| Gary Player DMS OIG | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Player in 2008 | |||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Full name | Gary James Player | ||||||||||
| Nickname | The Black Knight, Mr. Fitness | ||||||||||
| Born | (1935-11-01)1 November 1935 (age 90) | ||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 150 lb (68 kg; 11 st) | ||||||||||
| Sporting nationality |  South Africa | ||||||||||
| Residence | Jupiter Island, Florida, U.S. Plettenberg Bay, South Africa | ||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||
| Children | 6 | ||||||||||
| Career | |||||||||||
| Turned professional | 1953 | ||||||||||
| Former tours | PGA Tour Southern Africa Tour Champions Tour | ||||||||||
| Professional wins | 159 | ||||||||||
| Number of wins by tour | |||||||||||
| PGA Tour | 24 | ||||||||||
| European Tour | 4 | ||||||||||
| Sunshine Tour | 20 | ||||||||||
| PGA Tour of Australasia | 2 | ||||||||||
| PGA Tour Champions | 22 (Tied-7th all-time) | ||||||||||
| European Senior Tour | 3 | ||||||||||
| Other | 63 (regular) 6 (senior) | ||||||||||
| Best results in major championships (wins:9) | |||||||||||
| Masters Tournament | Won:1961,1974,1978 | ||||||||||
| PGA Championship | Won:1962,1972 | ||||||||||
| U.S. Open | Won:1965 | ||||||||||
| The Open Championship | Won:1959,1968,1974 | ||||||||||
| Achievements and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| (For a full list of awards, seehere) | |||||||||||
Gary James Player (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retiredprofessional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time.[1] During his career, Player won ninemajor championships on the regular tour and nine major championships on theChampions Tour.[2][3][4] At the age of 29, Player won the1965 U.S. Open and became the first non-American to win all four majors in a career, known as thecareer Grand Slam. At the time, he was the youngest player to do this, thoughJack Nicklaus (26) andTiger Woods (24) subsequently broke this record. Player became only the third golfer in history to win the Career Grand Slam, followingBen Hogan andGene Sarazen, and only Nicklaus, Woods andRory McIlroy have performed the feat since. He won over 160 professional tournaments on six continents over seven decades and was inducted into theWorld Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.[5]
Nicknamed "the Black Knight", "Mr. Fitness", and "the International Ambassador of Golf",[6] he is also agolf course architect with more than 400 design projects on five continents throughout the world. Player has also authored or co-written 36 books on golf instruction, design, philosophy, motivation and fitness. On 7 January 2021, Player was awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedom by United States presidentDonald Trump.
The Player Group was established by Marc Player who owns and operates The Player Foundation, which has a primary objective of promoting underprivileged education around the world. In 1983, Marc Player established the Blair Atholl Schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, which has educational facilities for more than 500 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. In 2013 it celebrated its 30th anniversary with charity golf events inLondon,Palm Beach,Shanghai andCape Town, bringing its total of funds raised to over US$60 million.[7][8]
Player was born inJohannesburg, South Africa, the youngest of Muriel and Harry Player's three children. At age 17, he became a professional golfer.
Player married wife Vivienne Verwey (sister of professional golferBobby Verwey) on 19 January 1957, four years after turning professional. Together they had six children: Jennifer, Marc, Wayne, Michele, Theresa, and Amanda. He also has 22 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.[9][10] During the early days of his career, Player would travel from tournament to tournament with his wife, six children, their nanny and a tutor in tow. Vivienne died of cancer in August 2021.[11]
Player's eldest son, Marc, 100% owns and operates The Player Group, including all trademarks and intellectual property. The PLAYER Group exclusively represents Player in all his commercial activities, including all endorsements, licensing, merchandising, golf course design, and real estate development.[12] In 2020, Player won a legal battle against the Gary Player Group. Gary Player was awarded $5 million and the rights to his name and likeness back from the company.[13]
Player is the brother ofIan Player, a South African environmental educator, activist and conservationist.[14]
Player is one of the most successful golfers in history, tied for fourth inmajor championship victories withnine. Along withArnold Palmer andJack Nicklaus he is often referred to as one of "The Big Three" golfers of his era – from the late 1950s through the late 1970s – when golf boomed in the United States and around the world and was greatly encouraged by expanded television coverage. Along withGene Sarazen,Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus,Tiger Woods andRory McIlroy, he is one of only six players to win golf's "career Grand Slam". He completed the Grand Slam in 1965 at the age of twenty-nine. Player was the second multiple majors winner from South Africa, followingBobby Locke, then was followed byErnie Els, andRetief Goosen.
