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A memorable swing
Posted: Wednesday April 09, 2003 11:02 PM
Updated: Thursday April 10, 2003 3:09 AM
By John Boyette
The Augusta Chronicle
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| ACHIEVEMENTS |
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| Gary Player |
| HEIGHT : 5-7 |
| BIRTHPLACE: Johannesburg, South Africa |
| FAMILY: Wife, Vivienne; Children, Jennifer, Marc, Wayne, Michele, Theresa and Amanda. |
| CAREER WINS: 163 |
MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Masters (1961, 1974, 1978)
British Open (1959, 1968, 1974)
PGA Championship (1962, 1972)
U.S. Open (1965) |
SENIOR MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Senior PGA Championship (1986, 1988, 1990)
Senior British Open (1988, 1990, 1997)
U.S. Senior Open (1987, 1988)
Senior Players Championship (1987) |
| HONORS: Inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974; named South African Sportsman of the Century; received honorary doctor of laws degree from St. Andrews in 1995 |
MASTERS RECORDS
He holds international player records for:
Most starts, 45 (1957-2002) Most consecutive starts, 29 (1974-2002) Tournaments completed, 30 (72 holes) Par or better rounds, 71 (51 subpar) Times low international player, 10 Oldest starter, 66 (in 2002) Oldest finisher, 62 (in 1998) |
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Gary Player has long been considered the global ambassador of golf.
It is fitting that the South African was the first international winner of the Masters Tournament. Player won his first green coat in 1961 and added victories in 1974 and 1978.
"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."
Only a few can match the memories that Player, 67, created in Augusta. He has played in the Masters every year since 1957, save for 1973 when he was sidelined by major surgery.
With three victories and three runner-up finishes, Player has plenty to savor from Augusta. All three of his Masters wins featured excitement over the closing holes.
The first win, in 1961, came courtesy of an Arnold Palmer collapse on the final hole. Palmer was bidding to become the first repeat champion in tournament history, but his typical final-day rally unraveled when he made double bogey on the 18th hole.
Player struggled for much of the back nine in the final round but closed with three straight pars to finish with a 74 and a 280 total. Palmer came to the 18th hole needing only a par to edge Player. When he made his six, it gave Player the green coat.
By the time of Player's second triumph, in 1974, he was well established as one of the game's top players and one of only four men (at the time) to have won all four of the game's major championships. He also was known as a physical fitness buff whose stamina and work ethic were legendary.
No fewer than half a dozen of the game's top players battled it out Easter Sunday, but Player's closing 70 was good for the win. He punctuated his two-shot victory with a tap-in birdie at the 17th hole after hitting his 9-iron less than a foot from the hole.
Player's third victory at Augusta National was his least likely and most spectacular.
The South African found himself trailing Hubert Green by seven shots going into the final day of the 1978 Masters. But seven birdies over the final 10 holes - including a clutch 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole - gave Player a closing 64 and a one-stroke victory.
Playing well ahead of Green and a slew of other contenders, Player posted his 277 total and then had to sweat it out while Green, Tom Watson and Rod Funseth played the final holes.
"It was agony, sheer agony," he said.
Player's final-round 64 matched the course record and also made him the oldest winner at age 42.
Although both of those records have been eclipsed, Player's status in Masters history is secure. He holds international player records for most starts (45), most consecutive starts (29), tournaments completed (30), par or better rounds (71) and low-scoring international player (10).
Copyright 2003 The Augusta Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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