"That’s why I rate the Open No 1”: Gary Player has to ‘beg’ to play at Augusta

Retired South African golfer Gary Player is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time. In a recent interview with The Times, he revealed that the Augusta club did not allow him to play despite him begging them to play at least a round.

Gary Player was deeply saddened by the club's unwelcoming response to someone who helped make the Masters what it is today.

"I've played my role. I've won it three times. I was in the top ten 15 times. I made the most number of cuts in a row ever, yet here we are struggling to get a round. That's why I rate the Open No 1. If it wasn't for the players, (Augusta) would just be another golf course in Georgia."

🚨BEGGING TO PLAY🙏 — 3x Masters champ Gary Player sounds off: “I can’t go & have a practice round there with my three grandchildren without having to beg a member… that’s why I rate The Open #1. If it wasn’t for the players, (ANGC) would just be another golf course in Georgia.”… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/yKVik1YRu6

After launching a scathing assault on how he thought the Green Jackets handled him, Gary Player admitted in an interview with The Times that taking the symbolic tee shot was one of the few times he got to play Augusta National.

"After all I've contributed to the tournament and been an ambassador for them, I can't go and have a practice round there with my three grandchildren without having to beg a member to play with us, and there's always some excuse. It's terribly, terribly sad."

Former American golfer Jack Nicklaus too expressed a similar opinion, saying he felt it was disrespectful to the players who have made the game what it is today.

There is no chance that Gary Player will ever give in to critics who have suggested that he be removed from his symbolic position as Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson's honored starters at the Masters.

“It's just sad - and I put great emphasis on the word 'sad'- that Augusta don't make you feel welcome in that regard, because I helped make this tournament what it is."

Gary Player also mentioned that he has received a lot of support from fellow PGA players and that he is eager to highlight more of his golfing accomplishments.

"I've had phenomenal support. I don't think there's anybody on this planet who gets more love than me."

The 2023 Augusta Masters field

Beginning on April 6, 90 competitors will compete in the 2023 Augusta Masters. The competitors' identities are listed below:

Fred Couples
Sandy Lyle
Patrick Reed
Jordan Spieth
Sergio Garcia
Hideki Matsuyama
Scottie Scheffler
Bubba Watson
Dustin Johnson
Phil Mickelson
Mike Weir
Zach Johnson
Larry Mize
Charl Schwartzel
Tiger Woods
Bernhard Langer
Jose Maria Olazabal
Adam Scott
Vijay Singh
Danny Willett
Bryson DeChambeau
Gary Woodland
Matt Fitzpatrick
Jon Rahm
Brooks Koepka
Shane Lowry
Francesco Molinari
Collin Morikawa
Cameron Smith
Justin Thomas
Sam Bennett
Ben Carr
Aldrich Potgieter
Harrison Crowe
Matthew McClean
Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira
Cameron Champ
Sungjae I'm
Will Zalatoris
Corey Conners
Rory McIlroy
Tommy Fleetwood
Viktor Hovland
Cameron Young
Mito Pereira
Keegan Bradley
Max Homa
Chris Kirk
Xander Schauffele
Adam Svensson
Sam Burns
Mackenzie Hughes
Kurt Kitayama
Patrick Cantlay
Bill Horschel
Tony Finau
Kim Si Woo
Seamus Power
Russell Henley
Tom Kim
Justin Rose
Brian Harman
Joaquin Niemann
Scott Stallings
Sahith Theegala
Tom Hoge
JT Poston
Sepp Straka
Aaron Wise
Taylor Moore
Lee Kyoung Hoon
Abraham Ancer
Tyrell Hatton
Adrian Meronk
Louis Oosthuizen
Ryan Fox
Kevin Kisner
Kevin Na
Thomas Pieters
Talor Gooch
Jason Kokrak
Alex Noren
Harold Varner III
Sam Burns
Jason Day
Harris English
Keith Mitchell
Min Woo Lee
Kazuki Higa
Gordon Sargent