Posted 4/14/03 9:57 am ET

Back in black

Player opened Masters to world

The Big Three - Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player - at the 2001 Masters. During their dominant run at the Augusta National, they accumulated 13 green coats, with Nicklaus earning six, Plamer four and Player three. File/AugustaChronicle

By John Boyette
The Augusta Chronicle

Gary Player was supposed to enjoy 2003 and take, perhaps, a final stroll down memory lane for one of golf's most accomplished players.

The fond remembrances for Player were to include a celebration of his 50th year as a professional golfer and the 25th anniversary of his third and final Masters victory.

Instead, Player was brooding over what he thought would be his final Masters appearance.

Normally upbeat, he lowered his voice when asked about Augusta National's decision to restrict past Masters champions from competing past age 65.

"I'm very sad. I'm a little disappointed that they didn't honor their word," Player said in February. "I'm still very competitive. I'd have liked to have played until I was 70. I've just got to accept it."

The policy, which was to take effect in 2004, said former winners who are past age 65 or who did not actively participate in tournament golf (defined as playing in at least 10 events the previous calendar year) no longer would be eligible to play.

"If you look at the bylaws, we were always promised we had a lifetime exemption," Player said at the time. "Clifford Roberts said to me, 'You've got a lifetime exemption, but use your discretion.' (Past champions) Ben Hogan, Cary Middlecoff, Jimmy Demaret, Jackie Burke, Henry Picard did. You can go down the list."

Player, Tommy Aaron and Charles Coody were the three former winners scheduled to make their final appearance at the Masters this year.

An outspoken critic of the policy change, Player told more than one reporter that he "didn't feel welcome" and indicated that he might not come back to Augusta after this week's appearance.

Now, with a simple letter that rescinded the policy, Player has changed his tune.

"When I stop playing (in the tournament) I will come back, where I wasn't planning to," Player said. "I was coming there with a feeling of not being all that welcome. Now I come with a great feeling of joy in my heart."

That means he will likely take part in the Champions Dinner, practice rounds and Par-3 Contest for several years to come.

"I will definitely be coming back to the dinners in the future," Player said. "It makes me very, very excited, getting to smell the roses there."

Club traditions

In nearly a half-century of coming to Augusta, Player has become a part of the tournament's cherished traditions. He also has seen many changes that haven't been as welcome.

Last year, in a much-discussed move, Augusta National Chairman Hootie Johnson sent letters to former champions Gay Brewer, Billy Casper and Doug Ford asking them to no longer compete in the tournament. Casper and Ford still showed up for the annual Champions Dinner, but Brewer stayed away.

"Just to get a letter in the mail saying you're not playing anymore, I find that hard," Player said. "I find it most unbecoming of Augusta. It doesn't go with the tradition of the tournament."

Although he was critical of the way Johnson handled the incident, Player said that former winners do have a responsibility to play full, 18-hole rounds.

Ford withdrew from his final four Masters appearances, including in 2001, when he quit after one hole. Brewer and Casper each withdrew twice in their final three appearances at Augusta National.

"What's got to take place now, whoever does play must play 36 holes," Player said. "That's something we've got to commit to."

The South African vows not to play when he is no longer competitive.

"This still may be my last competitive appearance and I will just have to take it year by year and see, but now at least I feel welcomed again," Player said.

He also had a suggestion for the club.

"If there is going to be any further change on this age matter in the future, I would suggest the Masters consider a cut-off age of 65 for all future Masters champions," Player said.

The club had planned to give Player a dinner during Masters Week in honor of his final appearance, but the idea was scrapped in light of the club's decision.

"I appreciated the fact that Hootie thought of it," Player said of the dinner. "It was really a nice gesture."

The extensive changes made to the golf course, including alterations to nine holes before the 2002 tournament, also bother Player.

"Now you've made Augusta where 15 percent of the field can win," he said. "I thought they should have made the course more narrow, with some bunkers, greens firmer. You give the players a chance to win. The longer hitter would still have the advantage."

Player thinks the club should have consulted the players who know the course best: the former champions.

Gary Player (from left), Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Plamer and Downing Gray stand behind Bobby Jones (seated, left) and Augusta National Chairman Clifford Roberts at the 1965 green jacket ceremony. Player tied for second in '65. File/AugustaChronicle

"It's not for me to go shouting my mouth," he said. "In that room at the Masters Champions Dinner, you've got how many people, 30 or 40? All golf architects, who know better than any modern-day committee. They know that golf course inside out. It's something that should have been discussed at large at our dinner."

