In a wide-ranging interview on the eve of the 148th Open Championship, Player shares memories from his three wins in the oldest major, shares his tips for Royal Portrush this week, reveals the secrets of his lifetime of success on and off the course, updates his on-going charity crusade and offers his opinion on Tiger’s pursuit of Jack Nicklaus’ major championship record.

RELATED: Live Open coverage to be streamed to Middle East fans

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It’s now 60 years since your first Open Championship victory in 1959. Can you tell us about your memories of that week?
GP: I have great memories of that week. My wife arrived from South Africa with our firstborn. I didn’t have the money to go back to South Africa to be with her for the birth, which I felt very uncomfortable about. We got up to Muirfield but I didn’t realise how prim and proper they were. I walked in the clubhouse and Colonel Evans-Lombe, I’ll never forget his name, the secretary, said: “What do you want here?”. I said, “I’ve come to practice for The Open.” He said: “You’re not practicing here my boy. This is Muirfield.” So, I quickly thought, and I said: “I’m poor. I’ve got a wife with a baby. I need the money and I’m going to win The Open.” He said: “Not only are you not going to practice here but you’re an arrogant young man as well.” But I became great friends with him and over a cup of tea he told me not to hit a driver off number 15 every day in the practice round because the wind would change, so we would need to hit a three-iron off the tee and a longer iron in. Well, what happened? I hit a three-iron in the morning and afternoon (in those days it was a 36-hole final day) and a long iron onto the green and birdied it both times. At the prize-giving he stood with his hands tucked into his braces like he’d won The Open himself, which was great. I had a wonderful time at Muirfield and always enjoy going there. It’s a very special club.

How did that win change your mindset for the rest of your career?
GP: I’m neither America nor a British citizen. But I really consider The Open to be the most important tournament in the world. It’s so different. You have so much adversity in the tournament. You get in the bunker, you have to play out backwards. You play in the morning and you play in perfect weather, but in the afternoon you play in a strong wind. You’ve got to battle the elements. It’s a continuation of adversity. There’s no use having a yardage book. Sometimes you can hit a 7-iron 240 yards or you can hit a 7-iron 70 yards. So, you’ve really got to use what I call your natural instinct when playing.

Tell us more about that natural instinct?
GP: It’s something that’s missing for lots of regular tour events. They are looking at books to putt now, which I don’t think you should be allowed to do. Reading a green is part of something that you should be doing yourself with your caddy. Now if you don’t know where to putt, you’ve got a problem. All of the great putters, they never looked at a book. I think they should stop that because it’s using up time too much. We got to think of ways of not making golf slow. We should let people use a range finder. People walk 50 yards here and there to gauge a yardage, but they don’t know how far they hit the ball anyway. Instead, just use range finder. Click and there it is. I don’t know where we go from here. Soon you’ll have a little device you keep on the side of your belt and it will say: “The wind’s blowing into your face seven miles an hour, you’re playing uphill, you’ll need a 6-iron.” We are getting away from the great natural ability that a person has. That natural instinct, which I think is vitally important to separate one golfer from another. If they had to play with the equipment we played with, you’d find less players would be able to win tournaments than they do right now because it definitely separated the players to a great extent. You had to be a better shot maker with the inferior equipment.

What are your favourite Open courses and what do you think of Royal Portrush as a venue?
GP: I was a Royal Portrush three weeks ago. I don’t know if there’s a finer links golf course in the world. It’s hard to say. I think the two best links courses are Turnberry, where the redesign has done a marvellous job of bringing back the Scottish tradition and then also Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. You cannot get a better golf course in the world. I never thought I would ever live to see The Open played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland again with all the difficulties that they were having. It is marvellous to see it’s going back there. Northern Ireland is a great place to have The Open and the whole of Ireland will benefit because you’re going to have hundreds of thousands of people going there from all parts of the world and the media will explain to the world what a wonderful course, country and people they have there.

Do you have a favourite for Royal Portrush?
GP: I’ve got a feeling Rory McIlroy is going to win and boy that would bring the house down. That would be a wonderful thing for golf in Northern Ireland. It would give Ireland such a boost in the world. That would be the most appropriate when you think that The Open hasn’t been there since 1951. And, you know, he just won the Canadian Open the other day with 22-under, so he’s ready. The last winner there was Max Faulkner, who was signing his name ‘Max Faulkner. Open Champion.’ after 54 holes. He was quite a character.

What are Tiger Woods’ chances at Portrush?
GP: Well Tiger Woods is Tiger Woods. He’s one of the fiercest competitors I’ve ever seen. His judgement with his second shots to greens is probably the best I’ve ever seen. He’s as good as a putter as I’ve ever seen, and secondly, he picks the right club. He’s not a good driver of the ball and the rough is quite heavy there, so I’m sure he will use an iron off the tee or a 3-wood a lot. But you have to have a good draw at The Open. If you get a bad draw, which happened to Tiger at Muirfield, you have got no chance, so playing with the draw is of great importance.