Player competed regularly on the U.S. basedPGA Tour from the late 1950s. He led the Tour money list in 1961, and went on to accumulate 24 career Tour titles. He also played an exceptionally busy schedule all over the world, and he has been called the world's most traveled athlete. Player has logged more than 26 million km (16 million mi) in air travel – in 2005 it was estimated that he had "probably flown further … than any athlete in history".[15][16]
Player has more victories than anyone else in theSouth African Open (13) and theAustralian Open (7). He held the record for most victories in theWorld Match Play Championship, with five wins, from 1973 until 1991 when this feat was equalled bySeve Ballesteros, finally losing his share of the record in 2004, when Ernie Els won the event for the sixth time. Player was in the top ten ofMark McCormack's world golf rankings from their inception in 1968 until 1981; he was ranked second in 1969, 1970 and 1972, each time toJack Nicklaus.
Player was the only player in the 20th century to win the British Open in three different decades.[17] His first win, as a 23-year-old in 1959 atMuirfield, came after he double-bogeyed the last hole.[18] In 1974, he became one of the few golfers in history to win two major championships in the same season. Player last won theMasters in 1978, when he started seven strokes behind 54-hole leaderHubert Green entering the final round, and won by one shot with birdies at seven of the last 10 holes for a back nine 30 and a final round 64. One week later, Player again came from seven strokes back in the final round to win theTournament of Champions.[19] In 1984, at the age of 48 Player nearly became the oldest ever major champion, finishing in second place behindLee Trevino at the PGA Championship. And in gusty winds at the 1998 Masters, he became the oldest golfer ever to make the cut, breaking the 25-year-old record set by Sam Snead. Player credited this feat to his dedication to the concept of diet, health, practice and golf fitness.[20]
Player has occasionally been accused of cheating, particularly in the 1974 Open; he has strongly denied the accusations. Later, at a skins game in Arizona in 1983,Tom Watson accused him of cheating by moving a leaf from behind his ball.[21]
Being South African, Player never played in theRyder Cup in which American and European golfers compete against each other. Regarding the event, Player remarked, "The things I have seen in the Ryder Cup have disappointed me. You are hearing about hatred and war."[22] He was no longer an eligible player when thePresidents Cup was established to give international players the opportunity to compete in a similar event, but he was non-playing captain of the International Team for thePresidents Cup in 2003, which was held on a course he designed, The Links at Fancourt, in George, South Africa. After 2003 ended in a tie, he was reappointed as captain for the 2005 Presidents Cup, and his team lost to the Americans 15.5 to 18.5. Both Player and Jack Nicklaus were appointed to captain their respective teams again in 2007 in Canada; the United States won.
The green jacket is reserved for Augusta National members and golfers who win theMasters Tournament. Jackets are kept on club grounds, and taking them off the premises is forbidden. The exception is for the winner, who can take it home and return it to the club the following year. Player, who became the tournament's first international winner in 1961, said he did not know that. After losing a playoff in 1962 to Arnold Palmer, he packed the jacket and took it to his home in South Africa. That led to a call from club Chairman Clifford Roberts, who was a stickler for rules. "I didn't know you were supposed to leave it there," Player said. "Next thing you know, there was a call from Mr. Roberts."[23]
In 2000, Player was voted "Sportsman of the Century" in South Africa. In 1966, he was awarded theBob Jones Award, the highest honour given by theUnited States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. He was inducted into theWorld Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. The "Gary Player – A Global Journey" exhibition was launched by the Hall of Fame as of March 2006.
In 2000,Golf Digest magazine ranked Player as the eighth greatest golfer of all time.[24]
In 2002, Player was voted as the second greatest global golfer of all time by a panel of international media, golf magazines and fellow professionals conducted by the leading Golf Asia Magazine.[citation needed]
On 10 April 2009, he played for the last time in the Masters, where he was playing for his record 52nd time[25] – every year since 1957 except for 1973, when he was recovering from surgery.[26] After Nicklaus and Palmer, he was the last of the Big Three to retire from this tournament, which is a testament to his longevity.