In the beginning

Player turned professional in 1953 and immediately started winning tournaments. It wasn't long before his father, a gold miner, wrote Masters Chairman Clifford Roberts to ask him how his son could earn an international invitation to play in the Masters.

"Mr. Roberts told him, 'Go ahead and pass the hat around your club,"' Player said.

The South African made the lengthy journey to Augusta, and he finished with a respectable tie for 24th. He opened with 77, came back with 72 to make the cut by one stroke, then closed with rounds of 75 and 73. His 9-over-par total of 297 earned him a paycheck of $700.

Player was more aficionado than competitor that first year, soaking in the beauty of Augusta National and the legendary golfers who played the Masters.

"The first thing I remember was a meeting - this is what I think the (present-day) committee is missing - when I first went and to see my hero Ben Hogan. And to see Sam Snead, this great athlete. And Jimmy Demaret, this great personality. Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen, all these champions.

"I sat in the stands and watched them practicing," Player said. "I had dinner with Bobby Jones and the president (Dwight D. Eisenhower). It was awe inspiring. That's what I remember."

It didn't take Player - easy to spot in his frequent all-black outfits - long to become one of the fan favorites at the Masters. He won his first tournament in the United States, the Kentucky Derby Open, in 1958. The next year, he won his first major, taking the British Open at Muirfield.

He would be a factor in PGA Tour events and major championships for the next 20 years.

Masters wins

The Masters and Augusta National helped Player complete his rise to international fame.

He won the British Open in 1959 for his first major championship, but that was before it was fashionable for Americans to compete in golf's oldest championship.

Player's Masters debut in 1957 may have been inauspicious, but he quickly proved he could play the demanding course. After missing the cut in 1958, he posted a pair of top 10 finishes.

Coming into the 1961 Masters, all eyes were on Arnold Palmer. The reigning king of golf, Palmer had won the Masters and the U.S. Open in 1960.

Player, however, was the leading money winner on the professional tour. He was quietly confident, content to let Palmer grab the headlines and absorb the pressure of being the front-runner.

Player took control with a 69 in the third round to open up a four-shot lead over Palmer, then had to wait an extra day as heavy rain washed out Sunday's play. Finishing Monday, Palmer made the type of charge his fans had grown accustomed to and seized the lead on the back nine after Player found trouble on the par-5s.

As Player tells it, inexperience cost him two shots on No. 13 in that final round. After a wayward drive, he wanted to clear the gallery between the 13th and 14th fairways but could not get the fans to budge.

"I had a clear shot down 14, then a sand wedge to the green," he said. "(But) The people wouldn't move. I chipped it back on the fairway, and it rolled across the fairway and into the creek. Made seven."

Player compounded that error with a bogey at No. 15, and by that point Palmer had erased his deficit. Player closed with three pars, including an up-and-down from a bunker at the final hole.

Palmer came to the 18th hole with a one-shot edge. On the cusp of Masters history - being the first champion to repeat - he played the hole a little too nonchalantly and pushed his approach into the greenside bunker. He bladed the shot across the green, then chipped back long.

Facing a 15-footer to save bogey and force a playoff, Palmer missed to give Player his first green jacket.

Although some observers felt Palmer lost the tournament more than Player won it, the South African is quick to point out his own problems on the back nine that day.

"I'll never forget Sports Illustrated," Player said. "They were very, very kind. They said Gary Player won the Masters."

Player's victory was inspirational for his fellow pros, including those all over the world.

"It was a very important thing because it gave encouragement for many to follow suit," he said. "There's an international player who can do it. It was really not the desire then to play around the world. When I first came to the U.S., we played 32 tournaments for $800,000."

Player's biggest disappointment came the next year, when he lost to Arnold Palmer in an 18-hole playoff.

Player led until Palmer holed a miraculous shot on the 16th for birdie to help force a three-man playoff.

"I've got Arnold Palmer by two with three holes to play. I could have been the first to win back-to-back Masters," Player said. "He missed it to the right, and it went in going 100 miles an hour. You couldn't do that with 500 balls. He hits Eisenhower's tree on the next hole and makes birdie. In golf, the only thing that counts is what you've got on paper. It all evens out in the long run."

