Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Watson have been serving as the honorary starters at the Masters for the past three years. They have a total of 11 green jackets between them, but Player, at 89, is the oldest living Masters champion. Despite his advanced age, the South African golf legend loves staying in shape. In fact, when he was 87, he stated, “I am in the gym 90 minutes a day. I push 300 pounds with my legs, run the treadmill.” No wonder he can still play some good golf after contributing to putting the sport on the map in the 60s!

He was a part of the iconic trio alongside Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, who took advantage of the growth of television in that decade and became household names. He was also the face of the sport in his home country, representing South Africa in the Golf World Cup an incredible 16 times. He also holds an exceptional record at Augusta National. Nearly 50 years after his last Masters win, he is still incredibly proud of his achievements in the tournament. In fact, he was at Augusta owing to the upcoming 2024 Masters Tournament, and the crew of the ‘No Laying Up’ podcast gave us a glimpse at how passionate Gary Player still is about his record in the Green Jacket event.

In the latest episode on YouTube, Chris ‘Soly’ Solomon shared their recent interaction with Player at Augusta National. Coming up to a group of hosts from the podcast, the 89-year-old legend picked up a conversation with Solomon and his crew. Solomon, in an attempt to quote the golfer, stated: “‘Hey! What an experience! Every time I walk off this course, I take a piece of grass’ and he just bends down and I am not joking, bends down, pulls the overseated rye, and he says, “And, I eat it’. And he eats part of the grass from Augusta. Right in front of us. Unprovoked.”

As per Solomon’s admission, Player continued to say: “Three wins, three seconds, top 10 fourteen times, most number of cuts, 67 visits, most number of times played in the Championship. And I was like, “Yeah, but who’s counting?” The golfer responded, “I am!” But no, Gary Players’ enthusiasm didn’t end there. There’s more!

The podcaster narrated: “Somebody asked him, “How do you feel?” And he goes, “Like a lion!” […] 90 years old strong and he bangs himself in the belly. All my friends are dead! I tell my friend, Lee Trevino, I’ve beat my age 3,339 times and today is 3,340.” This received a hilarious response from Supermex as he said, “What’s so impressive about that? You got to shoot 17 over to beat it.” The enthusiasm of Gary Player made Solomon and the others chuckle as he mentioned, “That’s just how he is 24/7,” complimenting the legend’s energy.

Neil Schuster jumped into the conversation again as he stated, “He’s a menace. He’s a lot. I mean, he’s 89. He’s about to be 90. I mean, I got nothing but respect for him because he thumped those abs and they were like so hard.” They then mentioned how the other groups at Augusta National also were treated to the same routine. Well, most of it. Player didn’t go around eating grass in front of everyone, as confirmed by the reporters of ‘No Laying Up’. Schuster elaborated on how the legend put up the same act for three different groups of people as if it were a stand-up bit. He also mentioned how it’s not an actual two-way interaction with Player; it’s just a bit that he pulls in front of everyone. In fact, after completing the standup act, the 24x PGAT winner didn’t even say goodbye to everyone. As Neil Schuster mentioned, “he just walked off.”

The incredible interaction with Gary Player might remain a lifetime memory for all of them. But this is not the first time the Black Knight’s actions have won hearts. He has been in the news a few times in the past months. Let’s see how Player is living it larger than life.

Gary Player’s incredible life at 89!

To say Gary Player is living an incredible life would be an understatement. The golf legend is far more energetic and passionate at 89 than we would ever imagine. Player has been turning heads with everything he has been up to recently. Soon after his 2025 PNC Championship appearance, the South African’s love life came to light. Fans were thrilled to learn that Gary Player had found love again at nearly 90 years of age.

Through friends and associates, Player met New Yorker, Susan Waterfall, some time ago. The two had been linking up for a few months before the 9x major winner confirmed that he had finally found love again. But his current relationship status didn’t affect his love for his late wife, Vivienne Verwey.

Player paid respect to Vivienne on Valentine’s Day by posting a picture of the two of them with their children when all of them were younger. The post was captioned, “All you need is love, just look what it can grow into ❤️ GP.” He also regularly posts pictures with his incredible family where he is seen enjoying get-togethers or playing with his grandchildren.

After everything you have learned, do you also find inspiration in leading your life like Gary Player, even when you grow older? Let us know in the comments section.