Golf extraordinaire Gary Player was born in South Africa November 1, 1935 in Johannesburg, where he currently resides with his wife Vivienne Verwey. He turned professional in 1953 and joined the PGA tour in 1957. He joined the SPGA tour in 1985 and ranked in the top 31 on the 1996 Senior Tour Money List. He has club affiliations with Pinewild CC and Pinehurst N.C. Other Achievements Include being the leading money-winner on the PGA Tour in 1961, and with his 1965 U.S. Open victory, he became the third golfer to win all four of golf's major championships (Masters, U.S. and British Opens, PGA Championship). He also received the Bobby Jones Award in 1966 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. In 1978 he won three tournaments in a row on the PGA Tour. He received the South African Decoration for Meritorious Service in 1982, the South African Sportsman of the Century Award in 1990, the Honorary Member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews in 1994, the Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from St. Andrews University in 1995, and the Hilton Hotel Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. When he's not golfing, Gary's favorite pastimes include raising race horses, farming, and staying in shape. His golf design company endorses a strict environmental strategy, which involves minimalizing site disturbance, stimulating organic applications, and requiring environmentally delicate building materials in their golf course design methodologies.
