Gary Player relishing Carnoustie return

Gary Player will return to Carnoustie and the scene of the ‘greatest shot of his career’ when he takes his place amongst an impressive line up of Major Champions in The Senior Open Championship presented by MasterCard from July 22-25.
Tickets are now on sale at a discounted rate for the 24th edition of the Championship, which this year returns to Scotland, visiting the magnificent Championship Course at Carnoustie for the first time.
It will be an emotional return for Player, who won The Open Championship at Carnoustie in 1968, claiming his second of three Claret Jugs after previously winning at Muirfield in 1959.
The 74 year old, who last week played in the Berenberg Bank Masters over the Fancourt course he designed in his native South Africa, still rates his majestic three wood approach shot to the 14th hole in his final round 42 years ago as the most memorable shot of his marvellous career.
Player’s ball stopped just inches from the pin to give him a tap in for eagle and set up his eventual two stroke victory over the legendary American Jack Nicklaus and New Zealand’s Bob Charles, who had claimed the Claret Jug five years previously.
“I’ve got great memories of Carnoustie,” said Player. “There were five of us going down the last five holes within one shot of each other and I was playing with Nicklaus.
“I got to the 14th hole, which is known as The Spectacles, because of the two large bunkers in the middle of the fairway, and the wind was blowing and I had a three wood in my hand and I had to decide whether to go for the green or not because there’s all this heather and junk around over the bigger of the two bunkers.
“There was only about a five yard gap and I put the ball eight inches from the hole, which enabled me to go on and beat Nicklaus and the others.
“That has to be the best shot of my life. I hit a shot at the PGA when there were nine of us in contention and a shot to a couple of feet at the 17th at Augusta when leading by one but nothing like that. That’s a three wood into the wind with such trouble all around.
“My wife was sitting in the stand and she was so nervous. After I played the shot she said she could hardly walk down the stand because her knees were shaking that much.
“Carnoustie is definitely one of the toughest courses I have played. It will be very tough for a Senior Open. Ben Hogan won The Open there before me, which I watched as a young man, and I always said Ben was the best player I’ve ever seen so Carnoustie has some very special memories for me.”
Player, who has missed only one of the 23 Senior Open Championships played since 1987, is the joint most successful player in the Championship’s history with Tom Watson, winning the title in 1988 and 1990 at Turnberry and in 1997 at Royal Portrush.
The Black Knight, who has 164 professional tournament wins worldwide, believes those victories surpassed even the feat of his nine regular Major Championship victories.
“People ask me what’s the greatest achievement of my life and I say my Grand Slam on the Senior Tour and they are shocked, but you have to do that after you turn 50,” he said.
“My three Senior Open titles were such a great achievement. The tournament is going from strength to strength and if you look at the scores they were shooting last year at Sunningdale it was remarkable. The field just gets better and better every year.”
Spectators can buy tickets now for The Senior Open Championship by visiting www.senioropengolf.com or by calling +44 (0) 800 023 2557 or on the gate. One day tickets are £25 and season tickets are £70.

Substantial savings can now be made both on day passes and season tickets for The 2010 Senior Open Championship, which are priced respectively at £16.50 and £60, with a further 10% discount available to MasterCard cardholders.
To order your tickets, go here or call +44 800 023 2557. Postal enquiries should be sent to European Tour Tickets, Mirren Court Three, 123, Renfrew Court Three, Paisley. PA3 4EA. Alternatively, you can email tickets@europeantour.com.