Palmer won the playoff with 68 to Player's 71, while Dow Finsterwald carded 77.

At age 67, Player remains committed to improving his game, spending time every day on the golf course. Chris Thelen/AugustaChronicle

Player was almost a perennial top-10 finisher at the Masters throughout the 1960s, but he would not win again until 1974.

Player missed the 1973 Masters because of major surgery. Coming in with little fanfare, Player quietly opened with a pair of 71s to put himself in contention. He roared to life in the third round, shooting 66 to vault into second place, one shot behind Dave Stockton.

In the final round, Player sealed the win with the shot of the tournament on the 17th hole. Facing a 140-yard shot, Player hit 9-iron to less than a foot to secure birdie and a two-shot win.

"I took the 9-iron, and after I hit it I kind of pushed it on the bag and I told my caddie I'm not going to need a putter," he said. "And there it was, six inches from the hole."

Player's most improbable victory in a major came at the Masters in 1978. At age 42, and four years removed from his last victory on the PGA Tour, the South African came from seven shots behind in the final round to win his third and final green jacket.

As in 1974, Player started with solid rounds, then moved into position in the third round. But with seven shots and nine players separating him from the leader, victory seemed a long shot - even for the always optimistic Player.

After a respectable 34 on the front nine in the final round, Player was five shots behind. A string of birdies at Nos. 10, 12, 13, 15 and 16 put him in contention, and a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole completed a back nine of 30 to match the course record.

Rod Funseth, Tom Watson and Hubert Green all had chances to match Player, but one by one they failed. Green had the best opportunity to tie, but his 3-foot putt for birdie on the final hole missed.

"Coming back in 30, actually touching the hole three times (with putts that didn't fall)," Player said, his voice incredulous. "If I had done that, they would have changed the course 20 years ago."

Although Player was the oldest man to win the Masters at that time (Jack Nicklaus would eclipse that record in 1986 with his win at age 46), Player proved that it was no fluke. He won the Tournament of Champions the next week, coming from seven back to defeat Seve Ballesteros. Then, at the Houston Open, he overcame a six-shot deficit to win for the third time in as many weeks.

"At Houston, I was six shots behind Andy Bean," Player recalled. "He came up to me and said, 'You little runt. You're not going to beat me.' I shot 64 there."

Big Three

Throughout golf history, top golfers have come in groups of three.

Harry Vardon, James Braid and J.H. Taylor formed the Great Triumvirate around the turn of the 20th century, and 50 years later Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead formed a powerful trio of their own.

But the most star-studded golfing threesome of all time was the Big Three - Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player.

Under contract to IMG and Mark McCormack, the three dominated golf in the 1960s both on the course and in the business world.

Nowhere was their dominance more evident than at the Masters, where the three held a firm grip on the green jacket from 1958 to 1966. Except for Art Wall's triumph in '59, one of the Big Three won the Masters every year during that nine-year span.

"You look back and I have such wonderful memories of Augusta, Arnold and Jack and I fighting it out," Player said. "I treasure those memories."

Their competitiveness continues today. At the MasterCard Championship in Hawaii in January, Player shot his age (67). Palmer did the same thing with a 73. That put pressure on the 63-year-old Nicklaus, who came close with a final-round 66.

"After Arnold shot 73 to shoot his age, and I shot 67, Jack said, 'Man, I had to go and try and shoot my age,"' Player said.

Player harbors no resentment toward Palmer and Nicklaus, even though they received more attention from the media and were always considered the favorites.

"Naturally, because they were Americans," he said. "You can basically say we beat each other the same. Nicklaus and I are the only two players to win the Grand Slam on the regular tour and the Champions Tour.

"Arnold Palmer has been a great ambassador for the United States, the world and golf."

Nicklaus and Palmer are equally gracious in their respect for Player.

"There was nothing really exceptional about Gary's game, except one thing: his desire to win," Nicklaus said in a profile of Player written for the 1997 Memorial Tournament program. "Gary, as much as anyone I ever saw, has that thing inside him that champions have."

Palmer agrees.

"Gary is one of the greatest competitors I ever played against," Palmer said in the book 50 Greatest Golfers. "He wasn't the best player by far, but he was certainly one of the most competitive people that I've ever played against."

Although the competitive days for all three are numbered, the only way to see the Big Three together in the future might be at an Augusta-area golf development that bears their name.

