Gary Player of South Africa watches a shot during the Greats of Golf exhibition on May 4 in Woodlands, Texas. The South African will host the Gary Player Invitational on July 22 in England. Photo: AFP
With ten South Africans in the field of this week’s British Open at Muirfield, and the first round played on an emotional 95th birthday for former president Nelson Mandela, Gary Player knows just what he is wishing for.
“It would be such a thrill to see one of our South African golfers win,” said Player from Muirfield, where he captured the first of the nine Major Championships with his victory in the 1959 Open Championship.
And with several of the South African golfers competing asked by the foreign media to recall their meetings with Mandela, Player also remembered one of his many encounters with the great man.
“Mandela gave such a great gift to South Africa. One year he arrived at the Nelson Mandela Invitational tournament, which we ran for charity. I met him at the helicopter in a golf cart.
As he climbed into the cart he said to me, ‘Gary, do you still remember me?’ Here was one of the most famous men in the world, yet he still had such humility.
I asked him how he could not be filled with hatred after all he endured. He simply told me that he had spent his time in prison filling his heart with love.”
Related articles
The Open Championship Predictions 2013: Veterans Who Pose Major Muirfield Threat
The Open Championship 2013: Golfers Carrying Most Momentum into Tournament
142nd Open Championship
