Hotel Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995...Received Honorary Doctor of Science from University of Ulster, Ireland in 1997...Received Honorary Doctorate in Law, University of Dundee, Scotland in 1999...In gusty winds at the 1998 Masters, became the oldest golfer ever to make to the cut, breaking the 25 year old record set by Sam Snead…Appointed “Global Ambassador to Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf” Series …Received the 2003 Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Monte Carlo…And most recently, 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.
Regular Tour
The most successful international golfer of all-time, he has traveled nearly fourteen million miles and is The World’s Most Traveled Athlete™...One of only five players to win golf’s career Grand Slam joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods in the feat...Completed Grand Slam at age 29 in 1965...Only player in the 20th century to win the British Open in three different decades...Last won 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 came from seven strokes back in the final round to win the Tournament of Champions...The last player to win three tournaments in a row on the PGA TOUR when he captured the Houston Open the week following the Tournament of Champions in 1978.
Champions Tour
Eclipsed $7 million in US TOUR combined career earnings...Won his first Champions TOUR event taking the 1985 Quadel Seniors Classic in his debut...Top 10 on the Champions TOUR money list from 1986-1990... Had one or more victories in each of his first seven years on the circuit, nine of twelve years overall...Outdueled Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino for his third Senior PGA Championship title in 1990...Largest paycheck of his career came at a Champions TOUR event winning $202,500 at the 1989 RJR Championship...Five-time winner in 1988 including the PGA Seniors and US Senior Open...Defeated Bob Charles in a playoff that year at Medinah for the US Senior Open title, his second in a row...Earned his 18th official Champions TOUR win six weeks before his 60th birthday...Won back two back titles in 1997 at the Senior British Open and the Shell Wentworth Masters...Became the second oldest winner on the Champions TOUR by shooting three consecutive rounds of 68 to capture the 1998 Northville Long Island Classic. In January 2000, shut out through the first 18 holes, Player staged the biggest comeback in the history of the Champions Skins Game by making a birdie on the first playoff hole to win four skins and a $220, 000 jackpot to win the match.
Other Notes
Dubbed the Black Knight, Mr. Fitness and the International Ambassador of Golf...Renowned golf course architect with over 200 design projects throughout the world...Operates Black Knight International which includes, Gary Player Equipment, Gary Player Academy and Gary Player Enterprises, aspects of which include licensing, publishing, videos, apparel, and memorabilia...Gary Player Stud Farm has received worldwide acclaim for breeding top thoroughbred race horses including 1994 English Derby entry Broadway Flyer...Operates The Player Foundation with its primary objective to promote education. The Foundation built the Blair Atholl Schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, which has educational facilities for over 500 students from kindergarten through grade 8 and is currently working on additional educational projects around the world. Member of the Laureus World Sports Academy. Captained the UBS Cup with Arnold Palmer in November 2001 and 2002. Appointed Captain of the International Team for The Presidents Cup in 2003, held on a course he designed - The Links at Fancourt in George, South Africa. He and his good friend and rival Jack Nicklaus will again captain The Presidents Cup in 2005 in Washington, DC.
Last updated: 02-09-2005 21:27:15