Is Tiger going to pass Jack Nicklaus’ tally of 18 major championship wins?
GP: I don’t think so. The odds are stacked against him doing that at his age, but we are talking about Tiger Woods. I’m such a Tiger Woods fan. His comeback I think it’s the greatest comeback ever in any sport. What he did after what he went through, my hat’s off to him. My goodness me, my hat’s off to him. So, do I think he will pass Jack? I don’t think so. Would it be good if he did? Yes. All records are there to be broken. I’m forever hoping that Tiger will do well. I think Nicklaus will go down as the greatest golfer that ever lived. Because you’ve got to go by the record. The record is what counts. But it wouldn’t surprise me if Tiger Woods won The Open. It wouldn’t surprise me at all. I don’t know what he’s done but he’s swinging really well again.

Following very closely behind is the Women’s British Open. As a massive advocate of women’s golf, would you support calls support for equal pay for the women’s game?
GP: Yes I would. I admire the example of tennis. It’s marvellous to see they have come up with equal pay. I watched the Netherlands playing Sweden in the Women’s World Cup. Those ladies played so well and, if you look at the galleries and the attendance and the coverage, my goodness me, that shows the demand is there. These young ladies, they train hard and they travel around the world. They also have big expenses and they are providing such a strong example for young people everywhere. They deserve it.

The Player Foundation has raised an incredible amount of money for charity, over $64 million over the years. Can you tell us about how money makes a difference in the lives of the people?
GP: Well it’s been interesting and very enjoyable for me. It’s not easy at my age in the latter part of my life to travel to all these countries and raise that amount of money, but we are helping young people that are not as fortunate as we are with a number of projects. The sponsorship of Berenberg Bank has been just unbelievable. In London, they’ve helped us build the Depaul home for young people experiencing homelessness, who are turning their lives around, becoming doctors and lawyers after sleeping on the streets. It’s quite remarkable. In South Africa, we’ve built two schools which is really rewarding to see; people without an opportunity of having education now going out into the world and excelling. The support we have raised gives people a place in the sun. Having been very poor as a young person, it gives you an appreciation. Few people in the world have the same luxuries as we do and we are inclined to forget that.

The Berenberg Gary Player Invitational has been supported by male and female golfers from around the world. What does that support mean to you?
GP: I think golfers are very interested in helping charities. Most of the golfers have a charity of their own. And, if I may say, this started in 1965 when I won the U.S. Open. I was the first golfer at that time  to give my entire check back to cancer as my mother died of cancer, and to junior golf. Since then, it’s been a continuous thing that’s being done by all golfers and I’m very proud of the way golfers have really helped people along the way. Golf is a magnificent sport and it’s a great catalyst for raising money because the average man can play golf with pros, but he can’t go out and play rugby with professionals, for example.

Do you think you have inspired other golfers to look at the charitable impacts they could make? And what do you think golfers could do more of to help?
GP: I don’t want to take too much credit. Obviously, it’s their enthusiasm that makes them do it and they realise that they have a debt to society. I think people must realise that. And I think that it’s going to continue, even more so into the future. The young people, they’re making so much money. When I think back my first Open win at Muirfield, I won a thousand pounds, but that was in 1959. I don’t know what that would be today but a substantial amount of money, and these young fellows are making so much more.

What does the support of Berenberg mean to you?
GP: Well, without Berenberg, we wouldn’t really have had the success that we’ve had. They’ve been a very outstanding sponsor of this event. As has Rolex. If you look at Rolex, what they’ve done for golf and sport. Probably more than any company that I can think of. Between those two sponsors we’ve been very fortunate because if you don’t have sponsors today you just cannot reach the heights that you would like to.

There’s a trend of golfers becoming more health-conscious but particularly more muscular. Do you think they’ve gone overboard?
GP: I think they’ve underdone it if anything. I’ve been ridiculed about doing weight training. Even today, I still push 300 pounds with my legs. I run the treadmill at max. I did thousands of sit-ups and planks and crunches a week. And that’s why at 84 I can still beat my age by 10 or 12 shots every time I play. It’s living proof. Rory McIlroy deadlifts 250 pounds or more. Look at what Koepka is doing with heavyweight training and look at his form. We’ve heard continuously from media that weight training is bad for golf. But look at Tiger Woods. When he played his very best, he was pumped up extremely so. These guys are real athletes now and they’ve realised you’ve got to do weight training and stretching and eat properly.

