BOTTOM: JAMIE SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES; USGA PHOTO ARCHIVES
VG: Do you think that’s changed with
today’s players?
GP: I can’t pass judgment. It’s a different
world now. These guys are playing for a
million dollars every time they tee it up.
Look at Henrik Stenson. This last year he
won the [European Tour’s] Race to Dubai
and the FedEx Cup—that’s $20 million
right there. That’s more than Arnold, Jack
and I made put together in our entire
careers. That’s great. I think that’s fantastic.
But there’s no question it’s a different era.
You can’t compare golfers from different
eras. You can’t say Tiger Woods is better
than Nicklaus. You let Nicklaus play with
this driver, this golf ball that goes 50 yards
further, with these grooves in the clubs,
private jets and a million dollars every
week. He would have been a different
golfer. And the other thing is, they
start comparing, ‘Will Tiger Woods equal
Jack’s majors?’ Let’s put the shoe on the
other foot. Let’s say Tiger had won 18
majors and you had Nicklaus coming
along. Don’t forget he was second, if I’m
not mistaken, 19 times. If he had to surpass
Tiger Woods, Nicklaus would have won
at least 21 majors because he would have
prepared better.
Given their lifetime achievements, Player and
fellow icons Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus
are inexorably linked among the game’s greatest
names. The three will again serve as honorary
starters at the Masters in April.
VG: You’ve always taken the ambassador’s
role very seriously. With Arnie and Jack,
you came along when golf became more
of a global game. You all helped it grow.
Do you feel like you came along at the
perfect time?
GP: I’ve been a pro for 60 years and if
there’s a man on this planet who’s traveled
more than I have, I’d like to meet him. I’ll
probably travel another eight to 10 years
to design golf courses and give clinics. We
came in at a time when television came to
the fore. What a perfect time. And we were
winning all these majors. Arnold was this
charismatic man and just rejuvenated the
game. Golf as a professional game has never
been more healthy.
But golf as an