Gary Player
Gary Player | |
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Personnel | |
Nation: | South Africa |
Nickname: | Black Knight |
Career data | |
Professional since: | 1953 |
Current tour: | Champions Tour |
Tournament wins: | 165 |
Major wins : | 9 |
Awards: |
Bob Jones Award (1966) South African Sportsman of the Century World Golf Hall of Fame (1974) PGA TOUR Lifetime Achievement Award (2012) |
Gary Player (born November 1, 1935 in Johannesburg ) is a South African professional golf athlete and one of the best golfers. His most important nickname is "Black Knight", the black knight (because of his always black playing clothes).
Life
Player was born the third of three children. His father Harry worked as a captain in a gold mine. When Gary Player was eight years old, his mother Muriel died of cancer. It wasn't until the age of 14 that he began to play golf. In 1953, at the age of 17, he became a professional golfer . In January 1957 he married Vivienne, with whom he has six children.
successes
Player joined the North American PGA Tour in the late 1950s , won the money list in 1961 and collected a total of 24 wins there. But he also played very successfully around the world, traveled over 22 million kilometers and won over 160 tournaments, including nine majors and many prestigious trophies in (record) series.
Gary Player is the only 20th century golfer to have won the Open Championship in three different decades (1959, 1968 and 1974). In 1998 he broke Sam Snead's record when he made the cut at the Masters as the oldest player to date . From 1955 to 1982 Player achieved at least one international tournament victory every year; he won the World Match Play title five times, the Australian Open seven times, the South African Open thirteen times and the South African Masters twelve times. He is also the only golfer who has ever achieved a round under 60 - a 59 - in a professional National Open , as happened at the 1974 Brazilian Open .
As a South African player was not allowed to compete in the Ryder Cup . He was already too old as a player for the newly created Presidents Cup , but at least as captain he was there in 2003 and 2005.
Gary Player has been playing senior on the Champions Tour since 1985 , won his first tournament in the same year, was always in the top 10 of the money list until 1990 and won 6 senior majors . Together with the 3 Senior British Open titles that are part of the European Seniors Tour , Player has also made 9 majors in the senior category.
Other activities
Gary Player is a sought-after golf course designer with over 300 projects around the globe. He heads Black Knight International , which covers a wide spectrum of everything to do with golf. Apart from golf, Gary Player supports the education of children and young people and the building of schools worldwide with his foundation The Player Foundation .
Quote
The harder you practice, the luckier you get.
Most important awards and honors
- 1966: Bob Jones Award (highest award of the USGA "in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf")
- 1974: World Golf Hall of Fame (The Golf's Hall of Fame )
- 1994: Honorary Member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews
- 1995: Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree from St. Andrews
- 1997: Honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Ulster , Northern Ireland
- 1999: Honorary Member of Carnoustie
- 1999: Honorary Doctorate in Law, University of Dundee
- 2003: Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Monte Carlo
- 2012: PGA TOUR Lifetime Achievement Award
- South African Sportsman of the Century
- Order of Ikhamanga in gold , presented by the South African President Thabo Mbeki for “excellence in golf and contribution to non-racial sport in South Africa”.
PGA Tour victories
- 1958 (1) Kentucky Derby Open
- 1959 (1) The Open Championship
- 1961 (3) Lucky International, Sunshine Open, The Masters
- 1962 (1) PGA Championship
- 1963 (1) San Diego Open
- 1964 (2) “500” Festival, Pensacola Open
- 1965 (1) US Open
- 1968 (1) The Open Championship
- 1969 (1) Tournament of Champions
- 1970 (1) Greater Greensboro Open
- 1971 (2) Greater Jacksonville Open, National Airlines Open
- 1972 (2) New Orleans Open, PGA Championship
- 1973 (1) (1) Southern Open
- 1974 (2) The Masters , Danny Thomas-Memphis Classic
- 1974 (1) The Open Championship
- 1978 (3) The Masters , Tournament of Champions , Houston Open
Major championships are in bold .
Other tournament victories (excerpt)
- South African Open : 13 times between 1956 and 1983
- South African Masters: 10 times between 1959 and 1976
- South African PGA: 5 times between 1959 and 1976
- Australian Open : 7 wins between 1958 and 1974
- World Cup : individual ranking 1965 and 1977
- World Match Play Championship : 5 wins between 1965 and 1974.
- World Series of Golf : 1965, 1968 and 1972
- Lancome Trophy : 1975
Champions Tour victories
- 1985 Quadel Seniors Classic
- 1986 Senior PGA Championship , United Hospital Classic, Denver Post Champions
- 1987 Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship , US Senior Open , PaineWebber World Seniors Invitational
- 1988 Senior PGA Championship , Aetna Challenge, Southwestern Bell Classic, US Senior Open , GTE North Classic
- 1989 GTE North Classic, RJR Championship
- 1990 Senior PGA Championship
- 1991 Royal Caribbean Classic
- 1993 Bank One Senior Classic
- 1995 Bank One Senior Classic
- 1998 Northville Long Island Classic.
Senior majors are in bold .
More senior tournament victories
- 1986 Senior Skins Game (South Africa)
- 1987 Northville Invitational (USA), 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 (USA)
- 2005 Nelson Mandela Invitational ( Sunshine Tour - unofficial event)
Senior majors are in bold .
See also
literature
- Michael D'Antonio : Tour '72. Nicklaus, Palmer, Player, Trevino. The Story of One Great Season . Hyperion, New York 2002.
Web links
(all english)
Individual evidence
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Player, Gary |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | south african golfer |
DATE OF BIRTH | November 1, 1935 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Johannesburg |