At age 73 on 23 July 2009, Player competed in theSenior British Open Championship atSunningdale Golf Club, 53 years after capturing his maiden European Tour victory at the Berkshire venue.[27]
Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters announced on 5 July 2011 that Player had been invited to joinJack Nicklaus andArnold Palmer as an honorary starter. The Big Three were reunited in this capacity starting with the 2012 tournament.[28]
In July 2013, Player became the oldest athlete ever to pose nude inESPN The Magazine's annual Body Issue to inspire people to keep looking after themselves throughout their lives whatever their age.[29][30]
In 1966, Player espoused support for theapartheid policies ofHendrik Verwoerd in his bookGrand Slam Golf, stating: "I must say now, and clearly, that I am of the South Africa of Verwoerd and apartheid ... a nation which ... is the product of its instinct and ability to maintain civilised values and standards amongst the alien barbarians. The African may well believe in witchcraft and primitive magic, practise ritual murder and polygamy; his wealth is in cattle".[31] Activists publicly demonstrated against Player's espousal of apartheid, including protesting against Player at the1969 PGA Championship. Australian activists also strongly protested against Player. In 1971 there were several threats to protest against Player at tournaments though they never came to fruition.[32] Years later, in October 1974, Australian activists screamed at Player, "Go home, racist!", as he was lining up a putt on the 72nd hole in a tournament he had a chance to win.[33]
However, in a 1987 interview withThe Los Angeles Times, Player disavowed the system of apartheid, stating, "We have a terrible system in apartheid ... it's almost a cancerous disease. I'm happy to say it's being eliminated. [...] We've got to get rid of this apartheid."[34] In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Player discussed his early support for apartheid stating that the South African Government had "pulled the wool over our eyes" and that the people were "brainwashed" into supporting these policies.[35]
In July 2007, Player made statements atthe Open Championship golf tournament about the use ofperformance-enhancing drugs in golf. He alleged that at least ten players were "taking something", citinghuman growth hormone,steroids andcreatine as possible substances. Both thePGA Tour andEuropean Tour were in the process of introducing random testing programmes at the time.[36]
In June 2016, in an interview with bunkered.co.uk, Player branded as "laughable" a report released bythe R&A andUSGA governing bodies which said that driving distance in golf was only increasing minimally. He warned of a "tsunami coming" due to the governing bodies' failure to address issues surrounding new golf technology.[37] After the 2017Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Player reiterated these comments, taking to messaging service Twitter to say he was sad to see theOld Course at St Andrews "brought to her knees" afterRoss Fisher broke the course record on a day of very low scoring during the final round.[38]
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (9) |
| Other PGA Tour (15) |
PGA Tour playoff record (3–10)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1958 | Dallas Open Invitational |  Julius Boros,John McMullin,Sam Snead | Snead won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1959 | Memphis Open |  Al Balding,Don Whitt | Whitt won with par on second extra hole Balding eliminated by birdie on first hole |
| 3 | 1961 | American Golf Classic |  Jay Hebert | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 4 | 1962 | Masters Tournament | Dow Finsterwald,Arnold Palmer | Palmer won 18-hole playoff; Palmer: −4 (68), Player: −1 (71), Finsterwald: +5 (77) |
| 5 | 1962 | Memphis Open Invitational | Lionel Hebert,Gene Littler | Hebert won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 6 | 1963 | Palm Springs Golf Classic | Jack Nicklaus | Lost 18-hole playoff; Nicklaus: −7 (65), Player: +1 (73) |
| 7 | 1964 | Pensacola Open Invitational | Miller Barber,Arnold Palmer | Won 18-hole playoff; Player: −1 (71), Palmer: E (72), Barber: +2 (74) |
