Famous Golfers: Gary Player
Gary Player was born in November 1935 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He played his first round of golf at the Virginia Park course in Johannesburg at age 14. His father bought him his first set of golf clubs, after managing to take out a loan. In his first round of golf, Gary Player managed to par the first 3 holes of the course. When he turned 16 he announced that he would become the world’s number one player. At age 17 Gary Player turned professional. Over the years he’s racked an amazing 164 professional wins and 9 wins in major championships (3 Masters, 1 US Open, 3 Open Championships, 2 PGA Championships). Gary Player was made a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Along with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus he is sometimes referred to as one of “The Big Three” golfers of his era (between the 1950s and 1970s). Gary Player is 1 of the 5 golfers in history to achieve Golf’s “Grand Slam”. He achieved this when he was 29 years old, in 1965. Over the years he’s managed 13 South African Open wins and 7 Australian Open Wins (more than anyone else). In the 20th Century he was the only player ever to win the British Open in 3 different decades. Gary Player achieved his first British Open win in 1959. In 1998 at the US Masters, he became the oldest golfer ever to make the cut, breaking a 25 year old record set by Sam Snead. In 2009, Gary Player played in his record 52nd Masters tournament. He has been called the world’s most travelled athlete. Over the years Gary Player has travelled over 14 million miles for his career. He’s been nicknamed “The Black Knight”, “Mr Fitness” and “The International Ambassador of Golf”. Gary Player is also a renowned golf course architect with more than 300 designs projects all over the globe. He got married 4 years after turning professional, in 1957. He’s a father to 6 children and a grandfather to 21 children.
