Gary Player to make an honorary start to the Masters this year – Golf News
Gary Player has been invited to join his fellow icons, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, to make an honorary start to the Masters Tournament on Thursday, April 5, 2012.
Palmer won four Masters titles in his career and he has been an honorary starter of the first major event of the year since 2007. The six-time Masters winner, Nicklaus, joined him in 2010.
This year, the Augusta National Officials asked Player to join his past rivals and great friends in the field.
During the news conference on Tuesday, he was asked whether it is important to him to drive the ball better than the other two on the tee.
“Absolutely, absolutely,” the 76-year-old Player, a three-time Masters winner, said at the news conference.
“I've been training hard. I've just come from the gym right now, in fact. I've increased my sit-ups and my weights. Absolutely, we've been very competitive”.
Player told that there was a time when they all wanted to beat each other and did make their wishes come true a number of times.
However, a defeat in the tournament never disappointed them and they continuously used to challenge each other in every event they played together.
"We wanted to beat each other so badly, and we did beat each other on a lot of occasions," the South African legendary golf player said.
"But the nice thing about it, when we did lose, we looked the other in the eye and said, 'Well done, but I'll get you next week.' … And yet you could be such great friends".
In 2011, all of them participated in the event and failed to make the cut. Among the three, Player has record 52 appearances at the Masters. Palmer and Nicklaus had 50 and 45, respectively.
This year, they will not be playing the whole event. Rather, they will only hit one shot each to start the tournament.
Player expressed his nervousness because of the only chance he will have in the Masters. Therefore, he wants to beat his past rivals on the only shot he will have this year at the Augusta National.
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