| 8 | 1965 | U.S. Open |  Kel Nagle | Won 18-hole playoff; Player: +1 (71), Nagle: +4 (74) |
| 9 | 1967 | Oklahoma City Open Invitational | Miller Barber | Lost to birdie on third extra hole |
| 10 | 1968 | Azalea Open Invitational | Steve Reid | Lost to birdie on second extra hole |
| 11 | 1971 | Greater Jacksonville Open | Hal Underwood | Won with par on second extra hole |
| 12 | 1971 | Kemper Open | Dale Douglass,Lee Trevino,Tom Weiskopf | Weiskopf won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 13 | 1975 | MONY Tournament of Champions | Al Geiberger | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| Legend |
|---|
| Major championships (4) |
| Other European Tour (0) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 Aug1972 | PGA Championship[a] | +1 (71-71-67-72=281) | 2 strokes | Tommy Aaron,Jim Jamieson |
| 2 | 14 Apr1974 | Masters Tournament[a] | −10 (71-71-66-70=278) | 2 strokes | Dave Stockton,Tom Weiskopf |
| 3 | 13 Jul 1974 | The Open Championship | −2 (69-68-75-70=282) | 4 strokes |  Peter Oosterhuis |
| 4 | 9 Apr1978 | Masters Tournament[a] (2) | −11 (72-72-69-64=277) | 1 stroke | Rod Funseth,Hubert Green,Tom Watson |
European Tour playoff record (0–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1974 | Dunlop Masters |  Bernard Gallacher | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1976 | Penfold PGA Championship | Neil Coles, Eamonn Darcy | Coles won with par on third extra hole Player eliminated by par on first hole |
Southern Africa Tour playoff record (2–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1974 | Dunlop South African Masters |  Bobby Cole | Won with par on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1981 | Datsun South African Open | John Bland,Warren Humphreys | Won with birdie on third extra hole after 18-hole playoff; Player: −2 (70), Bland: −2 (70), Humphreys: E (72) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Nov 1974 | Qantas Australian Open | −11 (69-72-63-73=277) | 3 strokes | Norman Wood |
| 2 | 15 Nov 1981 | Tooth Gold Coast Classic | −13 (65-71-72-67=275) | 4 strokes | Bob Shearer |
PGA Tour of Australia playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1979 | Victorian Open | Rodger Davis,Geoff Parslow | Davis won with birdie on second extra hole |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 Mar 1980 | Trophée Félix Houphouët-Boigny | −23 (66-66-69-64=265) | Playoff | Peter Townsend |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 Nov 1980 | Chile Open | −4 (72-67-74-71=284) | 1 stroke | Alan Pate |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 May 1956 | Dunlop Tournament | 70-64-64-72-68=338 | 2 strokes | Arthur Lees |
| 2 | 16 Oct 1965 | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship | 3 and 2 | Peter Thomson | |
| 3 | 8 Oct 1966 | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship (2) | 6 and 4 | Jack Nicklaus | |
| 4 | 12 Oct 1968 | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship (3) | 1 up |  Bob Charles | |
| 5 | 9 Oct 1971 | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship (4) | 5 and 4 | Jack Nicklaus | |
| 6 | 13 Oct 1973 | Piccadilly World Match Play Championship (5) | 40th hole | Graham Marsh | |
| 7 | 8 Nov 1974 | La Manga International Pro-Am | −42 (67-54-63-60=244) | Playoff | Clive Clark |
| 8 | 10 Nov 1974 | European Ibergolf Trophy | +1 (73-72=145) | Playoff | Peter Townsend |
| 9 | 12 Oct 1975 | Trophée Lancôme | −10 (73-65-69-71=278) | 6 strokes | Lanny Wadkins |
| 10 | 21 Oct 1984 | Johnnie Walker Trophy | −16 (68-71-66-67=272) | Playoff |  Seve Ballesteros |
Sources:[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52]
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 Nov 1961 | Yomiuri Pro Championship | +1 (75-72-72-70=289) | 5 strokes |  Chen Ching-Po |
| 2 | 14 May 1972 | Japan Airlines Open | −8 (67-71-72-70=280) | 1 stroke | Lu Liang-Huan, Tōru Nakamura,Peter Thomson,Haruo Yasuda |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 Sep 1956 | Western Australian Open | 69-27-74-74=289 | 5 strokes | Len Thomas |
| 2 | 7 Oct 1956 | North Coast Open | −4 (69-67=136) | Playoff | Norm Berwick |
| 3 | 17 Nov 1956 | Ampol Tournament | 66-73-69-72=280 | 6 strokes | Bo Wininger |
