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Gary Player

Gary Player
Personal information
NameGary Player
Full nameGary Player
NicknameThe Black Knight
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6.1 in)
Weight150 lb (68 kg ; 10.7 st)
NationalitySouth Africa
ResidenceJupiter Island, Florida, U.S.
Colesberg, South Africa
Career
Turned professional1953
Current toursPGA Tour (joined 1957)
Champions Tour (joined 1985)
Professional wins165
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour24 (25th all time)
Champions Tour19
Other Major tour wins120 (regular)
14 (senior)
Best results in Major Championships
Masters TournamentWon: 1961, 1974, 1978
U.S. OpenWon: 1965
The Open ChampionshipWon: 1965
PGA ChampionshipWon: 1962, 1972
Achievements and awards
Hall of Fame1974
PGA Tour
leading money winner
1961
Southern Africa Tour
Order of Merit winner
1976/77, 1979/80

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Gary Player DMS; OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six decades.

Player was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He has logged more than 15 million miles in travel, which is claimed to be more than any other athlete.

Nicknamed the Black Knight, Mr. Fitness, and the International Ambassador of Golf, Player is also a renowned golf course architect with more than 300 design projects throughout the world. He has also written several golf books.

His business interests are represented by Black Knight International, which includes Gary Player Design, Player Real Estate, and Black Knight Enterprises, aspects of which include licensing, events, publishing, wine, apparel and memorabilia.

The Gary Player Stud Farm has received worldwide acclaim for breeding top thoroughbred race horses, including 1994 Epsom Derby entry Broadway Flyer. He operates The Player Foundation, which has a primary objective of promoting underprivileged education around the world.

In 1983, The Player Foundation established the Blair Atholl Schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, which has educational facilities for more than 500 students from kindergarten through eighth grade. In 2008 it celebrated its 25th Anniversary with charity golf events in London, Palm Beach, Shanghai and Cape Town, bringing its total of funds raised to over US $35 million.


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