Gary Player DMS; OIG (Born 1 November 1935) Is a South African Professional Golfer, Widely Regarded As One of the Greatest Players in the History of Golf
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Gary Player DMS; OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African professional golfer, wi%el& regarded as one of the greatest p!a&ers in the histor& of golf. Over his career, P!a&er accumulated nine major championships on the regular tour and six +hampions Tour major championship victories, as wel! as three Senior British Open +hampionships on the European Senior Tour. At the age of 29, P!a&er $on the 1965 U.S. Open and became the onl& non-American to win al! four majors, kno$n as the career Grand S!am. P!a&er became onl& the third golfer in histor& to win the Career Grand S!am, fol!o$ing -en 4ogan and Gene Sarazen. Since then, onl& Jack Nicklaus and ,iger 7oods have $on the +areer Grand S!am. P!a&er has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six decades and was inducted into the 7or!d Golf Hal! of Fame in 1974.;1< -orn in Johannesbur", P!a&er has logged more than 25 mi!!ion ki!ometres (15 mi!!ion mi!es) in travel, which is more than any other athlete.;/< Nicknamed the B!ack Knight, Mr. Fitness, and the International Ambassador of Golf,;3< P!a&er is also a reno$ned "olf course architect with more than 325 design projects on five continents throughout the wor!d. He has also authored or co-$ritten 36 golf books. 4is business interests are represented b& -!ack Knight International, $hich includes Gary P!a&er Design, P!a&er Real Estate, The P!a&er 8oundation, Gary P!a&er Academies, and B!ack Knight Enter rises, aspects of which include !icensing, events, publishing, wine, apparel and memorabi!ia.;:< ,he Gary P!a&er Stud Farm has received wor!%$ide acclaim for breeding top thoroughbre% race horses, including 1994 .psom Derb& entry Broadwa& F!&er' 4e operates The P!a&er Foundation, which has a primary objective of promoting underprivi!eged education around the wor!d. In 1983, The (!a&er Foundation established the B!air Athol! Schools in Johannesburg, South Africa, which has educational faci!ities for more than 500 students from kinder"arten through eighth grade. In 2013 it celebrated its 30th Anniversar& with charity golf events in London, (alm Beach, Shanghai and +ape To$n, bringing its total of funds raised to over US$60 mi!!ion.;:<;5< In 2014 the Gary P!a&er Invitational charity series of events wi!! be staged in Augusta, Georgia after the Masters; in London after ,he Open Championship; in Shanghai after to the HS-+ Championship and at Sun City# South Africa just before the Nedbank Golf Chal!enge at the Gar& (!a&er Country C!ub..