Gary Player is well known for never shying away from controversy and is never opposed to getting involved in the odd altercation here and there either.
It goes without saying that Gary Player is one of the greatest golfers of all time.
However, it’s fair to say that he rubs some people up the wrong way with his no-nonsense takes and opinions as well.
Player labeled himself as the third best golfer in the history of the game last month, behind only Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
While he certainly has a fair argument, his refusal to acknowledge Bobby Jones’ talent came across as rather arrogant to say the least.
Would you rather win The Masters or The Open Championship?
Player has been hugely critical of many golfers, including Sir Nick Faldo, after the Englishman questioned Rory McIlroy’s fitness regime.
He’s well-known for showing modern-day players plenty of tough love as well and his advice often helps them in the long run.
Gary Player pinned golfer up against a locker just before he won The Masters
With 159 worldwide professional victories to his name including nine major championships, Player is someone who many modern-day golfers go to for advice.
And the South African never holds back from telling them how it is.
That was the case at The Masters before the turn of the century when the nine-time major champion took it upon himself to give one golfer somewhat of a pep talk, so to speak.
When speaking to The Daily Mail, Player opened up on an incident in the Augusta National locker room way back in 1999 involving Jose Maria Olazabal.
“He was down in the dups in 1999 and I pinned him up against a locker. I told him, ‘promise me you’ll stop being so down on yourself and start believing you can win’. Four days later, he’d won his second Masters.“
Incredibly, Olazabal won his second Masters that year, after finishing two shots clear of Davis Love III and three shots ahead of Greg Norman.
The Spaniard proved his quality with rounds of 70, 66, 73 and 71 during a tough week at Augusta National and walked away with his second green jacket after winning his first in 1994.
Gary Player claimed Augusta is not even a special golf course
Back in 2023, Player let rip at Augusta National for making it so hard to play a round of golf there with his grandchildren.
He said: “After all I’ve contributed to the tournament and been an ambassador for them, I can’t go and have a practice round there with my three grandchildren without having to beg a member to play with us, and there’s always some excuse. It’s terribly, terribly sad.
“I’ve played my role: I’ve won it three times; I was in the top ten 15 times; I made the most number of cuts in a row ever, yet here we are struggling to get a round.“
What a shame it is that Player – a man who has three Masters titles to his name – harbors such ill-feeling towards Augusta National.
Surely something needs to be done moving forward so that the hatchet can be buried between the two parties.
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