The Big Three Golf Club will be part of a 2,200-acre housing development in Columbia County, and Player, Nicklaus and Palmer will each design nine holes.

"Looks like that's going to mature," Player said. "You'll have a lot of people coming (to play it)."

Sam Snead shared a light moment at the 2001 Masters. Like Snead, Player has won in five decades. Andrew Davis Tucker/AugustaChronicle

Player could have had a permanent residence in Augusta decades ago had he heeded the advice of McCormack.

"Mark McCormack said to me in 1960, and to Arnold Palmer, why don't you guys buy yourself a nice house," Player said. "(Now) it's nothing to pay six grand for the week, or more."

Player is quick to give credit to his wife, Vivienne, for helping him achieve such great success.

He was 14 when he met the daughter of the pro at Virginia Park Golf Course, and the two have been married since 1957.

"I always said the Big Three were the wives," Player said. "Arnold Palmer had a great wife, and Jack Nicklaus, too."

Memorabilia sale

Player raised eyebrows in October when he announced he was putting his entire collection of golf trophies and memorabilia, including his green coat from the 1961 Masters, up for sale through the auction house Christie's.

The whole collection will go to a single purchaser, approved by Player, for a price estimated at more than $5 million.

Speculation over Player's reasons for the sale has run the gamut from serious financial problems for the Gary Player Group, run by Marc Player, to the purchase of a very expensive racehorse.

"I can decide where it can go," Player said. "I want to make sure it is all kept intact."

With six children and 13 grandchildren, Player can't bear the thought of his offspring squabbling over his trophies after he is gone.

He also dismisses the notion that he is selling the collection because he needs the money. He has said a portion of the proceeds will go to his Blair Atholl School for underprivileged children in South Africa. Another portion will go into a trust fund for his family.

"It was very easy. I thought about it," he said. "I have the best collection in the world. Why do I want to see them rotting on my shelf? I'd rather people enjoy seeing them."

Player has said that he hopes the items will either be put on display at the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla., or be part of a museum tied into a golf course designed by his firm.

Along with the trophies from his nine major championships, one of the featured items is the green coat he received from the Masters for his 1961 victory.

One of the greatest symbols in all of sports, the green jacket is reserved for Augusta National members and golfers who win the Masters. Jackets are kept on club grounds, and taking them off the premises is forbidden.

Player didn't know that. After losing a playoff in 1962 to Palmer, he packed the jacket and took it to his residence in South Africa. That prompted a call from Roberts, who was a stickler for club rules.

"I didn't know you were supposed to leave it there," Player says. "Next thing you know, there was a call from Mr. Roberts.

"'Gary, have you got the jacket?'

"I said, 'Yes, I do.'

"He said, 'Well, no one ever takes the jacket away from here.'

"And I said, 'Well, Mr. Roberts, if you want it, why don't you come and fetch it?"'

Instead of issuing a stern lecture, Roberts agreed to a compromise.

"He kind of chuckled and said don't wear it in public," Player said. "I've got it in my closet with my honors blazer from college. It's next to that, and I've never really worn it anywhere. He said, 'Keep it, but don't wear it in public.' And I never have. And I never will."

Creature of habit

On a typical day at his residence in Palm Beach, Fla., Gary Player rises at 6 a.m., eats a breakfast of herbal tea, fresh fruits and almonds, and then commences his normal workout: 1,000 situps, swinging a heavy club, extensive stretches and his choice of weights or aerobic activity.

Not bad for a man of 67.

Fitness long has been Player's calling card - at 5-foot-7 and 150 pounds, he has made up for his lack of size with his work ethic - and it has served him well in his global travels. His assistants marvel at his ability to rise early and accomplish tasks while they are still asleep.

The simple truth is, Player doesn't know how to slow down. Days at home in Florida are rare for Player, who spends much of the year traveling, playing in tournaments and fulfilling business obligations.

"I'll probably end up playing 21 tournaments worldwide this year," said Player, who estimates he has logged more than 14 million air miles during his career.

Player enjoyed the company of fellow South African Ernie Els during the 1999 Masters. Jonathan Ernst/AugustaChronicle

His travels this year will include such destinations as Qatar, Monaco, the Dominican Republic, China and his native South Africa. He also will visit Augusta; Nashville, Tenn.; Toledo, Ohio; and Raleigh, N.C.

