Gary Player Turns 74

On November 1, Gary Player turned 74. One of only five men to win the career Grand Slam, the diminutive South African won a total of nine major championships. In addition, his resume lists nine Champions Tour majors and more than 160 wins worldwide.

Player has been a professional golfer for more than 50 years. In addition, he's designed more than 300 golf courses worldwide, traveled more than any other athlete on Earth, and is renowned for his health-conscious lifestyle and passion for fitness.

Despite all his accomplishment, Player declared on the eve of his birthday: "I still have so much to do."

Still an active member of the Champions Tour, Player's globetrotting life has helped spread the goodwill of golf and earned him the title of "Golf's International Ambassador."

While Arnold Palmer was making the game popular in the United States, it was Player, one of the legendary "Big Three" with Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, who helped popularize the game in elsewhere around the world.

Player's other notable achievements include an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of St. Andrews (1995); the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award for dedication to charity (2003); and the Payne Stewart Award from the PGA Tour in recognition of philanthropic achievements and the exemplary manner in which he has conducted himself on and off the golf course, which he received in 2006.

In December 2003 Player was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga (in gold) by President Mbeki of South Africa for excellence in golf and his contribution to non-racial sport in South Africa.

On his 74th birthday, Player was in China hosting the second leg of the Gary Player Invitational series to raise money for the Yunnan AIDS Orphans whose lives have been hit hardest by HIV. "Last year we raised more than RMB 4.5-million for the children in China and over R3-million at the Gary Player Invitational in South Africa," he said. "That took us past the R250-million mark in 25 years; now our goal is to reach the R300-million mark."

Though still committed to tournament play, his design company, sponsors' corporate outings and charity work, Player admits he cherishes the time spent with his family, his wife of nearly 60 years, Vivienne, his six children and 21 grandchildren.

And then there is his beloved farm in the desert area of the Karoo in central South Africa, where he breeds thoroughbred racehorses. But for the moment, there is no chance of this busy man retiring.