Player: We desperately need Woods win
Fifty years since he won the second of his three Open titles, Gary Player returned to Carnoustie with a warning to the sport and an urge to see Tiger Woods end his 10-year major drought.
The 82-year-old, who won here in 1968, insisted that rising appearance fees were damaging the game and said the success of Woods, who is playing in his first Open since 2015, was key to attracting people to take up golf.
“My big wish would be that he would win,” Player said. “Because Tiger is responsible for these guys playing for a million every week. Tiger has captured the young people, who we need in this game at the moment. He brings more people, the sponsors are delighted, the public are delighted, the media are delighted. I think Tiger will win another tournament, and I hope he will win another major because we desperately need him to do that for the sake of the game.”
Player said Woods, at 42, had a “pretty good” chance of taming the bone-dry Carnoustie fairways this week. “He is swinging the club so well. He is making the right movements. I don’t know how his career has affected him mentally, how it has hurt him. Nobody knows that. But he certainly has a chance. He could win.”
Player, a nine-time major winner, claimed today’s golfers could “kill the goose that laid the golden egg” by demanding huge appearance fees to play at tournaments. “Now, you want a top player to come from America, and he’s never won a major championship, never really excelled, and he wants $500,000 [£383,000],” Player said. “We wanted a man to play in our charity event at Wentworth one year, he wanted $500,000 for the one day.
“We have got to be very careful that we do not kill the goose that laid the golden egg. Yes, pay them. But the managers have to realise that every golfer playing has a debt to society.
“We want the world to see the top players. Tiger was paid millions because he was in a league of his own. And he brought the people in. But when you see an ordinary player asking for $500,000 or more, it is a very sad day.”