Sunday 5 April 2015 14:37, UK
With the Masters just four days away, Gary Player continues our countdown of the top ten Augusta legends.
For 27 years the Masters was widely considered a closed shop, an exclusively-American stronghold with invites to overseas players limited to a select, lucky few.
The prospect of a foreigner donning the Green Jacket undoubtably turned the stomachs of many an Augusta patron, so it was unthinkable that Gary Player would become one of the most popular visitors for over half a century.
The diminutive South African became the first international champion in 1961, displaying his trademark bunker skills with a superb up-and-down from sand at the 72nd hole while Arnold Palmer took six from the same bunker to lose out by a shot.
Palmer exacted swift revenge after a play-off the following season, and Player was a top-10 finisher seven times in the next 10 years before landing an overdue second victory in 1974.
Player was sometimes ridiculed for his devotion to a strict fitness regime, but his longevity was evident in 1978 when he birdied seven of the final 10 holes to snatch a one-shot win over Rod Funseth, Hubert Green and a certain Tom Watson.
He recorded just one more top-10 at Augusta, although he did become the oldest player to make the cut in 1998 aged 59, and he bid an emotional farewell to his adoring fans in his record 52nd appearance in 2009.
But he still receives a hearty reception every year as an honorary starter alongside his long-time rivals Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.