| 4 | 13 Oct 1957 | North Coast Open (2) | −5 (68-67=135) | 1 stroke | Eric Cremin |
| 5 | 2 Nov 1957 | Ampol Tournament (2) | 74-70-66-71=281 | 2 strokes |  Dave Thomas |
| 6 | 21 Nov 1957 | Australian PGA Championship | 2 up | Peter Thomson | |
| 7 | 30 Aug 1958 | Australian Open | 68-67-70-66=271 | 5 strokes | Kel Nagle |
| 8 | 7 Nov 1959 | Victorian Open | −17 (70-69-69-67=275) | 5 strokes | Harold Henning |
| 9 | 14 Nov 1959 | Ampol Tournament (3) | 73-70-69=212 | Shared title withKel Nagle | |
| 10 | 28 Oct 1961 | Wills Classic | −2 (78-68-71-69=286) | 3 strokes | Eric Cremin |
| 11 | 3 Nov 1962 | Australian Open (2) | 69-70-71-71=281 | 2 strokes | Kel Nagle |
| 12 | 2 Nov 1963 | Australian Open (3) | −18 (70-70-70-68=278) | 7 strokes | Bruce Devlin |
| 13 | 30 Oct 1965 | Australian Open (4) | −28 (62-71-62-69=264) | 6 strokes | Frank Phillips,Jack Nicklaus |
| 14 | 10 Nov 1968 | Wills Masters | −15 (69-70-66-72=277) | Playoff | Peter Townsend |
| 15 | 26 Oct 1969 | Australian Open (5) | E (64-69-68-77=288) | 1 stroke | Guy Wolstenholme |
| 16 | 25 Oct 1970 | Australian Open (6) | −8 (71-65-70-74=280) | 3 strokes | Bruce Devlin |
| 17 | 1 Nov 1970 | Dunlop International | −6 (71-67-73-71=282) | 1 stroke | Bill Brask,Kel Nagle,Lee Trevino |
Sources:[57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73]
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Nov 1972 | Brazil Open | −6 (65-68-68-69=270) | 10 strokes | Steve Melnyk |
| 2 | 1 Dec 1974 | Brazil Open (2) | −9 (67-59-70-71=267) | 5 strokes | Mark Hayes |
| Legend |
|---|
| Senior PGA Tour major championships (9) |
| Other Senior PGA Tour (13) |
Senior PGA Tour playoff record (5–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | Denver Post Champions of Golf |  Roberto De Vicenzo | Won with par on fourth extra hole |
| 2 | 1987 | PaineWebber World Seniors Invitational | Bob Charles | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1988 | Silver Pages Classic |  Harold Henning | Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1988 | U.S. Senior Open | Bob Charles | Won 18-hole playoff; Player: −4 (68), Charles: −2 (70) |
| 5 | 1990 | Bell Atlantic Classic | Dale Douglass | Lost to par on second extra hole |
| 6 | 1996 | FHP Health Care Classic | Walter Morgan | Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 7 | 1997 | Senior British Open | John Bland | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
| Legend |
|---|
| Senior major championships (1) |
| Other European Seniors Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 Aug1993 | Belfast Telegraph Irish Senior Masters | −5 (68-68-72=208) | 2 strokes | José María Roca |
| 2 | 27 Jul1997 | Senior British Open | −10 (68-70-72-68=278) | Playoff | John Bland |
| 3 | 3 Aug 1997 | Shell Wentworth Senior Masters | −9 (69-68-70=207) | 1 stroke | José María Cañizares,David Creamer |
European Seniors Tour playoff record (1–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1997 | Senior British Open | John Bland | Won with birdie on second extra hole |
*TheSenior British Open was retroactively recognised by the PGA Tour Champions as a senior major in 2018.[4][74]
| Year | Championship | 54 holes | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | The Open Championship | 4 shot deficit | −4 (75-71-70-68=284) | 2 strokes | Fred Bullock, Flory Van Donck |
| 1961 | Masters Tournament | 4 shot lead | −8 (69-68-69-74=280) | 1 stroke | Charles Coe,Arnold Palmer |
| 1962 | PGA Championship | 2 shot lead | −2 (72-67-69-70=278) | 1 stroke | Bob Goalby |
| 1965 | U.S. Open | 2 shot lead | +2 (70-70-71-71=282) | Playoff1 | Kel Nagle |
| 1968 | The Open Championship(2) | 2 shot deficit | +1 (74-71-71-73=289) | 2 strokes | Bob Charles,Jack Nicklaus |
| 1972 | PGA Championship(2) | 1 shot lead | +1 (71-71-67-72=281) | 2 strokes | Tommy Aaron,Jim Jamieson |
| 1974 | Masters Tournament(2) | 1 shot deficit | −10 (71-71-66-70=278) | 2 strokes | Dave Stockton,Tom Weiskopf |
| 1974 | The Open Championship(3) | 3 shot lead | −2 (69-68-75-70=282) | 4 strokes | Peter Oosterhuis |
| 1978 | Masters Tournament(3) | 7 shot deficit | −11 (72-72-69-64=277) | 1 stroke | Rod Funseth,Hubert Green,Tom Watson |
1Defeated Nagle in 18-hole playoff; Player 71 (+1), Nagle 74 (+4).
