Name | Gary Player |
Net Worth | $250 Million |
Source of Wealth | Ex-Golfer, Endorsements |
Last Updated | 2021 December |
Country of Origin | South Africa |
Gary Player is a retired South African-born professional golfer who is regarded as the greatest of all time and his achievements in this sport are uncountable. Gary has over 150 professional tournament wins in six continents and has completely dominated this sport for 7 long decades. Gary Player is the main reason why golf is so popular around the world.
Gary Player is called Mr. Fitness because of his urge to play golf even at age of 86. He is still very fit and regularly posts his videos of doing treadmill runs. His journey started on 1st November 1935 when he was born in Johannesburg to Harry and Muriel. His mother died when he was just 8 years old and his father also used to stay away from home because he was a mine worker.
The financial conditions of his family were not good in his childhood and to play a costly sport like Golf was not possible but his father still managed to gift Gary’s Golf stick by taking some loans so that Gary could fulfill his dreams. The Player was touched by his father’s gesture and made up his mind to achieve something in this sport. He turned pro at the age of 17 and the rest is wins and fame.
Gary Player Net Worth
Gary Player is 86 years old and is one of the richest golfers in the world. He played in that era when golf was not that cash-rich sport but still has made a good chunk of money through tournament’s prize money. His net worth is at the staggering $250 million mark and even today, he makes good money through endorsements and business investments.
Let’s now go into details of Gary Player’s net worth.
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Career
Gary Player played his first tournament when he was just 14 years old and at age of 17, he turned professional. He has over 150 professional wins and 9 major competition wins. The Player competed on US-based tours more regularly and in the late 1950s when Golf boomed in the USA, he was an icon in the United States.
Golf Player’s peak years were in the late 1950s to late 1970s and throughout that time there was a big debate about who is the greatest of all time among Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and their rivalry was named “Big Three”. By 1961, Player had 24 career wins but by the time ended his career, he finished with more than 150 wins and with career earnings of $7,883,511
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Brand Endorsements
Gary Player is 86 years old but still has a big value in the market world. He is one of the most admired people around the world and makes around $2-4 Million through his endorsements. He is associated with top brands like BMW, Rolex and list of his current endorsements are
- Callaway
- Coca-Cola
- BMW
- Sun International South Africa
- Rolex
Social Media
Gary Player is given the Nickname of Mr. Fitness for his super active lifestyle. He has evolved in this modern technology world and is active on all social media platforms. Gary Player is 86 years old but seeing his social media profiles, surely one would think of him as an actor or renowned businessman.
Social Media Platform | Followers |
125k Followers | |
416k Followers | |
90k Followers |
Gary Player’s House
Gary Player is from Johannesburg, South Africa, and used to live on his Karoo stud farm. He spent 44 long years there but recently he sold his luxurious farm to Chas Everitt International for $50 Million. Gary currently lives in Johannesburg in a luxurious penthouse that is estimated to be worth millions. Gary also owns many properties in the USA.
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Gary Player’s Career Stats
- Total Professional Wins- 160
- 24 PGA tour wins
- 4 European Tour wins
- 60 Sunshine Tour wins
- 22 PGA Tour Champions
- Major Competitions- 9
Year | Major Tournament Name |
1959 | British Open |
1961 | Masters |
1962 | PGA Championship |
1965 | US Open |
1968 | British Open |
1972 | PGA Championship |
1974 | Masters |
1974 | British Open |
1978 | Masters |
Personal life and Family life of Gary Player
1. Family and Personal info
Name | Gary Player |
Nickname | Black Knight, Mr Fitness |
Favorite Country | America |
Date of Birth | 1st November 1935 |
Place of Birth | Johannesburg |
Spouse | Viviene Verwey |
Citizenship | South African |
Height | 5 fit 6 |
Weight | 68 |
Turned Professional | 1953 |
Professional Wins | 160 |
Father | Harry |
Mother | Muriel |
Children | Jennifer, Marc, Wayne, Michele, Theresa, Amanda |
Religion | Christianity |
Affair and Marriage
Gary Player married Vivienne Verwey in 1957 and ironically she is the sister of another professional golfer Bobby Verwer who was Gary’s competitor during that time. They had 6 children together and so have 22 grandchildren. His wife and kids always used to accompany him on his tours and Gary used to consider them as his lucky charm. His wife died this year in August due to cancer.
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Controversies of Gary Player
- Gary Player was involved in racial controversy in 1966 in South Africa when he supported policies of the country about white people saying they have “ability to maintain civilized values and standards”.
- 1962, Gary took Augusta National Green Jacket hime after losing the tournament which is against the tradition as only the winner of the tournament is allowed to take his jacket home and other players needs to leave their jacket but Gary didn’t follow this tradition and was criticized for his rude behavior.
Achievements of Gary Player
- Gary Player won sportsman of the century award in 2020.
- He was the first golfer to feature on any country’s postal stamp
- He has 160 professional wins to his name
- He received President Medal of freedom from Donal Trump in January 2021
- He received lifetime achievement award from PGA tour in 2012
- He was named in World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974
- He was 1961 PGA leading money winner
- He received GCSAA Tom Morris award in 2020
Unknown Facts about Gary Player
- Gary Player’s also designs golf courses
- He has designed over 400 golf courses till now.
- He occasionally still plays US Open
- Gary Player’s one son owns a Management company which manages many big Hollywood actors and Golfers
- Gary used to always wear black during his tours
- He still runs on treadmill to keep himself fit
FAQs about Gary Player
86
Yes
South African
9
6 children, 22 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren
USA
250 Million US Dollars