"I'll have an occasional whiskey with my farm manager. I maybe have 50 drinks a year."
Stop the presses! A scoop if I've ever stumbled onto one!
It's no big story if he shows up in Augusta looking robust enough to wrestle a squad of Pinkertons. He has been hiking a mountain on his land as well as perspiring through vigorous workouts in his personal gym (he was a regular in Augusta National's new fitness center last year).
Strongest memories of the Masters, which he has won three times? He cites the worst first: a loss in 1962 when he was on the verge of becoming the first repeat winner. "I had Arnold by two shots at 16 and was 12 feet from the hole, and he holed that putt from the top right of the green that was three times more spectacular than Tiger Woods' chip-in."
The previous year Player became the first foreign-born Masters champion when Palmer suffered his worst experience at Augusta, needing a par at the last to win before making double bogey from the bunker as Player, who had parred from the same bunker, watched on television. Player won again in 1974 when he nearly holed a 9-iron at the 71st hole and finished two strokes ahead of Tom Weiskopf and Dave Stockton.
Player's favorite memory is his final green jacket, in 1978, when he shot a record-tying 64 the last day to come from seven shots behind, birdieing seven of the last 10 holes to nip by a stroke defending champion Tom Watson, Rod Funseth and Hubert Green, who missed a three-foot putt on 18.
"I came back in 30, and it could have been 27 with putts that touched the hole," says Player, who was the oldest winner (42) at Augusta until Nicklaus won at 46 in 1986.
"On the green at 18 I looked at the scoreboard and had a feeling I could win if I could make my putt. It was about 15 feet, downhill from the top of the green, and at that time nobody had made a putt from up there to win. It went in, and Seve Ballesteros ran across the green to give me a big hug, then my caddie hugged me. He was ecstatic. He'd told me before the tournament he needed a house real bad, real bad. I told him he had one."
The happy ending was revisited last April when Player was making a speech in downtown Augusta after getting the key to the city. He asked the retired caddie, Eddie McCoy, to come up. McCoy was overwhelmed. Player says, "It was a great moment."
The Little Guy has created more than a few of those. And he isn't done yet.
A PLAYER AT AUGUSTA
Gary Player, 72, this year will break Arnold Palmer's record by playing in his 51st Masters. He will be the subject of a special on CBS, "Jim Nantz Remembers Augusta, The 1978 Masters," from 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET immediately preceding the final round April 13. Player's career at Augusta:
Holds the record for strokes (11,739), six more than Jack Nicklaus, with a stroke average of 73.37. Low round of 64 (1978); high round of 88 (2005).
Second to Nicklaus in rounds played (163 to 160).
Trails only Nicklaus, Palmer and Tiger Woods with three green jackets (1961, '74, '78).
First international player to win.
Trailed by seven strokes after three rounds in 1978 but shot 64 to win with a birdie on the final hole (one of six players to birdie the 72nd hole to win).
Shot 40 on the final nine to win in 1961 and 30 on the final nine to win in 1978.
Tied with Fred Couples for most consecutive cuts made (23, starting in 1959). Last made the cut in 1998, at 62.
Runner-up in 1962 and '65.
Says his first trip to the Masters, from South Africa in 1957, took 40 hours with five layovers.
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