| Tournament | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T24 | CUT | T8 | |
| U.S. Open | 2 | T15 | ||
| The Open Championship | 4 | T24 | 7 | 1 |
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T6 | 1 | 2 | T5 | T5 | T2 | T28 | T6 | T7 | T33 |
| U.S. Open | T19 | T9 | T6 | T8 | T23 | 1 | T15 | T12 | T16 | T48 |
| The Open Championship | 7 | WD | CUT | T7 | T8 | WD | T4 | T3 | 1 | T23 |
| PGA Championship | T29 | 1 | T8 | T13 | T33 | T3 | 2 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 3 | T6 | T10 | 1 | T30 | T28 | T19 | 1 | T17 | |
| U.S. Open | T44 | T27 | T15 | 12 | T8 | T43 | T23 | T10 | T6 | T2 |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T7 | 6 | T14 | 1 | T32 | T28 | T22 | T34 | T19 |
| PGA Championship | T12 | T4 | 1 | T51 | 7 | T33 | T13 | T31 | T26 | T23 |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T6 | T15 | T15 | CUT | T21 | T36 | CUT | T35 | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T26 | CUT | T20 | T43 | CUT | CUT | |||
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | T42 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T35 | T66 | T60 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | T26 | T49 | CUT | T42 | T2 | CUT |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T24 | CUT | CUT | 60 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | 46 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | ||||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T57 | CUT | CUT | CUT | T68 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| PGA Championship |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Open | ||||||||||
| The Open Championship | CUT | CUT | ||||||||
| PGA Championship |
CUT = missed the halfway cut (3rd round cut in 1970, 1980, 1981 and 1985 Open Championships)
WD = withdrew
"T" = indicates a tie for a place.
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 22 | 52 | 30 |
| U.S. Open | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 29 | 25 |
| The Open Championship | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 17 | 46 | 26 |
| PGA Championship | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 21 |
| Totals | 9 | 6 | 3 | 23 | 44 | 70 | 150 | 102 |
| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | T21 | T9 | T13 | T28 | CUT | T8 | CUT | CUT | 61 |
CUT = missed the halfway cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
| Year | Championship | Winning score | Margin | Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship | −7 (68-68-73-72=281) | 2 strokes | Lee Elder |
| 1987 | U.S. Senior Open | −14 (69-68-67-66=270) | 6 strokes | Doug Sanders |
| 1987 | Mazda Senior Tournament Players Championship | −8 (69-73-69-69=280) | 1 stroke | Bruce CramptonChi-Chi Rodríguez |
| 1988 | General Foods PGA Seniors' Championship(2) | −4 (69-73-72-70=284) | 3 strokes | Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
| 1988 | Volvo Seniors' British Open | −8 (65-66-72-69=272) | 1 stroke | Billy Casper |
| 1988 | U.S. Senior Open(2) | E (74-70-71-73=288) | Playoff1 | Bob Charles |
| 1990 | PGA Seniors' Championship(3) | −7 (74-69-65-73=281) | 2 strokes | Chi-Chi Rodríguez |
| 1990 | Volvo Seniors' British Open(2) | E (69-65-71-75=280) | 1 stroke | Deane Beman,Brian Waites |
| 1997 | Senior British Open(3) | −10 (68-70-72-68=278) | Playoff2 | John Bland |
1Defeated Charles in 18-hole playoff; Player (68), Charles (70).
2Defeated Bland with a birdie on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.
| Tournament | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior PGA Championship | 1 | T8 | 1 | T8 |
| U.S. Senior Open | 2 | 1 | 1 | T9 |
| The Tradition | NYF | NYF | NYF | 2 |
| Senior Players Championship | T14 | 1 | T3 | 3 |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior PGA Championship | 1 | T8 | 5 | T16 | T19 | T60 | T31 | T20 | T39 | T43 |
| U.S. Senior Open | T3 | T8 | T3 | T17 | T13 | T19 | T60 | T21 | ||
| The Tradition | 2 | T15 | T20 | T17 | T27 | T17 | T9 | T51 | T17 | T50 |
| Senior Players Championship | T18 | T43 | T18 | T33 | T42 | T49 | T49 | T29 |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior PGA Championship | T46 | T8 | T45 | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | ||
| The Senior Open Championship | –1 | –1 | –1 | T51 | CUT | T61 | T65 | CUT | CUT | |
| U.S. Senior Open | CUT | 57 | CUT | T54 | CUT | CUT | ||||
| The Tradition | T34 | T19 | T62 | 75 | T64 | T73 | T76 | 67 | ||
| Senior Players Championship | T57 | T56 | T58 | T74 |
1The Senior Open Championship was not a Champions Tour major until 2003, though it was on the European Seniors Tour. Player won the event three times prior to this recognition.
CUT = Missed the half-way cut
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
"T" = tied
Gary Player in thePresidents Cup | |||||||||||||||||
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