He is driven by the belief that he can still win. Even though he is five years removed from his last win on the Champions Tour, he can still put up a low number from time to time, as he proved with his flawless, 5-under-par 67 in the second round of the MasterCard Championship.

"It was really a thrill," Player said. "I did that at (ages) 63, 64, 65, 66."

After his morning workout, he spends time at the golf course, either playing 18 holes or practicing. Then it is time for lunch, where Player splurges with a "healthy size" meal of salad, soup, chicken or fish, and a starch.

Afternoons are reserved for his family; it is not unusual for Player to take his grandchildren for outdoor activities such as fishing or horseback riding.

One of the secrets to Player's fitness is his long-held belief in eating a big lunch and a light dinner. His evening meal usually consists of grilled fish, vegetables and a salad. A glass of red wine is an occasional treat.

After interviews or business-related matters, Player is usually in bed by 10 p.m.

Twilight

Player deftly sidesteps the question of when he plans to retire.

After 50 years of chasing his dream, winning more tournaments and more money than he ever could have imagined, he still has a hard time letting go.

"I would like to be the first man to win a golf tournament in six decades," he said. "Sam Snead, Lee Trevino and myself are the only ones to win in five decades. I've got a chance. I've got an outside chance. Shooting 67 (in Hawaii) was very encouraging."

Earlier this year, Player celebrated his 50th anniversary of turning pro with little fanfare.

"We had a nice little dinner at home, a prayer of thanks," he said.

Even if his golf game isn't always up to his standards, Player keeps quite busy away from the course. From his business concerns to charity work to raising thoroughbred racehorses, Player remains a man on the go.

His course-design work takes him all over the globe, and he has 20 ongoing projects. His empire includes offices in Palm Beach, Johannesburg, Buenos Aires, Dubai, London and Hong Kong.

"We've got a busy year," he said. "When I go on vacation in December, I go to my ranch."

One of Player's passions is thoroughbred racing. He especially enjoys spending time at his 12,000-acre stud farm in South Africa.

He also has been an inspiration for a star-studded crop of golfers from South Africa, including Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

"He means everything to South African golf. He kept us on the map. Before 1992, we couldn't play in all the countries as South Africans. Him playing at a high level kept the morale up," Els said. "He's a great guy. He does a lot for charity. He helped me a lot in my career and gave me a lot of support. Obviously, he didn't have to do it. He's been very good to me."

Goosen echoes those sentiments.

"Gary was a little bit before my time. I haven't seen that much golf with Gary," Goosen said. "Being a South African and what he's done for the game, he's great. He's been great for golf and South African golf. We're trying to catch his achievements, which will probably be impossible with the way the standard is these days.

"I've never, ever heard Gary Player say a negative thing. It's just his attitude toward life is what makes him different from everybody else. He really enjoys life and really appreciates everything he gets."

Player will get to see Els and Goosen up close when he serves as captain of the international squad for the Presidents Cup in South Africa later this year. Nicklaus will serve as the U.S. team captain.

"It's a great honor to be asked to captain the Presidents Cup. In my opinion, it's the biggest event ever to take place in South Africa. Far more people and many more countries around the world play golf than play rugby, and the coverage we're going to receive will be tremendous," Player told Compleat Golfer. "It's early to say, but we're hoping former President George Bush will be there and that (South African) President (Thabo) Mbeki and Nelson Mandela will attend."

Finale

The captaincy of the international squad in his home country is a well-deserved honor. For a man who has won the career Grand Slam and who has won tournaments worldwide, it will be one of the proudest moments in a career that includes being the only man in the 20th century to win the British Open in three different decades, winning more than $11 million in career earnings and creating a business empire worth millions of dollars.

Still, those achievements would not have been enough to offset the sour taste if he had been forced out as a competitor at the Masters.

"We all make mistakes. We've got to say we've made a mistake," Player said. "It takes a big person to admit it.

"So many people who want to go there and see Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer and these champions. This is the only tournament that this can happen. It's unique. I'm pleased they have humility to see this."

Player will compete at Augusta a few more years, then retire on his own terms. Instead of being bitter, he will get to remember the good times: chasing Arnie and Jack, slipping into the green jacket, and firing 30 on the back nine to win at Augusta when everyone thought he was washed up.

"Now I will come back with great joy," he said. "And sit on the veranda like Gene Sarazen."

Reach John Boyette at jboyette@augustachronicle.com.

 

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