How have you managed that longevity that no one else really has?
GP:  Well, you’ve got to eat well. The other thing is you got to sleep. I’m blessed that I’ve got a great marriage. I’ll be married for 62 years. I’ve been going out with my wife for 70 years. We have a large family: six children, 22 grandchildren one great-grandchild. So, there are a lot of things that go towards longevity. You have got to work on your mind. If you take the real superstars, the Jack Nicklaus, the Tiger Woods, the Tom Watsons, the Lee Trevinos, the Ben Hogans, they all had something that was different. In their mind, something was different. What is that thing? It’s called ‘It’. No psychiatrist or psychologist can tell you what that is. It’s God-given. It’s not even given, it’s loan to you, and not on a permanent basis. You take a guy like Tom Weiskopf. He was a better golfer than Nicklaus, but he won one Major on the regular tour and one on the senior tour. It’s not just about swinging a golf club.

How has the business of golf changed over your long career?
GP: Well the business in golf has changed but one of the big mistakes professional athletes make is thinking they have a business acumen of sorts. If I had my life over again, I would really have studied and taken business to some degree. I think that’s very important for young professional athletes to understand that. The prize money of golf has changed dramatically. The sponsorships, the charities, the crowds. I mean, take The Open for example. This is the first time at the oldest of all the Major Championships where they’ve sold out 45,000 tickets a day without even selling at the gates. This is just unheard of. So, everything has changed dramatically but as Winston Churchill said, change is the price of survival.

So you support change?
GP: I support change. Yes. You’d be silly not to support change. I mean you can’t live in the past. You’ve got to live it in the present.

Is there any single factor you think has been the key to your success?
GP: I think the faith that I have. It tells you when you’re doing things wrong. It tells you when you’re doing things right. It helps you. Everybody has problems. I don’t know anybody on this planet that doesn’t have a problem. And if he doesn’t have it now, he’ll have it later on in life. But, when you have faith, it helps you to adjust to everything. I know when I was playing in a tournament, I never ever gave up because I felt that that wasn’t the right thing to do. Even if I was going to finish last, I’d rather try and finish second last. So, I think my faith has helped me and has been the great strength of my life, with my marriage, with my family, with my business. Faith and remembering that a great man is judged not by how he treats the higher echelon but how he treats a lady who’s sweeping an airport or somebody who’s in the street that doesn’t have anything.

So humility?
GP: I think humanity is part of it. Look at faith, humility, love. Love is a very important thing. Respect, understanding, patience. All of these things fall under that category of faith. And it’s a shame to see so many people who disregard it. But we all have our choice.

The Gary Player Invitational charity series was founded to raise funds for those less fortunate, contributing to the goal of The Player Foundation of raising $100 million by 2025. The Berenberg Gary Player Invitational will take place at Wentworth Club on July 22, 2019, in aid of Depaul UK. 

The post Open Book: The Black Knight on Tiger, Jack, Rory and the return to Royal Portrush appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Bjorn will tee it up at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club on Jan. 29 alongside Dubai-based Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello, Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick (both members of the beaten 2016 team at Hazeltine) and reigning British Masters champion Paul Dunne (Ireland). Cabera Bello, Fitzpatrick and Dunne helped Bjorn’s Europeans rally to a 14-10 win over Asia in the EurAsia Cup in Kuala Lumpur earlier today in a positive precursor to the Ryder Cup.

Also confirmed for the 18-hole Gary Player Invitational are the Black Knight himself, D+D Real Czech Masters champion Haydn Porteous, Made in Denmark winner Julian Suri, 2016 South African Open winner Brandon Stone, Portugal Masters champion Lucas Bjerregaard and Jordan Smith, winner of the Porsche European Open.

Cabrera Bello’s sister Emma will also play alongside fellow Ladies European Tour players Olivia Cowan, Carly Booth and Henni Goya. Joining the pros will also be the UAE’s top amateur, Rayhan Thomas, and entertainers Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy (pictured above).

The Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs as the charity set to benefit from the day of “#golfandgiving”

“We are thrilled to be coming back to Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club to kick off 2018 with what will be a field of some of the super new golfing talent in the world,” said Player.

“As illustrated by our field of champions, including the UAE’s very own Rayhan Thomas, the game continues to evolve and strengthen in the UAE which is truly fantastic to see. This, combined with raising money for those in need will make for a fantastic event for all.”

Held in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, under the Patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the 2018 Gary Player Invitational at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is the only Middle Eastern stop in the global series. The series has helped The Player Foundation raise more than $64 million for charities worldwide and plays a key role in helping the foundation work towards its goal of raising $100 million by 2025.

“While the event itself is both engaging and entertaining, it is made all the more worthwhile knowing that funds raised will stay in Abu Dhabi and support the Zayed Higher Organization in all the great work that they do for the community,” said Player.

Supporters include Etihad Airways, TDIC, the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi (host of the post tournament gala dinner), SAP and Rolex. New sponsors confirmed for 2018 include Abu Dhabi Ports and Al Masaood Automobiles.

 Visit garyplayerinvitational.com and follow @GPInvitational on Twitter and Instagram  – #GOLFandGIVING.

The post Ryder Cup stars headline Saadiyat Beach field for 3rd Gary Player Invitational appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.