"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."

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.

PNC Championship

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."

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The 2023 Augusta Masters field

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

1. Fred Couples
2. Sandy Lyle
3. Patrick Reed
4. Jordan Spieth
5. Sergio Garcia
6. Hideki Matsuyama
7. Scottie Scheffler
8. Bubba Watson
9. Dustin Johnson
10. Phil Mickelson
11. Mike Weir
12. Zach Johnson
13. Larry Mize
14. Charl Schwartzel
15. Tiger Woods
16. Bernhard Langer
17. Jose Maria Olazabal
18. Adam Scott
19. Vijay Singh
20. Danny Willett
21. Bryson DeChambeau
22. Gary Woodland
23. Matt Fitzpatrick
24. Jon Rahm
25. Brooks Koepka
26. Shane Lowry
27. Francesco Molinari
28. Collin Morikawa
29. Cameron Smith
30. Justin Thomas
31. Sam Bennett
32. Ben Carr
33. Aldrich Potgieter
34. Harrison Crowe
35. Matthew McClean
36. Mateo Fernandez de Oliveira
37. Cameron Champ
38. Sungjae I'm
39. Will Zalatoris
40. Corey Conners
41. Rory McIlroy
42. Tommy Fleetwood
43. Viktor Hovland
44. Cameron Young
45. Mito Pereira
46. Keegan Bradley
47. Max Homa
48. Chris Kirk
49. Xander Schauffele
50. Adam Svensson
51. Sam Burns
52. Mackenzie Hughes
53. Kurt Kitayama
54. Patrick Cantlay
55. Bill Horschel
56. Tony Finau
57. Kim Si Woo
58. Seamus Power
59. Russell Henley
60. Tom Kim
61. Justin Rose
62. Brian Harman
63. Joaquin Niemann
64. Scott Stallings
65. Sahith Theegala
66. Tom Hoge
67. JT Poston
68. Sepp Straka
69. Aaron Wise
70. Taylor Moore
71. Lee Kyoung Hoon
72. Abraham Ancer
73. Tyrell Hatton
74. Adrian Meronk
75. Louis Oosthuizen
76. Ryan Fox
77. Kevin Kisner
78. Kevin Na
79. Thomas Pieters
80. Talor Gooch
81. Jason Kokrak
82. Alex Noren
83. Harold Varner III
84. Sam Burns
85. Jason Day
86. Harris English
87. Keith Mitchell
88. Min Woo Lee
89. Kazuki Higa
90. Gordon Sargent