80 just a number for Gary

Golfing great Player does 1 300 sit-ups every morning

GARY Player is 80 tomorrow and his days still begin with 1 300 sit- ups and pushing 136kg on a leg machine. He hasn’t had a day this year when he’s played 18 holes and not shot lower than his age.

He will spend his birthday flying from Florida to China and then on to Bangkok. In the world of business he’s still representing companies around the globe and designing golf courses from here to Timbuktu. When at home in South Africa he rises at 5am and spends 12 hours working on his farm.

So when you ask the inevitable question, “Have you ever given thought to slowing down a touch?”, it’s as well to hold the phone a good distance from your ear.

“Let me tell you, Derek,” he begins. “Retirement is a death warrant. I remember in Britain a few years ago when you had that outcry when people were asked to work a year longer. Well, I’m 80 and I’m still the same as when I was 22. I’m still curious to learn, and I don’t believe in retirement. I want to die working.”

A 30-minute conversation with Player might be better than any pep talk with a guru specialising in positive thinking. The answers are delivered with such zest and passion you’d have to be a cynic not to take anything from the experience.

When I asked him what had been the greatest disappointment during his fabulous career, the answer was delivered with such emotion you’d have thought it happened yesterday rather than in 1962.

“I was leading Arnold Palmer by two shots with three holes to go at the Masters and he hit his tee shot to the 16th up on the right, where you can’t go,” he said. “I was 20 feet away and I said to my caddie: ‘We’ve won this.’

“Well, he hits his shot, it’s travelling about 100m/ h because it’s impossible to stop the ball from up there, and doesn’t it hit the hole and go in. At the 17th he hooks his tee shot into Eisenhower’s Tree, and then hits a five iron to 35 feet and holes that one as well. So we have a play-off and I’m leading him by three shots with nine holes to go... and he shoots 31 for the back nine. I tell you, that was one tournament Arnold won with miracles.”

With that, he started laughing uproariously.

His name will always be linked with Palmer’s and Jack Nicklaus’s, of course, immortalised in the moniker and deeds of the Big Three. Now, apparently, we have a modern version with Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth. Interestingly, when asked which of the original Big Three they most identified with, all three went for the man in black.

And so to this landmark birthday, which he will celebrate a week late, in South Africa. “We’re all gathering at Sun City, where they’ve kindly supplied 300 free rooms and free golf for everyone, so it’s going to be an incredible party,” he said.

“I’ve got all my family together, including all 22 grandchildren from every corner of the world. I feel very blessed to reach such an age in such condition but it’s also my reward for listening to the man upstairs and looking after myself all these years. It frustrates me when I look around and see so many young people eating too much and getting fat. Why is more not being done to teach them you can’t do anything without your health?

“As for me, I’ll never stop. When I’m 90 I’ll still play golf and I’ll still break 80.” – Daily Mail

SUPER FIT: Gary Player.